Brand & Business

Unity Bank Disburses Over N270 Million to Corpreneurship Winners

— Corpreneurship Winners By St. Johnson Adegboyega  Unity Bank Plc has disbursed over N270 million in grants to young Nigerian entrepreneurs under its Youth Entrepreneurship Development Initiative: Corpreneurship Challenge, bringing the total number of beneficiaries since inception in 2019 to 608 corps members nationwide. The initiative, implemented in partnership with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) through its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme,… []

Fidelity Bank Attains N500b Capital With Special Private Placement

— Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, MD/CEO Fidelity Bank PLC  By Muyiwa Akinola Fidelity Bank Plc has successfully raised between N250 and N270 billion through a private placement, pushing its qualifying capital well-above the N500 billion minimum stipulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for banks with international authorisation. Market sources in the know of the transaction at the weekend said the placement, executed on December… []

Recapitalization:19 Banks Meet New Capital Requirements Ahead Of March 31 Deadline

As the March 31st deadline sets by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the recapitalisation of banks in the country is fast approaching, 19 banks have already  met the new capital requirements. First Bank Nigeria, Fidelity Bank and FSDH Merchant Bank join the league of recapitalised banks. This is as analysts say they expect more banks to conclude their recapitalisation plans between next week… []

FirstBank Sets Agenda For Economic Discourse With Nigeria Economic Outlook 2026

— First Bank HQ, Lagos  By St. Johnson Adegboyega  FirstBank economic outlook 2026 FirstBank, West Africa’s premier financial institution and a leading financial inclusion service provider,  has announced the Nigeria Economic Outlook 2026, scheduled to hold on Tuesday, 6 January 2025. The session will convene under the theme “The Great Calibration: Mastering Resilience in an Era of Asynchronous Growth.” A Platform That Sets the Economic… []

FirstBank Hosts Nigeria Economic _Outlook_ 2026, Leads Conversation On Economic Growth

— First Bank HQ, Lagos  By St. Johnson Adegboyega  FirstBank, West Africa’s premier financial institution and financial inclusion service provider is pleased to announce the Nigeria Economic Outlook 2026 scheduled to hold on Tuesday, 6 January 2025. The theme of the session is “The Great Calibration: Mastering Resilience in an Era of Asynchronous Growth” Nigeria Economic Outlook is an annual customer-facing session which sets the… []

Fidelity Bank Appoints Onwughalu As Chairman Following Completion Of Chike-Obi’s Tenure

  — Mrs. Amaka Onwughalu By St. Johnson Adegboyega  Tier one lender, Fidelity Bank Plc, has announced the completion of the tenure of Mr. Mustafa Chike-Obi as Chairman of its Board of Directors effective December 31, 2025, and the appointment of Mrs. Amaka Onwughalu as the new Chairman of the Board, effective January 1, 2026. The board transitions are in alignment with the Bank’s policy… []

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… []