Access has emerged as the largest employer of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) candidates in Nigeria, according to new data from CFA Society Nigeria, highlighting the financial services group’s growing investment in developing globally credentialed finance professionals.
The ranking, contained in CFA Society Nigeria’s Where Nigeria’s Finance Professionals Work series, showed that Access had 82 employees enrolled as CFA candidates, more than double the 38 candidates recorded by the institution occupying second place.
Access also ranked second nationwide among employers of CFA charterholders, with 11 professionals who have completed all three levels of the CFA Programme and fulfilled the required professional experience and ethics requirements.
The figures provide another measure of competition within Nigeria’s financial services industry, where institutions have traditionally been assessed largely by indicators such as balance sheet size, profitability, customer numbers and branch networks.
The CFA Society Nigeria data instead places emphasis on the depth of professional expertise being developed within financial institutions and the number of employees pursuing internationally recognised investment credentials.
According to the Society, the rankings were compiled from its Salesforce Membership Database as of June 2026 and were intended to recognise employers whose professionals bring “rigour, integrity and global best practices into the workplace every day.”
Access’ 82 candidates put it substantially ahead of other institutions listed in the survey and suggest a sizeable pipeline of employees pursuing the CFA designation.
The CFA Programme is widely recognised within investment management and financial services, with candidates required to complete examinations covering areas including investment analysis, portfolio management, economics, financial reporting and ethical and professional standards.
Beyond the individual professional benefits, the development of a larger pool of CFA candidates could have broader implications for Nigeria’s financial system by expanding the number of professionals trained in investment analysis, ethics and globally recognised industry practices.
Such professionals form part of the talent pool available to banks, capital market operators, pension funds, asset managers and other financial institutions.
Reacting to the ranking, Access Holdings Group Chief Executive Officer, Innocent C. Ike, described the figures as reflecting the institution’s emphasis on developing its people rather than merely expanding its workforce.
“Every candidate on that list represents our commitment to building institutions and professionals that endure,” Ike said.
The ranking also aligns with Access’ broader stated ambition of becoming the “World’s Most Respected African Financial Services Group,” with human capital development positioned as one of the foundations for achieving that objective.
For the Group, the latest figures indicate that its expansion strategy is being accompanied by efforts to deepen professional expertise among employees and develop a pipeline of finance professionals equipped with internationally recognised qualifications.
The CFA Society Nigeria figures also underscore a wider shift in the financial services industry towards competition for specialised talent as Nigerian and African institutions seek greater participation in increasingly sophisticated domestic and international financial markets.
With 82 candidates currently pursuing the CFA designation and 11 charterholders already within its workforce, Access’ showing places the institution prominently within that evolving contest for professionally qualified financial talent.
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