Access Bank Botswana has delayed the publication of its audited 2025 financial statements for a third time, extending the process into a third month and leaving the market waiting for final accounts despite the bank having already released preliminary results in March.
In its latest market update this week, the board said the one outstanding audit matter delaying publication of the audited financial statements remains unresolved, but is “progressing well and nearing completion.”
However, the bank has not disclosed the nature of the issue. In each of its delay
announcements, the board has maintained that the outstanding matter does not affect the bank’s underlying financial performance, capital adequacy, liquidity position or ability to continue operating as a going concern.
The audited results were initially due on or before 15 April 2026. A notice issued on that date pushed the deadline to 15 May.
On 13 May, the bank announced a second delay, citing a single outstanding audit matter that remained under review and was required before auditors could complete their sign-off process. This week’s update extended the expected publication date further to 30 June 2026.
The delays follow a cautionary announcement issued on 27 March 2026, in which Access Bank warned shareholders that profit before tax for the year ended 31 December 2025 would be between 15 percent and 25 percent lower than the P135 million reported in 2024.
Preliminary unaudited results released on 31 March showed profit before tax declining 23 percent to P103.6 million, near the lower end of the bank’s earnings guidance.
The weaker performance was largely driven by rising credit impairments and funding costs.
Net interest income fell 11 percent to P368.8 million as interest expenses surged 20 percent, with the bank citing tightening liquidity conditions and pressure on lending margins.
Expected credit loss charges more than doubled during the year, increasing 103 percent from P39.5 million to P80.2 million.
Non-interest revenue provided some support, rising 26 percent year-on-year. Trading income surged 117 percent, while net fee and commission income increased 12 percent as transaction
volumes improved.
Despite the earnings pressure, Access Bank continued expanding its balance sheet. Customer loans grew to P6.75 billion from P5.95 billion, while customer deposits increased to P7.48 billion from P7.26 billion.
Operating expenses rose four percent to P545.6 million, driven primarily by a 19 percent increase in personnel costs as the bank invested in human capital and operational capacity.
The preliminary results also did not indicate any dividend declaration for the 2025 financial year, compared to P72 million distributed to shareholders in 2024.
Under Section 5.4(c) of the Botswana Stock Exchange Listing Requirements, issuers are required to publish cautionary announcements when expected profits or losses differ by at least 10 percent from the corresponding prior period.
While Access Bank complied with that requirement, shareholders have now spent more than two months awaiting a final audited set of accounts.
The bank’s shares, currently trading at P2.04 on the Botswana Stock Exchange, remain listed and tradeable during the delay period.
With less than a month remaining before the latest deadline expires, investors are still waiting to learn the nature of the unresolved audit matter that continues to prevent the final sign-off of Access Bank’s 2025 accounts.
