According to data from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Nigeria, the country’s top 10 mutual funds have seen returns of at least 35% in just the first two months of the year.
With Nigeria’s current inflation at 15.10%, these funds aren’t just preserving wealth, they are growing investors’ money faster than prices are increasing, delivering returns that enhance spending power.
How the Top Funds Achieved These Gains
The strongest-performing funds leveraged strategic investments in the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX).
The breakdown of the top 10 funds is as follows:
- 5 Balanced Funds: a mix of stocks and bonds
- 4 Equity Funds: focused entirely on company stocks
- 1 Halal Fund: Sharia-compliant and ethically guided investments
The Top Performers: Who Led?
Big Winners (Over 100% Return)
- ARM Halal Balanced Fund (151%): Managed by ARM Investment Managers, this fund more than doubled its assets from N4.46 billion to N9.50 billion in just eight weeks by investing in ethical stocks.
- ARM Aggressive Growth Fund (137%): Known for higher-risk, higher-reward strategies, this fund now manages over N11 billion for nearly 10,000 investors.
- Lead Balanced Fund (137%): With only 158 members, this fund under Lead Asset Management manages N1.35 billion, proving small groups can achieve significant returns.
- Capital Express Balanced Fund (128%): Popular among everyday investors, this fund combined stocks and bonds to deliver a remarkable early-year jump.
- Coral Balanced Fund (127%): Managed by FSDH, it recorded the strongest finish in February with a 56% gain in a single week.
Mid-Range Gainers (35% to 87%)
- ARM Discovery Balanced Fund (87%): The largest fund by number of investors, with over 22,500 Nigerians, showing that size doesn’t limit growth potential.
- Zedcrest Equity Fund (45%): Experienced a surge as new investors contributed N1.5 billion, pushing its total value up dramatically.
- Halo Equity Fund (37%): Continuing momentum from a record 2025, its asset value nearly tripled in the first two months of 2026.
- Paramount Equity Fund (36%): Managed by Chapel Hill Denham, Nigeria’s oldest mutual fund now has over 15,000 investors benefiting from consistent returns.
- Zrosk Magna Equity Fund (35%): With 101 investors averaging N146 million each, this fund rounds out the top 10.
Signal to investment community
The Nigerian stock market is one of Africa’s best-performing local bourses. While traditional bank savings accounts may fail to overcome inflation, these managed funds show that smart, diversified investing can preserve and grow wealth in 2026.
