FirstBank wins double awards 

First Bank of Nigeria Limited has been named 2019 “Best Mobile Banking App” and “Fastest Growing Retail Bank” winner by Global Business Outlook. The Global Business Outlook Award recognises and rewards excellence in business in companies across the world, both in the public and private sectors. The award rewards innovation, creativity and the drive to create value. FirstBank earned the Fastest Growing Retail Bank recognition because of its leading role in promoting financial inclusion in the country, a drive that has resulted in its 44,000 agent banking network designed to…

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Moody’s explains sub-Saharan Africa’s 2020 outlook

 Moody’s Investors Service has said that the negative 2020 outlook for sovereign credit worthiness in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) reflects the worsening external environment, weak government finances and subdued GDP growth. In a report released yesterday, the rating agency stated that countries in sub-Saharan Africa had made limited progress in reducing risks linked to elevated debt burdens and debt servicing needs, while growth won’t be strong enough to meaningfully buttress incomes or increase economic resilience. “The less predictable external environment is aggravating sub-Saharan African sovereigns’ existing challenges and make them more…

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NSE records N127bn loss on profit taking

Trading activities on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday witnessed considerable drop in share prices as bears overwhelmed bulls following profit taking by investors. Market breadth closed negative as Law Union and Rock Insurance Plc led 15 gainers as against 16 losers topped by Arbico Plc at the end of the trading session. Consequently, the All-Share Index dipped 247.8 basis points or 0.83 per cent to close at 29,462.76 index points as against 29.710.56 recorded the previous trading session while market capitalisation of equities depreciated by N127 billion…

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Central banks, BIS partner to study digital currencies

The Bank of Canada, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, Sveriges Riksbank and Swiss National Bank, together with the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) have created a group to share experiences as they assess the potential cases for Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in their home jurisdictions. In a press release, the BIS said the group would assess CBDC use cases; economic, functional and technical design choices, including cross-border interoperability; and the sharing of knowledge on emerging technologies. The group is also expected to closely coordinate with…

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AfDB, EU reaffirm partnership to create jobs in Africa

    The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the European Union (EU) have reaffirmed their  commitment to unlock hundreds of millions in financing for African infrastructure and development needs.   Collaboration between the two institutions would focus on de-risking the business environment in Africa, providing equity, guarantees and other types of non-grant support, AfDB President, Dr. Akinwumi, and EU Commissioner, Neven Mimica, said at a news conference held on the sidelines of the Africa Investment Forum in South Africa.   Both men stressed the central role of investment in the…

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Elumelu foundation advises youths to imbibe job creating mentality

    Chief Executive Officer, Tony Elumelu Foundation, Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, has urged youths to imbibe a job creating mentality for success in the future.   She stated this at the Misk Global Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event, which had as its theme, “Work Reworked, ” focused on discovering the new trends and transformation in the world of work, regardless of location or socio-economic divide.   Speaking on the theme, “Dinosaur or Future-Fit/ Careers in a Post-Job Era,” she emphasised the role entrepreneurship plays in educating the youth for…

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Sterling Bank pledges more support for education

    Sterling Bank Plc has pledged   to   continue its support of players in the education sector in a bid to lift the sector out of its current situation, which is unacceptable to most Nigerians.   Education Lead at Sterling Bank, Mrs. Eniola Obe, disclosed this at the sixth edition of the Lafarge Africa National Literacy Competition held in Lagos recently with the theme,  “Bridging the Literacy Gap Together.”   According to her, Sterling Bank decided to support the programme because education is  one  of  the  five  sectors of   the …

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Analysts: OMO restriction threatens banks’ profitability

    The decision by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to bar non-bank locals (individuals and corporates) from participating in its Open Market Operations (OMO) at both the primary and secondary markets, could make it difficult for the banks to comply with the apex bank’s Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR) requirements, thereby affecting their profitability, analysts at Comercio Partners have said.   In a report obtained by New Telegraph at the weekend, the analysts noted that the OMO restriction had resulted to a decline in yields at the CBN’s…

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Access Bank, Nigerian Breweries partner on ‘Access The Stars’

Access Bank and Nigerian Breweries (through Star Lager Beer) have announced, “Access The Stars”, a collaborative music platform to discover, groom and amplify the next generation of Nigerian talents. According to the two companies,  “Access The Stars is a new platform created for exceptional and aspirational Nigerians in the music industry to be discovered, refined, and empowered to reach higher heights by accessing their star potential. Successful artists will get to tour with the best of Nigerian artists on ‘The Trek’ across the country, giving the grassroots access to the stars…

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World Bank cuts Nigeria’s growth forecast to 2.0%

The World Bank has reviewed downward Nigeria’s economic growth forecast for this year to 2.0 per cent from its earlier projection of 2.1per cent in April. The bank, which stated this in its October Africa’s Pulse report, released yesterday, also projected that the country’s economy would expand by 2.1 per cent in 2020 and 2021, which are 0.1 and 0.3 percentage points lower than its April forecasts, respectively. According to the World Bank, multiple exchange rates, foreign exchange restrictions, high inflation, and low non-oil revenues among other obstacles, will ensure…

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