AccessARM Pension to meet recapitalisation requirement ahead deadline – Sulaiman

Abimbola Sulaiman, the acting managing director/CEO of AccessARM Pensions Limited, has expressed confidence that the Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) will meet requirements of the ongoing pension industry recapitalisation well ahead of the regulatory deadline.

She made this known during a fireside chat session at Business Day Pension Conference 2026, where she spoke on “Deploying and Mobilising Capital and Investment in a Shifting Global Economy.”

PenCom has directed operators in a circular dated Sept. 26, 2025, that PFAs and pension operators with Assets Under Management (AUM) of N500 billion and above will be required to maintain a minimum capital requirement of N20 billion, plus one per cent of the excess above N500 billion.

PFAs with AUM below N500 billion are to maintain a capital base of N20 billion, while special-purpose PFAs would require N30 billion, while the Nigerian University Pension Management Company Ltd. would maintain N20 billion.

The minimum capital for new PFA licences was pegged at N20 billion and the capital requirement for PFCs was raised from N2 billion, set in 2004, to N25 billion plus 0.1 per cent of AUC, while New PFC licences will also attract a minimum capital requirement of N25 billion.

At the conference with the theme: “Sustaining Confidence and Growth: Pension Reforms and Recapitalisation,” Sulaiman noted that AccessARM Pensions is well positioned within the industry, driven by its strategic focus and operational strength.

According to her, “The recapitalisation exercise is underway, and we are fully prepared. We expect to meet the new capital requirements before the end of the year, well ahead of the regulatory deadline, and this will be achieved through internal resources. Following this, our focus remains firmly on our customers.

“Our strategy is centred on delivering a superior customer experience and providing competitive, risk-adjusted investment returns. We are committed to maintaining disciplined investment processes while ensuring long-term value for our customers.”

Sulaiman further highlighted that as a relatively young organisation formed from the merger completed in late 2024, AccessARM Pensions is focused on building a resilient and forward-looking institution.

“We are focused on strengthening our capabilities across service delivery and investment management, ensuring that we continue to meet the evolving needs of our customers while operating with resilience in a dynamic environment,” she said.

Also speaking at a panel session titled “Pension Reforms and Recapitalisation: Building a Stronger and More Resilient System,”, Wale Okunrinboye, chief investment officer of AccessARM Pensions Limited noted that scale will be a key differentiator in the post-recapitalisation landscape.

According to him, “Following recapitalisation, the industry is likely to see increased consolidation, and scale will become a major differentiator. In investment-driven industries globally, scale improves efficiency by reducing the cost to serve.

“Adopting digital approaches will be critical to expanding coverage and closing existing gaps. Scale enables organisations to invest in technology and systems, improve unit economics, and ultimately deliver better outcomes for customers.

“From an investment perspective, we also anticipate a gradual shift from predominantly passive strategies towards more active approaches, particularly within alternative asset classes.”