Nigeria’s pension assets reached a new milestone of 26.66 trillion in October 2025, marking a 2.19 % rise from the previous month and a substantial 21.63 % increase year‑on‑year, according to the National Pension Commission (PenCom). This growth is driven by several factors, notably a surge in money‑market investments, which rose 18.85 % to 2.88 trillion. Money‑market holdings now represent 10.80 % of total pension assets, buoyed by fixed deposits and bank acceptances that jumped 24.89 % to 2.48 trillion. In contrast, foreign money‑market instruments fell 44.80 % due to foreign‑exchange repricing and valuation impacts from naira volatility.
Commercial papers posted a modest gain of 5.61 % to 328.65 billion, while corporate bonds declined from 2.24 trillion in September to 2.16 trillion in October, contributing 8.11 % to total assets. The drop was broad‑based: corporate bonds (HTM) fell 3.70 %, corporate bonds (AFS) fell 2.67 %, and infrastructure bonds fell 7.61 %. Federal Government (FGN) instruments remained a dominant component, expanding 1.35 % to 15.96 trillion and accounting for 59.86 % of total pension assets. Within this segment, Treasury Bills rose 11.34 %, Federal Government Bonds (HTM) increased 8.14 %, and Sukuk Bonds grew 5.33 %.
Domestic equities grew 5.01 % to 3.84 trillion, representing 14.42 % of total assets, whereas foreign equity exposure fell 6.45 % due to valuation pressures and a cautious foreign‑exchange repositioning. The alternatives segment delivered mixed results: mutual funds advanced 1.32 % to 221.88 billion, and infrastructure funds rose 9.23 % to 262.57 billion.
Retirement Savings Account (RSA) enrollments also increased slightly, from 10.93 million in September to 10.97 million in October. The distribution of RSA enrollments remained consistent with historical trends, with Fund II continuing as the largest and most actively managed segment of the industry.
The expansion of pension assets and RSA enrollments underscores the growing significance of pension funds in Nigeria’s financial landscape. As the pension industry evolves, it is poised to play a crucial role in driving the country’s economic growth and development.
Comments are closed for this story.