Brand & Business

FirstBank Empowers SMEs With Practical Sales Strategies at Upcoming SMEConnect Webinar

— Segun Alebiosu, MD/CEO FirstBank Nigeria By Bunmi Onakan FirstBank, West Africa’s premier financial institution and financial inclusion services provider, is pleased to announce the forthcoming edition of its SMEConnect Webinar, scheduled for Tuesday, 9 September 2026. Anchored on FirstBank’s brand promise of “You First”, SMEConnect is a capacity-building platform dedicated to the development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. The SMEConnect webinar is designed to… []

FirstBank Empowers SMEs With Practical Sales Strategies at Upcoming SMEConnect Webinar

— Segun Alebiosu, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, First Bank of Nigeria  By Bunmi Onakan FirstBank, West Africa’s premier financial institution and financial inclusion services provider, is pleased to announce the forthcoming edition of its SMEConnect Webinar, scheduled for Tuesday, 9 September 2026. Anchored on FirstBank’s brand promise of “You First”, SMEConnect is a capacity-building platform dedicated to the development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. The… []

Femi Otedola’s First HoldCo Stake Soars to N1.82trn as Share Price Hits N149.90

— Femi Otedola By Bunmi Onakan Calvados Global Services acquires 2.87bn additional shares worth about N351.17bn, pushing Otedola-associated holdings to an estimated 26.71%. The market value of Femi Otedola’s disclosed and implied stake in First HoldCo Plc has surged to approximately N1.82 trillion, following aggressive share acquisitions by Calvados Global Services Limited, an entity associated with the billionaire businessman. The latest development comes after First HoldCo filed its Half-Year… []

Access Holdings Board Approves Audited H1 2026 Financial Statements

— Access Holdings file logo By St. Johnson Adegboyega The Board of Directors of Access Holdings Plc (“Access Holdings” or “the Company”) has approved the Group’s Audited Interim Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements for the half-year ended 30 June 2026. The financial statements were considered and approved by the Board at its meeting held on 27 August 2026 and will now proceed through the required… []

Zenith Bank Rallies Trade Leaders Behind Value Addition In Nigeria’s Non-Oil Exports At Its 10th International Trade Seminar

Zenith Bank Headquarters

Confusion In Access Bank, Management In Disarray Over Customers’ ₦1.34bn Lost To Yahoo Boys

— Roosevelt Ogbonna By Muyiwa Akinola Access Bank has approached the Federal High Court in Lagos to recover ₦1.34 billion allegedly transferred from the accounts of four corporate customers through an unauthorised transaction on its Access SME internet banking platform. The incident, according to court documents, was discovered on August 12, 2026, after the bank noticed suspicious transactions involving MIB TXN Bullion, Aba Branch; AIICO… []

Zenith Bank To Convene Trade Leaders At 10th International Trade Seminar To Unlock Non-Oil Export Potential

By St. Johnson Adegboyega Zenith Bank Plc will host the 10th edition of its International Trade Seminar on Non-Oil Export on Tuesday, 25 August 2026, bringing together leading policymakers, regulators, exporters, manufacturers, investors and other key stakeholders to explore practical strategies for unlocking value and accelerating growth in Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.Themed “Unlocking Value and Harnessing Growth in Non-Oil Export”, the virtual seminar will examine… []

Nigeria’s Finance Talent Pipeline Gets a New Benchmark, and Access Sets It

— Access Bank Logo (file) By Bunmi Onakan New data from CFA Society Nigeria is reshaping how the country’s financial sector thinks about talent development, with Access emerging as the single largest source of CFA candidates in Nigeria, a distinction industry watchers say signals a deeper shift in how leading institutions are building investment expertise from within. In its Where Nigeria’s Finance Professionals Work series,… []

Disclaimer: Disregard Fake Shutdown Notice Circulating on Social Media About Access Bank

— Access Bank By Bunmi Onakan A message impersonating Access Bank’s official handle is currently circulating on social media and WhatsApp. It is false and misleading. We wish to reassure our customers, partners, stakeholders, and the public that Access Bank is safe, financially strong, and fully operational across all our subsidiaries. Our services continue to run seamlessly, and we remain committed to serving our customers… []

First HoldCo To Pay Out 60% Of Profit As Dividends To Shareholders

— FirstHoldco logo (file) By Bunmi Onakan First HoldCo will distribute at least 60% of its profit after tax to shareholders every year, under a policy its board approved on Tuesday, and the largest single beneficiary will be the chairman who has spent this year buying the stock. The board disclosed the decision in a filing to the Nigerian Exchange on Thursday, describing it as… []

Zenith Bank Recognized As Africa’s Best Bank & Nigeria’s Best Bank At The Euromoney Awards For Excellence 2026

–– Zenith Bank Headquarters Lagos By Bunmi Onakan Zenith Bank Plc has been named “Africa’s Best Bank” and “Nigeria’s Best Bank”, the latter for the second consecutive year, at the prestigious Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2026, clinching the biggest and most coveted national and continental awards in banking. The awards were presented to the Bank on Thursday, 16 July 2026, at The Peninsula London Hotel,… []

BREAKING: GTBank Named Best Overall Performing Bank In Nigeria In The Banker’s Top 1000 World Banks Rankings 2026

By Muyiwa Akinola Guaranty Trust Bank Ltd (“GTBank” or the “Bank“), the flagship banking subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or the “Group“), has been named the Best Overall Performing Bank in Nigeria in The Banker magazine’s Top 1000 World Banks Rankings 2026. The recognition reaffirms GTBank’s position as one of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions and reflects the Bank’s consistent delivery of strong… []

Hydrogen Employees Lead Blood Donation Drive to Support Lagos Communities

Hydrogen Payment Services Company Limited has reinforced its commitment to community impact through an employee-led blood donation drive in partnership with the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS) and Gbagada General Hospital. Held recently, the initiative extended this year’s World Blood Donor Day campaign, themed “One Drop of Humanity. Give Blood. Save Lives.” It brought together Hydrogen employees in a collective effort to strengthen blood… []

Access Bank, Fifth Chukker and UNICEF Renew Commitment to Expanding Educational Opportunities for Nigeria’s Most Vulnerable Children

The transformative power of collective action in expanding access to education took centre stage in London as Access Bank UK, Fifth Chukker, UNICEF and the Kaduna State Government reaffirmed their shared commitment to creating brighter futures for Nigeria’s most vulnerable children. Hosted by Access Bank UK, Access UK Polo Day celebrated more than 15 years of impact driven by a shared vision to expand educational… []

Where Culture Creates Opportunity: How Access Bank is Turning Influence into Impact

— Access Towers (Headquarters Lagos) By St. Johnson Adegboyega Just days after the celebration of the Nigerian Modernism exhibition legacy at Tate Modern in London, Access Bank is preparing to unveil an unexpected artistic experience at the 15th edition of its UK Polo Day in Windsor on July 4, 2026. While the artistic showcase will provide a distinctive cultural dimension to the event, the deeper… []

Oil Tycoon Mohammed Indimi Pockets $1m As Jaiz Bank Raises Dividend

— Mohammed Ndimi  By St. Johnson Adegboyega  Nigerian oil and gas billionaire, Mohammed Indimi is set to receive a dividend of about N1.44 billion ($1.05 million) after shareholders of Jaiz Bank approved a higher cash payout following another year of strong earnings growth being the bank’s largest shareholder with a 29.36% stake. The oil billionaire is entitled to a N1.44 billion ($1.05 million) dividend from… []

Nigerians Can Acquire Vehicles with 10% Deposit Under Access Bank Financing Initiative

    By Bunmi Onakan  Nigerians will be able to acquire vehicles with as little as a 10 per cent deposit and receive financing approval under a new vehicle financing initiative launched by Access Bank, which offers funding of up to 90 per cent of a vehicle’s value and repayment tenures of more than four years. Speaking at AutoFest, the vehicle financing initiative launched in… []

Zenith Bank Deepens Financial Inclusion With New Branch In Osubi Community

— The Executive Governor of Delta State, His Excellency Rt. Hon. Elder Sheriff Oborevwori cutting the tape for official openin. By Adeola Idris  Zenith Bank Plc has expanded its presence in Delta State with the official opening of a new branch in Osubi, Okpe Local Government Area, becoming the first commercial bank to establish a presence in the Osubi community. The move reaffirms the Bank’s… []

Access Bank UK Polo Day 2026: Windsor Hosts One of Season’s Most Anticipated International Gatherings

— Access Bank Logo By Bunmi Onakan  On Saturday, July 4, Access Bank will host its annual UK Polo Day in Windsor, an event when judged by past editions, promises to be one of the season’s most captivating social experiences. The guest list is a true global roll call, bringing together investors, entrepreneurs, public sector leaders, and cultural influencers, from around the world. It is… []

Femi Otedola Acquires N29bn Shares In First HoldCo, Now Holds 20% Stake

— Otedola  By Adeola Idris  Chairman of First HoldCo, Femi Otedola has acquired 680 million shares in the financial institution, raising his controlling stake in the firm to 20.42 percent. Otedola acquired the shares for N29.6 billion via a private placement, after First HoldCo offered a share at N44 — which is below Thursday’s closing share price of N61 — to private investors. Otedola and… []