Brand & Business

GTCO Raises N10 Billion In Private Placement

— GTCO Logo  By Adeola Idris Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or the “Company”) has obtained the approvals of both the Central Bank of Nigeria (“CBN”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission to undertake a private placement of its ordinary shares, subject to the fulfilment of the applicable conditions precedent and regulatory requirements. The Financial Holding Company had earlier on August 29, 2025 announced… []

Recapitalisation: 16 Banks Beats March 16 Timeline, Others On The Run

— CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso  By St. Johnson Adegboyega  The stipulated March 31 2026 recapitalization  deadline is just 100 days before it lapses, 16 banks have already met the required capital thresholds, signaling a major hhmilestone in Nigeria’s ongoing banking sector reform. So far, the banks that have met the capital requirement for the licence categories they operate include Access Holdings, Zenith Bank, United Bank… []

Fresh Recapitalisation: Nigerian Banks To Raise N4.14 trn Before March 2026

— CBN Governor, Yemi Cardoso By Bunmi Onakan Nigeria’s banking sector is undergoing one of its most far-reaching reforms in decades as deposit money banks race to raise an estimated N4.14 trillion in fresh capital ahead of the March 31, 2026 recapitalisation deadline, according to a report by global professional services firm, Deloitte. The recapitalisation exercise, initiated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in… []

Access Holdings Launches Fitness Campaign Ahead of 2026 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon

  By Adeola Idris As the festive season approaches, Access Holdings is redefining what Christmas looks like by putting health, fitness, and intentional living at the centre of the celebrations. In the lead-up to the 2026 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, the brand has launched a Christmas health and fitness campaign designed to encourage Nigerians to stay active, make healthier choices, and end the year… []

First HoldCo Extends Rally on Strategic Divestment, Closes at Record High

  — Executive committee during meeting  By Muyiwa Akinola First HoldCo Plc delivered a standout performance on the equities market on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, as renewed investor demand propelled the stock to an unprecedented market close of N39.60, marking a N3.60 gain to advance on a maximum of 10.0% on the gainers table from its previous level. The rally followed a volatile intraday session… []

Polaris Bank Champions Girls’ Hygiene Awareness Distributes Female Hygiene Essentials

— Polaris Bank representatives at Kuramo and Victoria Island Junior and Senior Secondary Schools, Lagos. By Bunmi Onakan Polaris Bank has continued its commitment to empowering the Nigerian girl-child through health education and essential support, with the successful distribution of female hygiene essentials to female students of Kuramo and Victoria Island Junior and Senior Secondary Schools, Lagos. This initiative stems from Polaris Bank’s 2025 International… []

Oxygen X Takes Credit Access to the Streets, Empowering Nigeria’s Informal Economy

— Oxygen X Takes Credit Access on the streets  By St. Johnson Adegboyega  Oxygen X Finance Company activated a community-focused roadshow at Balogun and the Trade Fair Market from the 9th to 12th of December 2025, taking digital credit access directly to traders and small business owners at the heart of Nigeria’s informal economy. With Nigeria’s credit penetration estimated at just 6–7%, millions of entrepreneurs… []

Flutterwave CEO Shares Visions Of Building Africa’s Payment Superhighway At CNN Global Perspectives Summit

— Flutterwave Founder and CEO, Olugbenga “GB” Agboola By St. Johnson Adegboyega At CNN’s inaugural Global Perspectives summit, Flutterwave Founder and CEO Olugbenga “GB” Agboola shared his vision for Africa’s digital economy, one where Flutterwave serves as the “payment superhighway”, boosting intra- and inter-African trade by connecting the continent to the rest of the world and vice versa.The summit, themed “Africa’s Role in a Changing… []

Banks’ N1.96Trn Black Hole: Who Took the Loans, Who Defaulted, and Why the Real Economy Suffers

By BLAISE UDUNZE Nigeria’s banking sector has entered a season of reckoning. Eight of the nation’s biggest banks have collectively booked N1.96 trillion in impairment charges in just the first nine months of 2025 which represents a staggering 49 percent increase from the N1.32 trillion recorded in the same period of 2024. Behind these figures lies a deeper question that speaks to the very soul… []

Nigerian billionaire, Femi Otedola’s First HoldCo Hits $303m Profit In 9 Months

— Chairman, FirstHoldCo, Femi Otedola (in white) with executives at a meeting  By St. Johnson Adegboyega  Femi Otedola’s First HoldCo Plc has reported a profit after tax of $303 million (₦450.9 billion) for the nine months ending September 30, 2025, marking a 15.5 per cent decline from the ₦533.9 billion ($359 million) recorded in the same period of 2024. The $303 million profit in nine… []

Access Bank Drives Sustainable Impact Through Clean Water Initiative

By St. Johnson Adegboyega  For millions of Nigerians, access to clean and safe water remains a daily struggle. In many rural and peri-urban communities, the simple act of turning on a tap is still a luxury. Families often trek long distances to fetch water from unsafe sources, streams, ponds, or shallow wells, exposing themselves to diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid fever. The burden… []

Nigeria’s Newest Financial Institution, Summit Bank Commences Operations

— Summit Bank logo By St. Johnson Adegboyega  Summit Bank Ltd, Nigeria’s newest non-interest financial institution has officially commenced operations with a pledge to deliver ethical, transparent, and inclusive banking services to Nigerians at home and abroad. According to a statement from the bank on Thursday, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dr Sirajo Salisu, said this at a press briefing in Abuja. The Central Bank of… []

DSTV Now N7,900, GOtv N6,500 As MultiChoice Slashes Decoder Prices

— File photo  By St. Johnson Adegboyega The popular pay-TV provider, Multichoice, has slashed the price of the DStv decoder from N10,000 to a N7,900, while the GOtv decoder price dropped to N6,500. This second major adjustment in months, effective since November 1, is part of the company’s commitment to serve customers better and provide affordable access to premium entertainment. The new price adjustment follows… []

Access Bank and Mastercard: Enabling Seamless Africa-Global Payments

L-R: Folashade Femi-Lawal, Country Manager, West Africa, Mastercard; Roosevelt Ogbonna, Group MD, Access Bank; Mark Elliot, Division President, Africa, Mastercard; and Chizoma Okoli, Deputy MD, Access Bank at the Access – Mastercard Event. By St. Johnson Adegboyega  In today’s interconnected world, seamless cross-border payments are vital for economic growth, business expansion, and personal empowerment. For decades, millions of Africans faced steep barriers in sending or… []

Access Bank Reports ₦1.64 billion In Fraud Losses In H1 As Cases Rebound

— Access Bank logo By St. Johnson Adegboyega  Access Bank’s fraud losses increased by 254.02% to ₦1.64 billion ($1.13 million) in H1 2025, from ₦464.12 million ($320,478) in the previous year, with fraudulent transfers, withdrawals, and account reactivations costing Nigeria’s biggest bank by assets ₦617.11 million ($426,119). According to its parent Acess Holdings’ latest financial statements, most of the losses came from the presentation of… []

Tribunal Orders GHL to Pay First Bank $112,100, N111m Òver OML 120 Dispute

By Muyiwa Akinola A Nigerian tribunal sitting in Lagos has ordered General Hydrocarbons Limited (GHL) to pay First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank) $112,100 and N111 million as costs over a dispute related to Oil Mining Lease (OML) 120. Justice Kumai Bayang Akaahs gave the order on Tuesday while ruling on a Notice of Arbitration filed by GHL against First Bank. Justice Akaahs held that… []

₦900.8billion Profit Before Tax; GTCO Plc Releases 2025 Q3 Unaudited Results

— GTCO logo By St. Johnson Adegboyega  Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or “the Group”) has released its Unaudited Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements as of September 30, 2025, to the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) and London Stock Exchange (LSE). The Group posted profit before tax of ₦900.8billion on the back of strong performance on the core earnings lines of interest income and fee… []

ZENITH BANK REWARDS SHAREHOLDERS WITH N1.25 KOBO INTERIM DIVIDEND, SETS STAGE FOR RECORD FULL-YEAR RETURNS

By Muyiwa Akinola Zenith Bank Plc, on Friday, October 10, 2025, made good on its promise as it paid a total interim dividend of N51.3 billion to its shareholders for the Half Year (H1) 2025, at N1.25 per share. This significant payout represents over 60% increase from the N31.4 billion paid in H1 2024, demonstrating the bank’s commitment and enhanced capacity to continually generate value… []

Mission Possible – Unity Bank MD Celebrates Resilient Frontline Staff, Reaffirms Commitment to Customer Service Excellence

— Bank’s staff celebrating Customer Service Week 2025 By St. Johnson Adegboyega  The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Unity Bank Plc, Mr. Ebenezer Kolawole, has said that a service culture built on responsiveness and innovation will differentiate the impact that customer service can make in any organisation. Making the remarks at the flag off of the Customer Service Week 2025 in Unity Bank, Mr. Kolawole… []

CBN Issues New Restrictions On Point of Sale (PoS) Agents

— CBN Building  By St. Johnson Adegboyega  The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued new restrictions on who can qualify to operate as Point of Sale (PoS) agents under its revised Guidelines for the Operations of Agent Banking in Nigeria, effectively barring individuals with unresolved debts, watch-listed Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs), or a history of financial misconduct from participating in the fast-growing agent banking… []