United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), one of Africa’s largest banking groups, has added $312 million to investor wealth over the past two months as its shares climbed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), with the market now awaiting the release of the lender’s interim financial results.

Reflecting its position as Africa’s Global Bank, with operations in the United Kingdom, United States, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA has started 2026 on stronger footing, drawing renewed investor interest as shareholders assess the lender’s earnings growth and progress in improving asset quality.

Data compiled by Shore.Africa from the NGX show that UBA’s market value increased by N358 billion, or about $312 million, in the two months through the time of this report. The bank’s share price rose 25.47 percent to N46 ($0.035), from N37.90 ($0.0277) on July 2.

The increase lifted UBA’s market capitalization to N2.03 trillion ($1.54 billion), from about N1.68 trillion ($1.22 billion), extending gains for shareholders as the bank prepares to report its half-year performance.

UBA valuation rises as loan recovery targets increase

The rise in UBA’s valuation comes as Oliver Alawuba, the group’s managing director and chief executive officer, continues to lead the lender’s expansion across African and international markets. The bank has placed technology, payments and cross-border banking at the center of its strategy as it serves customers across its extensive network.

UBA serves more than 45 million customers across its retail, corporate and digital banking businesses. Its customer base exceeds Morocco’s population of about 38.5 million, underscoring the scale of the bank’s operations across 20 African countries and in the United Kingdom, United States, France and the United Arab Emirates.

Investor attention is also focused on the bank’s efforts to improve asset quality and recover overdue loans. UBA has stepped up engagement with customers who have fallen behind on repayments, an issue that contributed to pressure on the bank’s non-performing loan ratio.

Alawuba told investors in April that the bank was working with affected borrowers and had begun to see encouraging results. “We’re seeing some of them come back to regular payments,” he said. “Once that improves further, we should be able to return to dividend payments.”

He said the earlier decision to withhold a dividend payment was linked to a higher-than-expected non-performing loan ratio and described the issue as temporary.

UBA first-quarter profit signals stronger 2026

UBA’s first-quarter results for 2026 offered an early indication of a stronger start to the year. Gross earnings rose to N801.46 billion ($591.1 million), from N764.31 billion ($563.7 million) in the same period a year earlier, supported by higher interest income and contributions from operations across Africa and other international markets.

Profit after tax reached N146.6 billion ($108.1 million) in the first quarter, despite inflationary pressures and currency movements that continued to affect operating conditions across several of the bank’s markets.

If the first-quarter pace is sustained through the rest of the year, UBA could report full-year profit of N586 billion ($432 million), compared with N404.69 billion ($298.4 million) in 2025.

Balance sheet shows continued strength

The bank’s balance sheet also showed continued strength at the end of the first quarter. Customer deposits increased to N24.14 trillion ($17.8 billion), from N23.94 trillion ($17.66 billion) at the end of December 2025.

Total assets stood at N33.13 trillion ($24.44 billion), broadly unchanged from year-end levels. Shareholders’ equity increased to N4.31 trillion ($3.17 billion), from N4.25 trillion ($3.13 billion), adding further support to the bank’s financial position as investors await its interim results.

The coming half-year report will give shareholders a clearer picture of whether UBA can maintain its earnings growth while improving loan recoveries and managing inflation, currency pressures and credit risks across its African and international operations.