They always keep their words. Reasons people can’t stop banking with them.
Fidelity Bank, African most trusted bank is offering another financial management and freedom to its ever increasing customers in other to save them from the risk of frauds and scammers.
Having a small business is no mean feat and we applaud you for it. It has many challenges which you wake up to face every day.
To help you in facing some of these challenges, we would like to introduce you to Paylink.Fidelitybank.ng
There’s no longer any need to give out your account number and expose yourself to the risk of fraud or scam, Fidelity PayLink masks your account number, and is a secure way to receive payments.
Heritage bank Plc in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), under the Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing in Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) has continued to drive improved investment outcomes and job creation.
Through this partnership, Heritage Bank is not relenting in its efforts at boosting the agriculture base of the nation to make farming profitable to stakeholders and attractive to the youth.
Recently, the apex bank approved the disbursement of about N75billion as loan to farmers in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing in Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL).
The loan guarantee scheme is a public-private sector initiative set up to transform the country’s agricultural sector. It was initiated by the CBN, the Bankers’ Committee and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, to guarantee 75 per cent loans provided by Deposit Money Banks (DPB) to farmers as part of efforts to transform the country’s agricultural sector.
Speaking on the several CBN intervention scheme and private sectors’ partnerships, which have accumulated to thousands of job creations, the MD/CEO, Heritage Bank, Ifie Sekibo, noted, “under the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) and the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Heritage Bank is positioned to provide on-lending funding to aggregated farmers in the 2020 farming season to grow various products that will serve as raw materials to the processors, thereby ensuring market linkages and access to the market as well as reduce importation and conserve Nigeria’s external reserves.”
According to him, Heritage Bank is also supporting the drive for cash crop commodities that would boost Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings, which President Mohammad Buhari’s administration has always been cautious given the dangers the continuous reliance on imported food items pose to its efforts to create jobs as well as develop and diversify the economy.
No doubt Heritage Bank’s unswerving lending to agriculture sector has earned it deluge of accolades to its portfolio.
Heritage Bank Plc earned the Nigeria’s Most Innovative Banking Service Provider in 2017 and 2018 that were bestowed with the inaugural Nigeria Sustainable Banking Award convened by the CBN “For Sustainable Transaction of The Year in Agriculture.”
The Nigeria Agriculture Awards (NAA), at its annual event convened by AgroNigeria (The Voice of Nigeria’s Agriculture), to appreciate immense efforts of those who have contributed to the success of the agriculture sector in the country, announced Heritage Bank as the Agric. Bank of the Year.
According to NAA, Heritage Bank was selected in recognition of its footprints in the Agric. space, especially the Triton Aquaculture Project.
Also, Heritage Bank Plc which has been adjudged the lead settlement bank for Gezawa Commodity Market (GCMX), has collaborated with key stakeholders to revolutionise the agricultural value-chain.
The collaboration was aimed at providing fully integrated ecosystem for commodity Exchange.
Heritage Bank was appointed the Lead Settlement Bank and Transaction Adviser to GCMX and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the two firms, whilst over 10, 000 farmers in 3000 cooperatives in the 44 local governments of Kano States were hosted.
The partnership between Heritage Bank and the Exchange has continued to facilitate the ease of agro commodity trading in a more structured way, especially with the closeness to the Dawanu, the largest grain market in Africa.
…Acts as Facility Agent Bank for Nigerian Commercial Banks in the $1.5 Billion Facility to Boost Nigerian Oil Production and Government Revenue
The United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), the leading pan-African financial services group, has acted as Facility Agent Bank for the Nigerian Commercial Banks in a consortium with other international banks in a $1.5 Billion Pre-Export Finance Facility for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its upstream subsidiary, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC).
UBA is providing $200 million (Naira equivalent) to support investment growth and liquidity requirements. The facility will provide much needed capital for investment in NNPC’s production capacity, which is of strategic importance to the Nigerian economy and the country’s leading source of foreign exchange earnings. UBA’s position as Facility Agent Bank recognises the Group’s strength in structuring and deploying financing to the oil and gas sector, and the depth and liquidity of the Group’s balance sheet.
The $1.5 billion facility is structured in two tranches. The first tranche of $1 billion, to be repaid over a period of five years, will be provided in dollars. The second tranche of $500 million, will be provided in local currency, over seven years, with UBA acting as Facility Agent Bank, providing $200 million in Naira equivalent. Both facilities will be repaid from an allocation of 30,000 barrels per day of NPDC’s crude oil.
UBA has a strong track record in the resources sector across Africa, having facilitated oil prepayment deals with the NNPC, including its 2013 $100 million participation in the PXF Funding Limited transaction, and a further $60 million in the 2015 Phoenix Export Funding Limited transaction. In Senegal, UBA was responsible for the EUR 240m Revolving Crude Oil Financing Facility for the Société Africaine de Raffinage and in Congo Brazzaville co-funded the $250m crude oil prepayment facility for Orion Oil Limited.
Other participants in the NNPC deal include Standard Chartered Bank, Afrexim Bank, Union Bank and two oil trading companies, Vitol and Matrix.
Speaking on this most recent support for the Nigeria’s petroleum industry, UBA Group Chairman, Tony O. Elumelu stated ‘This has been one of the most economically challenging years that Nigeria has witnessed. With the sharp drop in the price of oil and the ensuing hardship that followed the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the private sector must come together and contribute meaningfully to the economy. This facility is clear evidence of this – UBA is providing investment that will significantly improve Nigeria’s production capacity and in doing so also demonstrating the strength, depth, and sophistication of our commercial banking capability. I believe that together, working with governments, we can create more jobs and more wealth for people, not only in Nigeria, but across Africa’.
The United Bank for Africa is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with over 20,000 employees and serving over 20 million customers. UBA operates in 20 African countries and globally in the United Kingdom, the United States of America and France, providing retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting edge technology.
Zenith Bank Plc, Nigeria’s leading financial institution, has commenced its “Zenith Beta Life” Promo to reward customers of the Bank with gifts every week starting from 31st July 2020 to 30th July 2021.
During this period, fifty (50) customers will be selected via raffle draw each week and rewarded with gifts worth NGN30,000.
The Promo is open to existing and new Zenith Bank customers with the following raffle qualifying criteria:
– maintain a minimum deposit of NGN5,000 for the period;
– request and collect a Zenith Bank Card; and
– download and register on the Zenith Mobile App or register for *966# EazyBanking.
Zenith Bank Plc is recognised as one of the most customer-focused financial institutions in the country and was voted the most customer-focused bank in Nigeria for the retail and SME segments in the 2018 KPMG Annual Banking Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey (BICSS).
A clear leader in the digital space with several firsts in the deployment of innovative products, solutions and an assortment of alternative channels that ensure convenience, speed and safety of transactions, Zenith Bank has clearly distinguished itself in the Nigerian financial services industry through superior service quality, unique customer experience and sound financial indices.
In recognition of its track record of excellent performance, Zenith Bank was voted as the Best Commercial Bank in Nigeria 2019 by the World Finance and the Best Digital Bank in Nigeria 2019 by Agusto and Co. The Bank was also recognised as Bank of the Year and Best in Retail Banking at the 2019 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BOFI) Awards.
More recently, the Bank emerged as the Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria, for the third consecutive year, in the Banker Magazine “Top 500 Banking Brands 2020”, number one Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital in the “2020 Top 1000 World Banks” Ranking published by The Banker Magazine, Best Bank in Nigeria 2020 in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards 2020, and Bank of the Decade (People’s Choice) at the ThisDay Awards 2020.
As part of its promise to continuously provide financial and business skills to female entrepreneurs, leading retail banks in Nigeria, Access Bank Plc has unveiled the second edition of its Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton programme.
The Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton Africa 2020 Campaign is designed to provide female-owned businesses across Africa an opportunity to access to finance and world-class business training as well as mentoring opportunities. This programme has been designed to create an enabling environment for female entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.
Speaking at the launch of the second edition of this initiative, Ayona Trimnell, group head W Initiative, said, “Access Bank has been a leading advocate for women’s economic empowerment in Nigeria and this is the key motivation for the ‘W’ Initiative which caters to the women economy particularly in the areas of capacity building and creating networking opportunities for women”. She further stated that the Pitch-a-ton is an expansion of the Womenpreneur Business Workshop, under the Bank’s women proposition, the W Initiative.
“We launched the Pitch-a-ton initiative last year in line with our value proposition as the No. 1 Bank of Choice for women in Nigeria, and we got a tremendous amount of applications with innovative business ideas. This year we want to do more and we want to reach out to more female entrepreneurs not just in Nigeria but across Africa. “As a responsible financial institution with a huge presence in other African countries, we want to give the same opportunity to other female entrepreneurs in Ghana, Rwanda, and Zambia as well as Sierra Leone, Gambia, & Congo to apply and participate in this year’s edition of the programme.
First Bank of Nigeria Limited has offered to give financial support to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Education Sector to cushion the effects of the COVID -19 pandemic. Mr. Bankole Adediran, Head, Transaction Banking Products, FirstBank, made this known at the Bank’s SMEConnect webinar with theme: “Managing Your School through the Pandemic: Engagement and Retention Strategies”.
Adediran said that the Bank was ready to partner with SMEs in the education sector through the period of the novel coronavirus pandemic to sustain their businesses.
“FirstBank, as an institution, is very passionate about education, and will continue to support the sector,” he said.
He said that the Bank would continue to reinforce its leading role at enabling the growth of the educational sector in the country.
Adediran said that the Bank had an array of financial products that could be accessed by SMEs in the educational sector in the period of COVID -19.
He said SMEs in the sector could key into FirstEdu Loan targeted at private nursery, primary and secondary schools to assist the schools in achieving their desired growth in medium and long terms.
According to him, the product provides funding advancement of up to N20 million for schools with a minimum of 100 students with school fees collection domiciled at FirstBank.
Adediran said that, with the product, school owners/proprietors could stay ahead to make learning easy and conducive for students.
He said the Bank had launched various interventions and initiatives to support the sector to navigate through challenges occasioned by COVID -19.
He noted that FirstBank recently launched an e-learning initiative aimed at reaching out to one million students across the country to ensure they would be academically engaged while at home.
Adediran also said that the Bank supported 10 universities and three secondary schools across the country with major infrastructure projects.
He added that the Bank donated 20,000 e-learning devices to the Lagos State Government to promote online learning for students in the public schools.
Adediran urged schools must learn from the COVID -19 pandemic by embracing automation to plug leakages in the sector.
Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, Commissioner for Education, Lagos State, who was a panelist at the webinar, commended the Bank for donating 20,000 devices with six months data, to the state for e-learning.
Adefisayo said the state reached out to many companies for support at the wake of the pandemic and that FirstBank came to its aid.
She disclosed that all the schools were not prepared for the situation, noting that most children in public schools did not have device and data for online learning.
“This pandemic has been a terrible thing, and one lesson from it is that we have not invested enough in solutions we can deplore at a time like this,” Adefisayo said.
She said that the pandemic had forced Nigerians to be more creative and innovative, adding that schooling would no longer be the same again.
Adefisayo called on teachers to change their teaching and learning strategies, saying that COVID -19 had changed learning.
Also, Dr. Yomi Otubela, President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), said the association had responded greatly by interfacing between government and its agencies since the beginning of the pandemic.
Otubela said the Central Bank of Nigeria was working out modalities for palliatives for schools and teachers who had not been receiving salaries since the pandemic started.
He noted that there had been an increase in rape, kidnapping and robbery as a result of COVID -19.
Mr. Wale Abioye, Team Lead, Customer Practice in Management Consulting (KPMG), said the pandemic had impacted negatively on many sectors of the economy, especially education.
Abioye highlighted some of the negative impacts of the pandemic to include financial/economic, structural, social and policy challenges.
He said many SMEs in the educational sector could be out of business due to the pandemic, thereby increasing unemployment rate.
Mr. Babatunde Vaughan, Education Lead, Modern Classroom, Microsoft Nigeria, said the company had introduced a lot of products to make online learning easy and interesting.
“COVID -19 is a very unique period for everyone, change has come and we will continue to experience change.
“We must be more proactive than reactive,” Vaughan urged.
In its continuous bid to support the growth of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises(MSME) and equip them with the necessary tools aimed at strengthening and sustaining their businesses, Pan African Financial Institution, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc is set to organise another MSME Workshop for entrepreneurs.
The workshop which will hold on Wednesday via Microsoft Teams, will host professionals who will share their experiences and give essential tips to MSME and business owners on how to their businesses to the next level.
This Workshop which will be in two separate sessions, will specifically target financial record keeping in business which has been established as one of the major challenges that business owners face and it promises to be an eye-opener to participants.
The Founder, Accounting Hub, Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze, will take the first session as she gives insights and shares practical knowledge on Bookkeeping and Accounting Basics for Small Businesses, while in the second session, UBA’s Group Head, Tax Management, Emeka Amadi, will take participants though practical steps om Tax Management for Small Businesses.
UBA’s Group Head, Consumer and Retail Banking, Jude Anele, who spoke on the bank’s deep passion to help small businesses, explained that as the engine of any developing economy, MSMEs should be armed with the necessary tools that will help galvanise their businesses, adding that this necessitated the regular MSME workshops organised by the bank to assist both its customers and non-customers to boost their businesses.
He said, “UBA is committed to the overall growth of its customers beyond banking services, and the bank’s passion is hinged on ensuring that customers and entrepreneurs run businesses that can stand the test of time with the knowledge and experience required to take their businesses to the next level.
“Because of our interest in Businesses and customers, we conceptualised the SME workshop to fill the existing gaps observed in businesses thus assisting them to learn new ways of doing business and how to package their businesses for increased patronage,” Anele noted.
UBA’s Group Head, Marketing & Customer Experience, Michelle Nwoga, said the seminar is open to all business owners and leaders across Nigeria reiterated its important because of the long-term impact which range from strengthened confidence, skills, knowledge, and resources.
Participants who register for the Teams session here, will be trained in record keeping, cost reduction, stock compiling, financial and taxation planning, maximising opportunities, financial planning and projections.
Nwoga explained that the bank is on the constant look-out for top business personalities who are able to share their growth strategies with other upcoming business owners, adding, “Our business leaders for this workshop are experienced in every sense of the word and willing to share insight with others on how to grow their business.”
Emeka Amadi is a seasoned Chartered Accounting and Tax professional with14 years’ experience. He has facilitated several seminars and training to Finance professionals and sensitising SMEs on the importance of Tax and Accounting function in business value creations.
Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze who is the Founder, Accountinghub, a tech-accounting firm, is a Chartered Accountant. She is a recipient of several awards, both academic and entrepreneurial, as well as an amazing speaker and writer.
Fidelity Bank Plc has notified the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and the general public of the appointment of Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, as the incoming Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2021.
The bank made the announcement on Monday in a notice on the NSE website, signed by Ezinwa Unuigboje, its Company Secretary.
The notice said the appointment followed the impending retirement of its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nnamdi Okonkwo, from the Board of Directors of the bank, with effect from December 31 upon completion of his contract tenure.
“In compliance with the succession policy of the bank, the board has approved the appointment of Onyeali-Ikpe, the current Executive Director, Lagos and South West Directorate as the MD/CEO designate of the bank, to assume office with effect from January 1, 2021.
“The approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been obtained for the appointment,” said the statement.
It said the board had also approved the appointment of Kevin Ugwuoke, the current Chief Risk Officer of the Bank, as Executive Director, Chief Risk Officer, subject to the approval of the CBN.
The statement said that Mr Okonkwo was appointed to the Board of the bank in April 2012 as an Executive Director and was subsequently appointed the MD/CEO on January 1, 2014.
It said Mr Okonkwo implemented a digital-led strategy which led to significant growth across key performance metrics and increased market share, with the bank currently ranked sixth amongst Nigerian banks on most performance indices.
The statement said the bank under his leadership successfully accessed the local and international markets through the issuance of N30 billion Corporate Bonds in 2015 and $400million Eurobonds in 2017.
“The board seizes this opportunity to express sincere appreciation to Okonkwo for his significant contributions to the growth and development of the Bank during his tenure of the board,” the statement added.
It said Mrs Onyeali-Ikpe was appointed to the Board of Fidelity Bank in 2015 as an Executive Director and currently oversees the Lagos and Southwest Directorate.
It stated that she led the transformation of the directorate to profitability and sustained its impressive year-on-year growth across key performance metrics.
The bank said Mrs Onyeali-Ikpe had been an integral part of the current management team responsible for the remarkable increase in the bank’s performance in the last five years.
It stated that the area under her direct responsibility, in the period, contributed over 28 per cent of the bank’s profit before tax, deposits and loans.
“Onyeali-Ikpe has over 30 years of experience across various banks including Standard Chartered Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Citizens International Bank Limited, where she held several management positions in Legal, Treasury, Investment Banking, Retail/Commercial Banking and Corporate Banking
“She has been involved in the structuring of complex transactions in various sectors including oil & gas; manufacturing, aviation, real estate and export.
“As an Executive Director at Enterprise Bank, she received formal commendation from the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) as a member of the management team that successfully turned around Enterprise Bank.
“She holds Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Master of Laws (LLM) degrees from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Kings College, London, respectively,” it said.
It added that Mrs Onyeali-Ikpe had attended executive training programmes at Harvard Business School, the Wharton School University of Pennsylvania, INSEAD School of Business, Chicago Booth School of Business, London Business School and IMD amongst others.
The bank said Onyeali-Ikpe is currently undergoing a Diploma programme in Organisational Leadership at Said Business School, Oxford University, UK.
First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider, has announced the convening of a Business Clinic to promote the growth and sustainability of the educational sector, especially in the light of the coronavirus which is having an adverse effect on the operations of schools across the world. The event is scheduled to hold via Zoom platform by 11:00am on Thursday, 23 July 2020.
“Managing Your School through the Pandemic: Engagement and Retention Strategies,” is the topic of the event and will be discussed by experts, leading players, policy influencers and proprietors in business and education management that have carved a niche for themselves at promoting the growth of education and business, towards impacting the national economy. To participate in the event, follow the link https://smeconnect.firstbanknigeria.com/webinarto register.
The panellists at the event include; Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, Honourable Commissioner of Education, Lagos State; Otunba Yomi Otubela, President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS); Wale Abioye, Team Lead, Customer Practice in Management Consulting (KPMG); Babatunde Vaughan, Education Lead, Modern Classroom Microsoft Nigeria; Tinu Aluko, Proprietor, Busy Bee & West Mills and Bankole Adediran, Head Transaction Banking Products, First Bank of Nigeria Limited.
Speaking on the event, Mr. Gbenga Shobo, Deputy Managing Director, FirstBank said “the education sector remains the bedrock of the growth and development of any nation – without a viable educational system, the human capital would be incapable of driving national growth and development. FirstBank is delighted to convene this event as it reinforces our leading role at enabling the growth of the educational sector in the country, over the years.
A recent example is the current pandemic in which the Bank has spearheaded the continued learning of school children, with a view to moving over 1 million Nigerians to e-learning, an exciting journey that has had over 45,000 active participants on the respective platforms, notably Roducate and IBM.
We appreciate the panellists invited to speak and we look forward to the knowledge and ideas that would be deliberated towards having participants enlightened on essential activities to not just sustain their schools but reinforce its growth against the odds of COVID-19. We implore players, policy influencers, school and business owners as a whole to register and participate in the event because indeed there is knowledge for everyone,” he concluded.
FirstBank has held various SME clinics in the course of the year, including a virtual event to ensure Social Distance is adhered to in this sensitive period of the COVID-19.
These events include the SME Clinics in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja as well as the Virtual SME Clinic, recently held in May.
Despite the disruptions and prolonged lockdown occasioned by the global coronavirus pandemic, The Men’s Club season 3 (TMC3) series is set premiere on July 22, 2020 with a firm promise to do much more than excite its teeming and sophisticated audience with the adventures of four Nigerian men and how they navigate their mainly drama-filled tumultuous love lives.
Commenting on the TMC season 3, Bola Atta, Executive Director, REDTV and Group Director, Corporate Communication at UBA Plc, expressed delight in being able to “wear several hats” in her role at UBA, one of them being an Executive Producer for REDTV; emphasising TV production as her passion.
Shedding light on the latest season, the corporate Amazon said: “The Men’s Club is a series about 4 young men; Aminu, Tayo, Lanre and Louis, who are navigating life, winding through several relationships, breaking hearts and getting hearts broken. Now in its third season, completing filming which began pre -pandemic, was a learning process itself. Cast and crew were tested for Covid-19 and when thankfully they all tested negative, were placed in residence (of maximum 20 persons).
“Disinfecting every day; following strict protocols for sanitisation and distancing on set. It wasn’t easy, but we got it done! Here is a trailer of TMC3 which will be out on REDTV on July 22, 2020,” she said.
About TMC
The Men’s Club (TMC) is a series created by REDTv. The series centres on 4 young men from different Nigerian tribes and the problems they face in their life. The men in the TMC3 are played by Aminu, Tayo, Lanre and Louis, who are navigating life, winding through several relationships, breaking hearts and getting hearts.
