United Capital Plc has acquired a 5% equity stake in Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group), the holding company that owns and controls Nigeria’s premier securities exchange platform.

The transaction gives United Capital a strategic minority interest in NGX Group, the listed entity that emerged from the 2021 demutualisation of the former Nigerian Stock Exchange. NGX Group operates as a non-operating holding company and fully owns Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX). the for-profit operating subsidiary that runs Nigeria’s main trading platform for equities, fixed income, and other securities.

NGX Limited serves as the central marketplace for capital raising, secondary market trading, and market infrastructure services in Africa’s largest economy. NGX Group also wholly owns two other key subsidiaries: NGX Regulation Limited (NGX RegCo), the independent market regulator, and NGX Real Estate Limited.

“This acquisition reflects our confidence in Nigeria’s capital markets and our responsibility to contribute to their growth actively,” said Peter Ashade, Group Chief Executive Officer of United Capital. “We have always said that United Capital is not just a participant in Nigeria’s capital markets; we are also builders. This strategic investment in NGX Group is exactly that — building for impact.”

United Capital, itself listed on the Nigerian Exchange since 2013, operates across investment banking, asset management, securities trading, wealth management, and consumer finance. The group has a presence in 12 African countries and recently secured licences in Ethiopia (becoming the first foreign investment bank approved there) and Rwanda.

The investment comes as NGX continues to modernise market infrastructure and deepen liquidity in Nigeria’s capital markets, which remain a critical channel for economic growth and capital formation.