Access Bank Plc yesterday denied reports that it planned to sack 75 per cent of its workforce and as well close more than 300 branches. The bank, in a statement signed by Mr Sunday Ekwochi, its Company Secretary, and obtained from the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) website, described the news as malicious and a distraction from the genuine and compassionate plan to protect its staff and help keep jobs in the unfolding macroeconomic environment. It said the closure of a bank branch was an action that…
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NSE opens week positive with N36bn gain
The equities market closed yesterday on a positive note to commence weekly trading activities on the upswing after the market also closed green last Friday. The market performance indices, NSE ASI, appreciated by 0.30 per cent with market breadth closing negative with 15 gainers as against 19 losers. The upswing, according to market watchers, was driven by bargain hunting activities on the back of undervalued stocks following renewed appetite in anticipation of share appreciation. Consequently, the All-Share Index grew by 68. 85 basis points or…
Read MoreLockdown: FirstBank commends customers’ support
FirstBank Nigeria Ltd has expressed its appreciation to the public – especially its customers – for their continued patronage of its services during the coronavirus ( COVID -19) lockdown. This is even as the lender has assured the public that stringent measures have been implemented to ensure its branches and locations across the country operate in line with the health and safety guidelines issued by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus. Expressing the bank’s delight at welcoming customers to…
Read MoreForex: Naira sustains recovery against dollar
The naira yesterday continued its recovery against the dollar on the parallel market after slumping to N460 to the greenback about two weeks ago. As the Federal Government’s partial lifting of the COVID-19 lockdown in Lagos State, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja commenced on Monday, the naira further appreciated to N430/$1 from N450 per dollar last Friday. Analysts attribute the local currency’s recovery to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) approval of Nigeria’s $3.4billion loan request, as well as the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) announcement…
Read MoreNSE opens week with marginal loss
The Nigerian equities market yesterday closed negative to begin the trading week on the downtrend over sell pressure, producing only 16 losers and only 14 gainers. Key market indicators, the NSE ASI, declined by 0.005 per cent as investors sell off their shares following the Coronavirus global threat. The All-Share Index had dropped by 1.18 basis points or 0.005 per cent from 22,921.59 index points last Friday to 22,920.41while the market capitalisation of equities depreciated by N613 million to close at N11,945.042 trillion from N11,945.655 trillion. …
Read MoreDiamondXtra: Access Bank rewards customers
Access Bank Plc is set to splash millions of naira on lucky customers who will emerge winners in the forthcoming DiamondXtra monthly draw. According to Adaeze Ume, Group Head, Retail Products and Segments, Access bank Plc, “we have been encouraging our customers to stay safe and stay connected by using our various digital channels this period. We know these are trying times and our customers need funds to pay essential domestic bills, send money to their loved ones and also save up for unforeseen circumstances since we don’t…
Read MoreFraud: AfDB bans Nigeria-based Chinese firm for 18 months
The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has blacklisted China Zhonghao Nigeria Limited, a civil engineering company registered in Nigeria, for 18 months, for alleged fraudulent practices. In a statement posted on its website yesterday, the AfDB said: ”An investigation conducted by the bank’s office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption established that China Zhonghao Nigeria Limited, as a member of a joint venture with Oceanic Construction and Engineering Nigeria Ltd., was jointly responsible for its joint venture partner’s fraudulent misrepresentations of its year of incorporation, the value of its reference…
Read MoreCOVID-19: Polaris bank commends medics, assures on service delivery
Polaris Bank has once again commended medical professionals those on the frontlines of the fight to flatten the COVID-19 curve, even as the nation continues to battle the spread of the pandemic. In a statement issued in the wake of Federal Government’s extension of the lockdown in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states, The bank’s Head, Strategic Brand Management and Communication, Nduneche Ezurike, hailed the role of medical personnel in the fight against the virus that is currently ravaging the entire world. The bank also praised the media…
Read MoreIMF: I03 countries seek $100bn emergency facility
The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, has said that 103 nations are seeking about $100billion from the fund as emergency financing to tackle the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The IMF boss, who disclosed this in a blog post obtained by New Telegraph yesterday, said the fund had doubled its emergency, rapid-disbursing capacity to meet expected demand of about $100 billion, adding the IMF’s Executive Board “will have considered about half of these requests by the end of the month.” Also…
Read MoreLockdown: Low forex demand freezes pressure on naira
Low demand for dollars on the foreign exchange markets, due to the lockdown occasioned by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, is masking rising pressure on the naira, traders have said. According to the leading non-bank currency broker on the continent, AZA, not even the failure of the agreement reached by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to bolster oil prices has had the sort of negative impact on the naira that analysts expected. In a note obtained by New Telegraph yesterday, the firm said: “Gloom over OPEC’s…
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