Ecobank Nigeria unveils package for female entrepreneurs

  Ecobank Nigeria has unveiled a special loan package for female entrepreneurs in the country, the lender announced in a statement at the weekend. The loan package, “The Ecobank Female Entrepreneurs’ Initiative (EFEI),”  is specially designed by the bank to financially empower female business owners and entrepreneurs in the country. Head, Consumer Asset Product, Ecobank Group, Daberechi Effiong, said the EFEI loan was targeted at boosting small scale businesses owned by women, adding that it was a further demonstration of the importance the bank attaches to the role of women in…

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Stanbic IBTC partners institute on technology start-ups

  Stanbic IBTC Bank, a member of Standard Bank Group, has continued with its partnership with the Founder Institute Lagos to support entrepreneurs using technology to solve some of the continent’s most pressing challenges. Founder Institute recently held the first online graduation ceremony, tagged, “Velocity Mini” to celebrate the Cohort II graduates who have passed through a 14-week hard core, Navy-seal type curriculum programme. According to the statement, the Velocity Mini is the digital version of the Velocity Conference held at the end of every Cohort, to honour founders that…

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Coronavirus, oil threatens debt sustainability, says FBNQuest

  The crisis occasioned by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, as well as the slump in oil prices, does not augur well for  the chances of Nigeria’s external debt  becoming sustainable,  FBNQuest Capital Research has said. The firm stated this in a note obtained by Newsfieldglobal yesterday. According to latest data released by the Debt Management Office (DMO),   Nigeria’s total public debt rose to $79.5 billion (N28.63 trillion) as of the first quarter of 2020. 34.89 per cent-$27.66 billion (N9.9 trillion)- of this amount is the total external debt,  while $51.64 billion (N18.64 trillion) is the…

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Analyst sees lower equity prices from weak quarterly results

  Financial market analyst and Managing Director/CEO,  Cowry Asset Management Limited, Mr. Johnson Chukwu,  has said that he expects weak Q2 and Q3 results will drive equity prices lower. In his presentation at an event on “H1’20 Review; Expectations and Investment Strategies in H2’20,” Chukwu noted that investors with long term horizon may be facing the best time to take position. The virtual event had in attendance government officials, apex and self-regulatory organisations, capital market operators, investment bankers, policymakers, chief executive officers (CEOs), economists, researchers, analysts, academics, and private equity firms. According…

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Jaiz Bank grows half year profit by 44%

  Jaiz Bank Plc, Nigeria’s premier non-interest (Islamic) bank, has recorded an increased profit from N814.3 million in half year 2019 to N1.171 billion 2020, signifying 43.87 percent increase. The bank’s latest finance position is contained in its half year result ended June 30, 2020 and submitted to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). The N1.171 billion signifies 43.87 per cent increase while its balance sheet size increased by 11.57 per cent from ₦167.273 billion as of December 31, 2019 to ₦186.625 billion June 30, 2020. It recorded total income growth…

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Awareness: Insurance brokers to visit Presidency

  The Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) said plans were in top gear for its President, Dr. (Mrs) Bola Onigbogi, to visit President Muhammadu Buhari as part of sensitization programme to deepen insurance in the country. The Executive Secretary of the Council, Mr. Fatai Adegbenro, made the disclosure while speaking to members of the National Association of Insurance and Pension Correspondents (NAIPCO) shortly after their 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM) yesterday in Lagos. He said the planned visit to the Presidency was aimed at sensitizing the government on…

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NSE extends weekly gains by 1.09%

Transaction activities last week closed positive, extending weekly gains as the NSE All-Share Index and Market Capitalisation both appreciated by 1.09 per cent to close the week at 24,693.73 and N12.882 trillion respectively. All other indices finished higher with the exception of NSE ASeM, NSE Consumer Goods and NSE Oil/Gas indices, which depreciated by 0.06 per cent, 0.44 per cent and 6.51 per cent respectively It was a brief trading week as the market opened for three days in observance of the public holidays declared by the Federal Government of…

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FBNQuest unveils new internet banking platform

  FBNQuest Merchant Bank, the investment banking and asset management business of FBN Holdings Plc, has announced the launch of a new corporate internet banking platform, which offers an upgraded user interface with enhanced convenience for transactions. According to a statement from the company, the platform is a payment processing solution for corporate banking clients that provide online real-time account access for balance and transaction monitoring, investing, fund transfers, bulk payments such as salaries or payments to third parties, and other self-service requests, conveniently and securely. An innovative internet banking…

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Temi Otedola: Demystifying autistic disorder 

  This post is a long awaited follow up to a blog post I published on April 2nd 2017 (here). World Autism Awareness Day falls on the 2nd April; however, every year the month of April remains the designated month to increase people’s awareness about autism. In my 2017 blog post that you can read (here), I discussed my own personal journey growing up with a brother who is on the autistic spectrum and how it’s impacted my life. After reading the responses to this blog post, I soon realised…

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NIOB:  Engage professionals in building process 

  Nigerian Institute of Building, through its President, Mr Kunle Awobodu, has called on developers to engage professional builders to manage building processes.   He  is also seeking  prosecution of those found culpable in a recent collapse of a seven- storey building in Owerri, Imo State, to serve as a deterrent to others.   The collapse of the high-rise building under construction, Awobodu said, again brought to the front burner the problem of building management in Nigeria.   According to him,  investigation and prosecution of those culpable should not be…

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