Nigeria Records 26% Year On Year Surge In Capital Importation To $6.4 Billion During Q4 2025

NBS reports a 26.61% year-on-year increase in Nigeria's capital importation for Q4 2025, led by a $5.4 billion surge in portfolio investments via the UK.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 26, 2026, 6:57 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from The Sun Nigeria

Portfolio Investments Drive Significant Uptick In Quarterly Capital Inflows

The Nigerian economy experienced a robust expansion in foreign capital entry during the fourth quarter of 2025, reaching a total valuation of $6,443.48 million. Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicates that this figure represents a 26.61 percent increase from the $5,089.16 million recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2024. This growth trajectory was sustained on a sequential basis as well, with the Q4 figures outperforming the third quarter of 2025 by 7.13 percent. The composition of these inflows reveals a heavy reliance on Portfolio Investment, which dominated the landscape with $5,486.03 million, representing over 85 percent of the total capital imported during the reference period.

Banking Sector Emerges As Primary Gateway For Foreign Financial Interests

Analysis of the sectoral distribution highlights the pivotal role of the banking industry in facilitating national capital entry. Financial institutions secured the highest inflow of $3,850.14 million, which accounts for nearly 60 percent of the total quarterly capital. This was followed by the broader financing sector at 30.15 percent and the production and manufacturing sector at a distant 4.79 percent. The concentration of funds within the banking space suggests a strategic focus by international investors on the liquidity and stability of Nigeria’s primary financial intermediaries, overshadowing direct industrial and manufacturing commitments which saw significantly lower levels of foreign direct investment.

British And American Markets Lead Geographical Origins Of National Investment

The United Kingdom maintained its position as the leading source of capital for Nigeria, contributing $3,733.37 million or nearly 58 percent of the total quarterly volume. According to the NBS report, the United States followed as the second largest contributor with $837.91 million, while the Republic of South Africa accounted for 8.02 percent of the inflows. This geographic concentration underscores the continued reliance on traditional Western financial hubs for the country's external funding needs. The report identifies Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc as the primary recipient institution, handling over $2.2 billion in transactions, followed by Standard Chartered Bank and CitiBank Nigeria.