Nigeria’s banking sector emerged as the top destination for foreign capital in the third quarter of 2025, attracting $3.14 billion and accounting for 52.25 percent of total capital imported into the country.
This is according to the Capital Importation Report for Q3 2025 released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which showed a significant rise from the $579 million recorded in the same period of 2024.
Despite the strong year-on-year performance, the inflow represented a decline compared to the preceding quarter, when capital importation into the sector fell by 7.7 percent in Q2 2025.
The report indicated that the financial sector followed with $1.85 billion, representing 30.85 percent of total inflows, while the production and manufacturing sector attracted $261.35 million.
Capital importation refers to the inflow of foreign capital such as foreign direct investment, foreign portfolio investment, and foreign loans into an economy.
According to the data, foreign investors showed a strong preference for portfolio instruments, particularly treasury bills and bonds, often channeling investments through banks affiliated with foreign ownership.
Portfolio investment ranked highest at $4.85 billion, accounting for 80.70 percent of total inflows.
Other investments stood at $864.57 million (14.37 percent), while foreign direct investment recorded the lowest contribution with $296.25 million, representing 4.93 percent.
The report further revealed that most capital inflows originated from the United Kingdom with $2.93 billion, representing 48.80 percent of the total.
The United States followed with $950.47 million (15.80 percent), while the South Africa accounted for $773.95 million, or 12.87 percent.
Overall, Nigeria recorded $6.01 billion in capital inflow during the quarter, an increase of 380.16 percent compared to the $1.25 billion posted in Q3 2024.
On a quarter-on-quarter basis, capital importation rose by 17.46 percent from $5.12 billion in Q2 2025.
Among financial institutions, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited received the highest capital inflow at $2.11 billion, representing 35.17 percent of the total.
It was followed by Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc with $1.78 billion (29.75 percent) and Citibank Nigeria Limited with $561.40 million, accounting for 9.33 percent.
The latest figures underscore renewed investor confidence in Nigeria’s financial system, with the banking industry continuing to play a pivotal role in attracting foreign capital and supporting economic activity.
