Economy
AXA Mansard Improves Gross Written Premium by 15% in FY 2022
By Dipo Olowookere
In the 2022 financial year, a member of the AXA Group and a global insurance and asset management firm, AXA Mansard Insurance Plc, reported a 15 per cent improvement in gross revenue to N69.0 billion from N60.2 billion.
This was driven by a 49 per cent surge in Life and Savings (L&S) at N13.8 billion and a 22 per cent increase in the health insurance segment of the business at N27.7 billion, while the Property and Casualty (P&C) were down by 3 per cent to N27 billion mainly caused by a deliberate selection of risks to drive profitability.
In the same period, the company recorded a 24 per cent growth in net premium income to N46.1 billion from the N37.1 billion posted in the 2021 fiscal year.
However, the underwriting firm posted a 42 per cent decline in its profit before tax and a 35 per cent fall in the profit after tax in the period under review at N300 million.
According to the Chief Financial Officer of AXA Mansard Insurance Plc, Mrs Ngozi Ola-Israel, this was due to the higher claims experience in the health portfolio and fair value losses on the investment property.
But she stressed that the insurer delivered strong double-digit growth in the top line of the financial results “Despite the macroeconomic challenges the business faced in the 2022 financial year.”
Mrs Ola-Israel noted that Axa Mansard Insurance has remained focused on its growth plan across business lines.
“We made significant recoveries in the second quarter of 2022, with the health business moving from break-even to closing with profits of N0.3 billion at the end of the year.
“We have taken all necessary steps to strengthen our balance sheet and have set the right platform for continued profitability in 2023,” she added.
Highlights of the results showed that P&C went down in the year owing to one-off impacts regarding a non-renewable transaction and a change in the timing of the booking of another transaction in the CL P&C portfolio. It also dropped because of the non-recurrence of premiums from commercial lines, which declined by 6 per cent to N24.7 billion from N26.3 billion due to shortfalls in the Engineering and marine portfolios, while oil & energy remained flat. The engineering dip was driven by one-off unrenewable transactions in the prior year.
It was observed that last year, Life volume acceleration increased due to the fast onboarding of the new life savings product, while Health volumes improved as a result of increased premiums and renewals for key commercial line clients.
The L&S business recorded an improved performance in the group life (+20%) and individual life businesses (+107%). The life and savings business has experienced strong customer retention, and sales drive from the launch of the new life savings product.
Overall, improved agent productivity and digital footprint also contributed to the revenue growth, as the total revenues improved by 18 per cent, with higher management fees benefiting from improved 3rd party assets under management.
AuMs for corporate clients grew 51 per cent as client count grew by 21 per cent, leading to a 16 per cent growth in 3rd party AuMs and a 6 per cent growth in total AuMs.
Axa Mansard Insurance said it was committed to improving performance through an improved distribution network, process automation, and client retention.
“We have remained market leaders in the health segment with a strong focus on providing excellent customer experience while partnering with health providers.
“Growth in P&C (+23%) versus LY is attributable to improved net premium income, investment income, and reduced claims. L&S grew 448 per cent due to improved revenue performance, investment income, and a strong drive for operational efficiency,” the company said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Investment Authority (NSIA) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have finalised agreements to launch a $50 Sovereignmillion impact innovation fund aimed at strengthening the Nigerian start-up ecosystem.
The fund is expected to provide patient capital to pre-seed, seed, and early-stage startups addressing critical social challenges in sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, education, energy, waste and water management.
JICA will provide $14 million in grant support, while NSIA contributes up to $20 million to match the grant.
Structured as an onshore public fund, the initiative combines financial support with technical assistance to help startups refine products, scale operations, and expand into new markets.
The fund is expected to create jobs, improve livelihoods, and contribute to sustainable economic development across Nigeria.
Speaking at the agreement signing ceremony between NSIA and JICA at the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Aminu Umar-Sadiq, the chief executive of NSIA, said: “The Fund represents a transformative step for Nigeria’s startup ecosystem. By providing early-stage ventures in high-impact sectors with the capital and support they need to grow, we are enabling innovators to tackle some of Nigeria’s most pressing challenges. Our collaboration with JICA underscores our commitment to entrepreneurship, inclusive growth, and sustainable development.”
Preparations are underway to operationalise the Fund and develop a pipeline of high-impact startups ready for investment. NSIA remains committed to advancing socio-economic development through strategic partnerships that scale impact, expand innovative solutions, and unlock access to capital.
On his part, the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Suzuki Hideo, said, “The Government of Japan hopes this new project will take root in Nigeria and bear fruit swiftly.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
Seven price gainers flipped recent declines at the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange, raising the alternative stock market by 2.19 per cent on Friday.
According to data, the market capitalisation added N51.24 billion to end N2.389 trillion compared with the previous day’s N2.338 trillion, while the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) climbed 85.65 points to close at 3,994.32 points, in contrast to the 3,908.67 points it ended a day earlier.
Business Post reports that the advancers were led by MRS Oil Plc, which improved its value by N13.00 to N200.00 per share from N187.00 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc gained N7.40 to settle at N91.55 per unit versus the previous day’s N84.15 per unit, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc appreciated by N6.08 to N71.00 per share from N64.92 per share, Afriland Properties Plc added 66 Kobo to finish at N17.17 per unit versus N16.51 per unit, IPWA Plc rose 37 Kobo to N4.15 per share from N3.78 per share, First Trust Mortgage Bank Plc grew by 11 Kobo to N1.20 per unit from N1.09 per unit, and Food Concepts Plc went up by 10obo to N3.70 per share from N3.60 per share.
On the flip side, there were two price losers led by Geo-Fluids Plc, which depreciated by 28 Kobo to N3.32 per unit from N3.60 per unit, and Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc dropped 5 Kobo to sell at 45 Kobo per share from 50 Kobo per share.
Yesterday, the volume of trades went down by 92.0 per cent to 3.7 million units from 45.8 million units, the value of transactions fell by 59.4 per cent to N84.5 million from N208.2 million, while the number of deals went up by 7.7 per cent to 42 deals from 39 deals.
CSCS Plc remained the most traded stock by value (year-to-date) with 32.6 million units exchanged for N1.9 billion, trailed by Geo-Fluids Plc with 119.6 million units valued at N470.3 million, and Resourcery Plc with 1.05 billion units traded at N408.6 million.
Resourcery Plc closed the day as the most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) with 1.05 billion units sold for N408.7 million, followed by Geo-Fluids Plc with 119.6 million units worth N470.3 million, and CSCS Plc with 32.6 million units worth N1.9 billion.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira weakened further against the United States Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Friday, February 20, by N4.97 or 0.37 per cent to N1,346.32/$1 from the N1,341.35/$1 it was transacted on Thursday.
Heightened FX demand tilted the market toward the downside yesterday, exerting upward pressure on rates despite efforts by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stabilise the foreign exchange market.
Also in the official market, the domestic currency depreciated against the Pound Sterling during the session by N9.39 to sell for N1,815.25/£1 versus the previous day’s N1,805.86/£1, and lost N7.33 against the Euro to close at N1,584.62/€1 compared with the preceding session’s N1,577.29/€1.
The story was not different for the Nigerian Naira at the GTBank FX desk, where it depleted against the Dollar by N7 on Friday to quote at N1,356/$1 versus the N1,349/$1 it was sold a day earlier, but remained unchanged in the black market at N1,370/$1.
It was observed that risky sentiment among Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) contributed to the FX market, amid fears of hot money flight due to capital gains tax and other factors.
As for the cryptocurrency market, it was mostly green yesterday in reaction to a Supreme Court verdict dismissing a fresh 10 per cent global levy by President Donald Trump.
The apex court on Friday described Mr Trump’s global tariff rollout as illegal. The decision did not clarify what should happen to tariff revenue already collected, and it doesn’t necessarily spell the end of the trade agenda, with multiple legal and executive avenues still available.
Litecoin (LTC) grew 2.7 per cent to $55.00, Cardano (ADA) appreciated 2.6 per cent to trade at $0.2815, Binance Coin (BNB) expanded by 2.6 per cent to $627.19, Dogecoin (DOGE) recouped 1.3 per cent to quote at $0.1, Ripple (XRP) jumped 0.7 per cent to $1.43, Solana (SOL) improved by 0.5 per cent to $84.15, and Ethereum (ETH) soared 0.1 per cent to $1,962.78.
However, Bitcoin (BTC) lost 0.2 per cent to sell for $67,850.49, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) traded flat at $1.00 each.
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