Nigeria, June 2 -- Access Holdings Plc, Nigeria's biggest lender by assets, completed a buyout of National Bank of Kenya (NBK), the financial services group announced on Monday, firming up its grip on the East African market, where it already has a substantial presence.

The deal, which closed in March, transferred the full ownership of NBK to Access Bank, the group's commercial banking division after regulators in Nigeria and Kenya endorsed the transaction.

The financial institution said the acquisition is pivotal to consolidating Access Bank's presence in Kenya and the rest of East Africa.

"It's a strategic play. When you are appraising different markets and where to go, the main thing you are looking at is where the viable markets ar...