Nigeria capital inflows 2026 Q1 hit $10.37bn, up 83.8%, driven by foreign portfolio investment in bonds and money market instruments
Nigeria recorded a significant rise in foreign investment flows as total capital importation surged to $10.37 billion in the first quarter of 2026, according to official data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday, June 3, 2026.
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The Nigeria capital inflows 2026 Q1 figure represents an 83.8 percent increase compared to $5.64 billion recorded in the same period of 2025, highlighting renewed foreign investor interest in the country’s financial markets.
The National Bureau of Statistics data also showed a 60.97 percent quarter-on-quarter increase from $6.44 billion recorded in Q4 2025, signalling a sustained rise in portfolio-driven inflows into the Nigerian economy.
Portfolio investment remained the dominant driver of capital importation, accounting for $9.86 billion or 95.1 percent of total inflows during the period under review.
Within this category, money market instruments attracted $6.50 billion, while bonds recorded $3.23 billion, jointly accounting for more than 98 percent of portfolio investments.
In contrast, Foreign Direct Investment remained relatively weak, standing at $135.08 million, which represented just 1.3 percent of total inflows despite a slight year-on-year improvement.
Other investments contributed $374.48 million, with loans forming the bulk of this segment at $364.43 million, while trade credits accounted for $10 million.
The report further revealed that the banking sector remained the largest beneficiary of foreign inflows, attracting $7.55 billion or 72.8 percent of total capital imported into the country.
The finance sector followed with $2.43 billion, meaning both sectors collectively accounted for more than 96 percent of total inflows recorded in the quarter.
Other sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, telecommunications and information technology received significantly lower inflows, while oil and gas, construction, education and health attracted minimal foreign investment.
The United Kingdom emerged as the largest source of capital inflows, contributing $5.08 billion, followed by the United States with $3.18 billion and South Africa with $983.83 million.
Among receiving banks, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited topped the list, processing $4.41 billion in inflows, followed by Stanbic IBTC Bank with $2.78 billion and Rand Merchant Bank with $930.82 million.
Citibank Nigeria, Access Bank, First Bank of Nigeria, GTBank, Zenith Bank and others also recorded substantial inflows during the quarter.
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The latest figures underline a continued preference by foreign investors for short-term financial assets over long-term productive investments in Nigeria’s real economy.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
