A Sterling Investment: Group Execs Put N1.16bn Where Their H.E.A.R.T Is

Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc closed 2025 with significant insider participation as Group CEO Yemi Odubiyi and Non-Executive Director, Abubakar Suleiman, increased their equity exposure through a combined N1.156 billion secondary market share acquisition.

According to disclosures filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited, both parties each acquired 164,000,000 ordinary shares at N7.05 per unit across two tranches on December 24 and December 29, 2025. Seven Degrees North Limited, linked to Yemi Odubiyi, purchased 82,000,000 shares worth N578.1m. Black Rising Ltd, related to Abubakar Suleiman, also acquired 82,000,000 shares worth N578.1m.

The Group leadership’s increased investment comes ahead of the regulatory confirmation of the company’s N88.1 billion Public Offer results, a capital raise designed to expand retail banking reach and scale its wealth management subsidiary, SterlingFi.

Odubiyi’s shareholding has grown exponentially over the last year, rising from 376,417,493 units in December 2024 to more than 811 million units by December 2025, reflecting a growing belief in the institution’s long-term outlook. With 52.1 billion units in outstanding share capital, Sterling HoldCo’s Chairman, Adeyemi Adeola, continues to hold the largest stake among board members at 12.256 billion units (23.52%), reinforcing the company’s tightly aligned leadership structure.

Earlier in the year, Suleiman increased his stake in the company with the purchase of 19,684,442 share units valued at N160.6 million, while Temitayo Adegoke, the Chief Operating Officer of Sterling Bank, also acquired 5.7 million shares worth N39.4 million.

In the same period, Seven Degrees North Limited made an indirect purchase of 20.8 million units valued at N141.5 million.

Sterling HoldCo’s shares have delivered more than 25% year-to-date returns, opening the year at N5.60, rallying to a peak of N7.80 in August 2025 after strong July (22.81%) and August (11.43%) market momentum, before settling at N7.05 at the end of the final trading day of 2025. This performance reflects investors continued backing of the Group’s strategy, which aims to enrich lives, drive economic growth by scaling capabilities across the Health,

Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, and Transportation (HEART) sectors.