Economy
Nigeria’s GDP to Mutual Fund Assets Ratio Below 1%—Onyema
By Dipo Olowookere
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr Oscar Onyema, has decried the low mutual fund assets to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio of the nation, attributing this to inadequate knowledge of investment products and the benefits for retail investors.
The NSE chief, while delivering his speech at the fourth NSE Market Data Workshop held in Lagos on Wednesday, said it was because of this gap that the exchange was looking to tap into the financial information market, which is believed to worth $50 billion, according to McKinsey estimates.
Mr Onyema informed participants of the event that, “The ratio of mutual fund assets to Nigeria’s GDP is also very low at less than one percent, despite the growth of mutual funds in the country in recent times.”
He further said despite the evolving needs of consumers demanding for financial information globally, Nigeria still has low inclination towards investments, according to a research by FSDH, which reported the savings ratio in Nigeria as one of the lowest among selected countries including China, India, Kenya, Malaysia, South Africa, United Kingdom, and USA.
According to him, “One major reason for this low retail investment appetite is the inadequate knowledge of investment products and the benefits for retail investors.”
He stressed that, “This underscores the importance of creating product offerings that promote diversity in investment, manage risk and make the information readily available to consumers.
“Exchanges and Data vendors are already responding to this increasing demand using new tools for market data products,” the stock market expert added at the workshop covered by Business Post.
At this year’s edition themed Partnerships, Products and the Customer, various speakers invited x-rayed the need for a more inclusive collaboration among capital market players and analyse information in market data and to inform the debate on the challenges of extracting this information from raw data to deliver a data product that is easily consumed to make an informed investment decisions.
As emphasized by Mr Onyema, “At the Nigerian Stock Exchange, we believe in customer centricity and we continue to foster partnerships with local stakeholders across the market, incorporating new technologies and expertise to drive market data by-products like derivatives and other structured products such as the Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).”
“These structured products, which are based on the accuracy of the underlying stock prices, are being used by a broader set of professional users than those who participate on the stock exchange directly – to advise, monitor and/or validate transactions after they are executed.”
Continuing, he said, “As an organization known for best practices, we are also adding new practices to our culture. We are taking on bold new initiatives to change the Capital Market narrative in partnership with our peers within the wider financial industry, we can say with all certainty – the future is bright!”
Other speakers at the event were Dr Mary Akinyemi, a Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics, University of Lagos; Ifeyinwa Kojo, the Country Sales Lead at Hewlett Packard; Mr Ramon Alayande, the Team Lead/Manager, Asset Management Implementation Support at InfoWARE Limited; Ms Osadare Eniola, the Business Development Manager at InfoWARE Limited; Mr Olufemi, the Head of Market Services at the NSE; amongst others.
Economy
FG Releases Transition Guidelines for Tax Acts 2025
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The transition guidelines on the Tax Acts 2025 to provide direction to taxpayers, tax practitioners, revenue authorities and other stakeholders on how to address various issues arising from the old regime to the new framework have been released by the federal government.
The framework was issued on Thursday via a statement signed by the Director of Press Relations in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Efe Ovuakporie.
The guidelines set out the process for transition from the repealed tax laws to the new tax framework effective January 1, 2026.
Under the guidelines, the Tax Acts 2025, comprising the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, the Nigeria Tax Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, apply from the respective commencement dates as enacted in each law. In particular, January 1, 2026, for the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025.
Tax liabilities, assessments, audits, investigations, disputes and enforcement actions relating to periods before that date will be treated under the repealed tax laws, the notice stated.
Tax returns relating to accounting periods ending before January 1, 2026, will be filed under the previous tax laws, while returns relating to accounting periods ending from January 1, 2026, onward will be administered under the new tax framework.
The document also covers the treatment of income taxes, transaction taxes, development levies, tax incentives, exemptions, record-keeping obligations and transactions that span both the old and new tax regimes.
Existing tax incentives and exemptions granted under the repealed laws will remain in place until their expiration dates. New applications and pending requests, however, will be considered under the provisions of the Tax Acts 2025.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, described the Tax Acts 2025 as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s tax reform programme, noting that the Guidelines set out how existing obligations, ongoing matters and future transactions will be treated under the new regime.
According to the Minister, the guidelines are anchored on three key principles – clarity, fairness and administrative certainty, adding that they are intended to promote uniform implementation and support effective administration across the Nigeria Revenue Service, State Internal Revenue Services, the FCT Internal Revenue Service, Local Government Revenue Committees, tax practitioners and taxpayers nationwide.
Economy
Federal, State, LG Councils Share N2.3trn FAAC Allocation
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a total of N2.300 trillion among the federal government, state governments, and Local Government Councils from the revenue generated in May 2026.
The amount is slightly higher than the N2.257 trillion distributed last month, according to a statement issued by the Head of Information at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Mrs Efe Ovuakporie.
The FAAC allocation was confirmed at its June 2026 meeting following consideration of revenue receipts for the month of May.
The total distributable revenue of N2.300 trillion comprised N1.611 trillion from statutory revenue and N688.785 billion from Value Added Tax (VAT).
From the distributable amount, the federal government received N818.680 billion, while state governments got N759.141 billion. Local Government Councils were given N534.277 billion, and oil-producing states received N188.132 billion as 13 per cent derivation revenue.
The gross statutory revenue for the month stood at N2.652 trillion, representing an increase of N273.623 billion compared to the N2.378 trillion recorded in April 2026.
FAAC reported significant increases in collections from Companies Income Tax (CIT), Capital Gains Tax (CGT), Stamp Duties, Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Hydrocarbon Tax (HT), and oil royalties during the period under review.
However, collections from Import Duty, Value Added Tax (VAT), Excise Duty, and Common External Tariff (CET) levies recorded declines compared to the previous month.
Gross VAT revenue for May 2026 stood at N743.668 billion, lower than the N806.617 billion collected in April 2026.
The committee noted that despite the decline in VAT collections, overall revenue performance for the month was strengthened by improved receipts from petroleum-related taxes and Companies Income Tax.
Economy
NGX Suspends Trading in Fortis Global Insurance Equities
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Trading in the equities of Fortis Global Insurance Plc on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited has been suspended.
The action was taken on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, by the regulatory subsidiary of the NGX Group Plc, NGX Regulation (NGX RegCo) Limited.
It was to prevent investors from buying and selling the company’s securities on the stock market ahead of its share reconstruction.
According to a circular signed by the Head of Issuer Regulation Department of NGX RegCo, Mr Godstime Iwenekhai, the suspension is also to determine the shareholders who are entitled to receive the reconstructed shares.
“Trading license holders and the investing public are hereby notified that trading in the shares of Fortis Global Insurance Plc was suspended on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
“The suspension is necessary to prevent trading in the shares of Fortis Global Insurance Plc to enable the Company’s Registrars and the Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS) to reconcile their books for the listing of the reconstructed shares on Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX).
“The suspension is also required for the purpose of determining the shareholders who are entitled to receive the reconstructed shares,” the notice stated.
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