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As part of our intent to lead development and support in nels that eased collections and payment processes, and
the energy sector in Nigeria, we partnered with the Nigerian enhanced customer experience and profitability. We also
Netional Petroleum Corporation (‘NNPC’) in the Incorpo- deployed multi-payment platforms that provided conven-
rated Joint Venture Financing Scheme to finance ongoing ience and efficiency in port collections thereby addressing
field development optimization projects with the various the perennial challenges of port congestion.
International Oil Companies (‘IOCs’) that the NNPC has
strategic partnership with in Nigeria. Our deep understanding of our clients’ ecosystem and de-
ployment of sustainable products and services have led to a
The focus of our Upstream arm is to engender a formida- significant growth in their businesses and enhanced market
ble partnership with the multinationals and their various visibility. We have through our drive for sustainability held
local content contractors through innovative financing several capacity building programmes for key distributors
schemes. We leverage our stellar knowledge of the indus- of our clients. This has also helped in de-risking their value
try operating environment to partner with IOCs in areas of chain.
renewable energy and investment in profitable energy solu-
tions to produce safe and reliable energy.

Our Downstream arm is at the forefront of providing be- Infrastructure Group
spoke trade finance solutions and advisory services to cli- The Infrastructure Group is charged with the task of imple-
ents involved in the Downstream Sector. Our products cov- menting the Bank’s vision to lead the drive for development
er the entire value chain. Some of these solutions include of the country’s infrastructure and bridging the significant
creation of foreign exchange forwards to help our custom- gap that exists in three major sectors of: power, transport
ers hedge their foreign exchange risk as it relates to the im- and telecommunications.
portation of petroleum products and establishing master
letters of credit for large scale imports. In 2017, we offered a wide-range of financial advisory solu-
tions to players in the power and infrastructure sectors. We
We have also played a major role in the development of continued to work with State Governments as well as play-
strategic industry infrastructure in the mid-stream sector, ers in the private sector to find sustainable solutions to the
with our continued support for pipeline and gas infrastruc- pervasive lack of adequate electricity across Nigeria. The
ture in line with the revised Gas Master Plan blueprint.
Bank actively participated as the only bank on the Techni-
Overall, the Oil and Gas Group ensures that its operations cal Committee of the Lagos State Embedded Power Pro-
are in line with international environmental sustainability gramme, a three-year plan to achieve regular power sup-
principles, and global best practice. This has seen Access ply for the State. This initiative will deliver additional 3,000
Bank emerge as a recipient of several accolades, one of mega watts of power through accelerated deployment of
which was the “Best Bank on Sustainability” for Oil and Gas various embedded power plants in strategic locations and
related transactions in the Banking Industry for 2017 which boosting economic activities of the State. The findings of
was awarded by the Central Bank of Nigeria. the committee was utilized in developing the Lagos State
Electric Power Reform Bill, which will be signed into law in
the first quarter of 2018. We intend to continue to play a
lead role in the successful implementation of this project
Large Conglomerates Group as it will bridge the huge gap between energy demand and
supply in Lagos State.
The Large Conglomerate Group focuses on top-tier man-
ufacturing companies that are engaged in the food, bev- Our experienced and dedicated Relationship Managers in
erages, personal care, cement and building materials seg- the Transport Sector provide support to international and
ment of the economy. Our clients include multinationals local airlines as well as marine and automobile companies.
and indigenous companies whose operations span across We designed a tailor-fit FX Solution that addressed the
various segments of the Nigerian economy, and transcends pertinent requirements of the international airlines for FX
international boundaries. remittance, cash management and trade services. The
solution in itself helped to restore the confidence of inter-
We build enduring partnerships with our customers, by
developing financial solutions that meet their long term national airlines, thereby leading to the re-opening of flight
needs. This is achieved through the deployment of unique frequency that was previously cut back. This enabled us to
and innovative products and services that support sales sign on new international airlines in 2017. We will continue
growth while enhancing operational efficiencies. to consolidate and grow our market share in this sector in
2018.
Over the years, we have carved a niche in the industry as
market leaders in the deployment of bespoke trade prod- We continued to leverage our strong understanding of the
ucts to meet the requirement of our clients. During the ecosystem in the telecommunications sector through sus-
2017 financial year, we worked with several clients to devel- tainable innovations that saw us maintain our dominance
op unique digital banking platforms and alternative chan- of this sector. We have built strategic partnerships with key

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Annual Report & Accounts 2017