The top 10 consumer goods companies recorded a total cash and cash equivalents balance of N616.1 billion in 2025, reflecting the amount of cash held in bank accounts and forming a key part of current assets.
This represents a 29.8% increase from N474.7 billion in the prior year, translating to a N141.3 billion gain and reflecting stronger liquidity positions across the sector.
As liquidity improved, financing pressures eased significantly, with net finance costs declining to N395.3 billion from N1.17 trillion in 2024, while combined pretax profit swung to N1 trillion from a loss of N271.6 billion.
Cash in the bank refers to funds readily accessible by a company, whether held in bank accounts or short-term deposits, serving as a key indicator of financial flexibility.
In corporate reporting, this is captured under “cash and cash equivalents” on the balance sheet, covering both physical cash and near-cash investments convertible within a short period.
In this report, we highlight the top 10 consumer goods companies with the highest cash balances in their 2025 financial year, regardless of reporting month, offering insight into liquidity strength and balance sheet resilience across the sector.
International Breweries leads the ranking with cash and cash equivalents of N155.24 billion in 2025, up from N109.03 billion in the previous year.
Almost half of the company’s liquidity sat in cash, with N155.2 billion representing 49.39% of current assets of N314.3 billion, while total assets edged up to N739.7 billion from N727.8 billion.
Inventory came in at N97.7 billion, and together with cash holdings, it nudged the quick ratio to 1.11, above the 1.00-threshold.
The year marked a sharp operational reversal, as the company posted an operating profit of N82.8 billion compared to a loss of N91.07 billion previously.
That recovery extended to profitability, with pretax profit rising to N88.9 billion from a loss of N111.8 billion, while cash flow remained strong with a net inflow of N139.3 billion generated from operating activities.
