Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO), Nigeria’s largest financial institution by market value, has officially listed its 36.4 billion ordinary shares on the main market of the London Stock Exchange (LSE), becoming the country’s first financial institution to do so.
The landmark listing took place on Wednesday morning, allowing for immediate trading and dealing of GTCO’s shares on the LSE. Previously worth over ₦2.9 trillion on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), GTCO now joins the ranks of Nigerian companies like Seplat and Airtel Africa that have secured positions on the UK’s prestigious bourse.
In a statement posted on its website, GTCO announced: “The Company’s entire issued share capital, consisting of 36,425,229,514 shares, has today been admitted to the equity shares (international commercial companies secondary listing) category of the Official List of the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority.”
The LSE listing forms part of GTCO’s broader recapitalisation plan to meet the Central Bank of Nigeria’s new ₦500 billion minimum capital requirement for international banks by March 2026.
Just last week, the company successfully raised $105 million through an equity offering, selling 2.3 billion ordinary shares at ₦70 each — a 15% discount to its NGX opening price. This followed an earlier ₦209 billion capital raise from retail investors in January, marking the first phase of its fundraising efforts.
GTCO previously traded in London via Global Depository Receipts (GDRs), a structure designed for institutional investors. However, the company said the GDR model limited wider investor participation and liquidity. Ahead of the main market listing, GDR holders were asked to exchange each GDR for 50 ordinary shares.
Following the cancellation of the GDR programme, GTCO also announced a change of its LSE ticker symbol from “GTHC” to “GTCO.”
GTCO’s listing bucks a wider trend, as over 200 companies have exited the London Stock Exchange since 2016, many citing Brexit uncertainties and better market opportunities elsewhere. Despite this, GTCO’s entry signals strong investor confidence and a strategic bid to attract foreign capital and visibility on a global scale.
