Business
JUST IN: Standard Chartered Bank Sells Subsidiaries In Five African Countries
Published
10 months agoon
By
EditorStandard Chartered Bank and Access Bank Plc have entered into agreements for the sale of Standard Chartered’s shareholding in its subsidiaries in Angola, Cameroon, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania.
Each of the sale transactions remains subject to the approval of the respective local regulators and the banking regulator in Nigeria.
The announcement was made on Friday at Standard Chartered’s headquarters in London in the presence of senior representatives from both banks, a statement by the United Kingdom-based lender said.
The agreement was signed by the Regional CEO, Africa & Middle East, Standard Chartered, Sunil Kaushal, and the Group Managing Director, Access Bank Plc, Roosevelt Ogbonna.
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The lender said the agreement with Access for the sale of the bank’s business in Sub-Saharan Africa was in line with Standard Chartered’s global strategy, aimed at achieving operational efficiencies, reducing complexity, and driving scale.
Access Bank will provide a full range of banking services and continuity for key stakeholders including employees and clients of Standard Chartered’s businesses across the five aforementioned countries.
Access Bank and Standard Chartered will work closely together in the coming months to ensure a seamless transition, with the transaction expected to be completed over the next 12 months.
Commenting on the agreement, Kaushal was quoted as saying, “Following on the announcement we made in April last year, the project is now substantially completed with the announcement for the sale of the five markets and the furtherance of a partnership with Access Bank.”
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“This strategic decision allows us to redirect resources within the AME region to other areas with significant growth potential, ultimately enabling us to better support our clients.
“We look forward to working closely with Access Bank’s team over the coming months to achieve a successful conclusion to this transaction while safeguarding the interests of our valued clients and prioritising our employees”.
Also commenting on the agreement, Ogbonna stated, “We are pleased to sign this agreement today and express our appreciation for being selected as the preferred partner to Standard Chartered through this transaction, in which it is exiting four African markets and refocusing in one.
“As a distinguished regional and international bank with a rich heritage spanning over 150 years, Standard Chartered Bank has built a solid presence in these markets for over 100 years.”
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For Access Bank, the transaction represents a key step in its journey to build a strong global franchise focused on serving as a gateway for payments, investment, and trade within Africa and between Africa and the rest of the world, anchored by a robust capital base.
Ogbonna added, “At Access Bank, we are committed to reshaping the global perception of Africa and African businesses, even as we continue to build toward our vision to be the World’s Most Respected African Bank.
“Our five-year growth plan will see us build a world-class class payments gateway leveraging the power of technology and a robust network of relationships across our operating countries.
“This will be supported by a dynamic ecosystem of local and international partnerships, enabling us to serve global payments and remittances efficiently.
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“With our recent European expansion and our deepened presence in key trading corridors across Africa, we will bridge the gap between cross-border and domestic transfers across all business segments. More importantly, we are committed to impacting our host communities positively.”
In April 2022, Standard Chartered decided to divest from a number of markets, namely Lebanon, Angola, Cameroon, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, and Jordan, and to exit the CPBB (Consumer Private and Business Banking) business in Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania.
The bank announced the sale of its business in Zimbabwe earlier in June and in Jordan in March this year.
With this announcement, Standard Chartered has completed the divestment process from the markets announced in April 2022, except Côte d’Ivoire where it remains actively engaged in discussions with potential buyers for the sale of its CPBB business in the country.
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Naira Slumps, Exchanges At Over N1,500 Against Dollar
Published
3 days agoon
May 13, 2024By
EditorThe naira continued its depreciation against the US dollar in the foreign exchange market.
Data from the parallel market section and FMDQ showed further depreciation against the dollar on Monday.
At the parallel market, a Bureau De Change operator in Wuse Zone 4, Mistila Dayyabu, told DAILY POST that the naira was sold as high as N1,517 per dollar on Monday before settling at N1,500 per dollar.
“On Monday morning, the dollar was sold at N1,517 per dollar. However, on hearing the information about the coming of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission operatives, we started selling at N1,500 this evening, ” he said.
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The figure increased from the N1, 450 per dollar it traded at the weekend.
Similarly, at the official market, FMDQ data showed that they dipped to N1478.11 per dollar on Monday from N1466.31 last Friday.
This represents an N11.8 drop from the N1466.31 recorded last Friday.
Earlier, the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, said the apex bank’s Monetary Policy Committee will do everything to bring down soaring Nigeria’s inflation, which stood at 33.22 per cent in March 2024.
Business
CAC Opens Centre For Registration Of PoS Operators
Published
1 week agoon
May 9, 2024By
EditorThe Corporate Affairs Commission has inaugurated a centre for bulk registration of Point of Sale operators in its database.
The CAC Registrar-General, Hussaini Magaji, said this while inaugurating the centre stationed at its Federal Capital Territory Office in Abuja on Wednesday.
According to Magaji, the importance of registering the PoS operators in the commission’s database cannot be over emphasised.
He said the centre was well equipped with all the necessary facilities to operate 24 hours a day and ensure the commission’s achievement of its purpose.
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“What we did was accommodate the request from the Fintechs.
“We have allowed them to integrate with the Corporate Affairs Commission; they have developed their structure, and we gave them access.
“Once they supply the necessary details for registration on their platform, the certificate is generally generated and transmitted directly to their platform without them having to contact anyone.
“We have done this to ensure that everyone gets it easy without hitches, but if they choose to apply manually, we have a secretariat open for them to do so,” he stated.
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Recall that the Federal Government through the CAC on Tuesday issued a two-month registration deadline to Point of Sales companies, to register their agents, merchants, and individuals with the commission in line with legal requirements and the directives of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, at the event, the registrar-general reiterated that the centre would be opened to all operators in the fintech industry who voluntarily submitted their agents and merchants for regularisation with the CAC.
Magaji said that the registration was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s desire to ensure financial inclusion for the youth and strengthen the fight against fraud, finance and other crimes in the country.
He further expressed his resolve to ensure compliance with the provisions of Section 863 (1) of the Companies and Allied Matters, CAMA 2020, and the CBN guidelines for Agent Banking, 2013.
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On security, the CAC boss said that if a crime were committed using the PoS, the government would easily trace the perpetrators to the CAC data platform if such machines were registered.
“If an incident happens and they report it to CAC, if we do not have the operator’s details, we cannot respond, and that is the essence of this registration.
“The registration ensures that every detail of the person is provided, including NIN, passport photograph and all other useful documents.
“And it is an opportunity for more people to be captured into the formal sector,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Special Adviser to the President on ICT Development and Innovation, Tokoni Peter attended the event.
The event was attended by Dr Salihu Dasuki, the Special Adviser to the President on ICT Policy Office, the PoS operators, and other stakeholders.
(NAN)
Business
FULL LIST: CBN Publishes List Of Licensed Deposit Money Banks
Published
1 week agoon
May 8, 2024By
EditorThe Central Bank of Nigeria has released a comprehensive list of licensed Deposit Money Banks operating within the country.
The list, which was made public on the CBN’s official website on Tuesday, provides insights into the banking landscape in Nigeria.
Banks with international authorisation include Access Bank Limited, Fidelity Bank Plc, First City Monument Bank Limited, First Bank Nigeria Limited, Guaranty Trust Bank Limited, United Bank of Africa Plc, and Zenith Bank Plc.
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Commercial banks with national authorisation include Citibank Nigeria Limited, Ecobank Nigeria Limited, Heritage Bank Plc, Globus Bank Limited, Keystone Bank Limited, Polaris Bank Limited, Stanbic IBTC Bank Limited, Standard Chartered Bank Limited, Sterling Bank Limited, Titan Trust Bank Limited, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Unity Bank Plc, Wema Bank Plc, Premium Trust Bank Limited and Optimus Bank Limited.
Commercial banks with regional licenses are Providus Bank Limited, Parallex Bank Limited, Suntrust Bank Nigeria Limited, and Signature Bank Limited.
Players in the non-interest banking sector with national authorisation include Jaiz Bank Plc, Taj Bank Limited, Lotus Bank Limited, and Alternative Bank Limited.
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In the merchant banking category, the apex banks listed, are Coronation Merchant Bank Limited, FBN Merchant Bank Limited, FSDH Merchant Bank Limited, Greenwich Merchant Bank Limited, Nova Merchant Bank Limited, and Rand Merchant Bank Limited.
The financial holding companies listed were Access Holdings Plc, FBN Holdings Plc, FCMB Group Plc, FSDH Holding Company Limited, Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, and Sterling Financial Holdings Limited.
The Mauritius Commercial Bank Representative Office (Nigeria) Limited was listed as the sole representative office.
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