Economy
Crude Oil Falls on Ukraine Peace Talks Snag, US Rate Decision
By Adedapo Adesanya
Crude oil was down on Tuesday, with investors keeping a close eye on peace talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Brent crude futures lost 55 cents or 0.88 per cent to trade at $61.94 a barrel and the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell by 63 cents or 1.07 per cent to $58.25 a barrel.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government will share a revised peace plan with the US after talks in London between Zelenskiy and the leaders of France, Germany and Britain. Peace between Ukraine and Russia could lead to the removal of international sanctions on Russian companies and free up restricted oil supply.
This has not stopped Russian offensive as the latest attacks on Ukraine’s energy system cut power access for roughly half of the residents in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Group of Seven countries and the European Union are in talks to replace a price cap on Russian oil exports with a full maritime services ban in a bid to reduce Russia’s oil revenue.
Also, concerns about ample supply and a looming decision on US interest rates impacted prices.
The Federal Reserve will announce its policy decision on Wednesday, with markets pricing in an 87 per cent probability of a quarter-point rate reduction. Lower interest rates typically are a positive driver for oil demand given the decrease in borrowing costs.
Yet, some analysts were cautious about how much impact this could have on oil prices for now.
The market also expects an oversupplied 2026 oil market buoyed by supply boost from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) and other non-OPEC+ countries like the US and Brazil.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated that crude oil inventories in the United States saw a large draw of 4.8 million barrels in the week ending December 5. Crude oil inventories shrank by 2.48 million barrels in the week prior. Crude oil inventories in the United States are so far showing a net increase of just 121,000 barrels for the year.
Gasoline (petrol) inventories saw a sizeable increase of 7 million barrels in the week ending December 5. In the week prior, gasoline inventories grew by 3.14 million barrels. Distillate inventories also rose in the reporting period, gaining 1 million barrels, compared to the week prior’s 2.88-million-barrel build.
Official data from the US Energy Information Agency (EIA) will be released later on Wednesday.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Nigeria slightly surpassed its quota set by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in July 2026.
In the month under review, the country produced about 1.57 million barrels of crude oil per day.
It was the third consecutive month Africa’s largest oil-producing nation was meeting its monthly quota, set to stabilise the price of the commodity on the global market by the oil cartel.
Data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on Wednesday showed that the 1.5 million barrels per day ceiling for Nigeria was surpassed last month.
The agency disclosed in a statement today that the country produced 1.505mbpd of crude oil and 0.17mbpd of condensate, bringing the combined daily production to 1.67mbpd.
In the month under review, the daily peak production of crude oil and condensate was 1.78mbpd, while the lowest daily production was 1.57mbpd.
Although Nigeria met its OPEC quota in the month of July, the statistics show that on a month-on-month basis, production fell by 4 per cent.
This was attributed to the decline in production due to operational challenges experienced at the Erha and Akpo fields, which impacted crude oil output during the period under review.
These disruptions constrained production volumes and contributed significantly to the overall reduction in national crude oil output.
Despite the challenges, production operations across most other producing assets remained relatively stable, with operators implementing measures aimed at maintaining production efficiency and minimising the impact of operational constraints, NUPRC stated.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The over 9 billion shares of Lasaco Assurance Plc issued to shareholders of the company via a rights issue have been listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
The equities were brought to Customs Street on Wednesday by the organisation, increasing its total issued and fully paid-up share capital.
Lasaco Assurance, which scaled the recapitalisation hurdle of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) in July 2026, raised fresh capital from the capital market to shore up its capital base.
The underwriting firm got about N18.5 billion from the rights issue, which involved the issuance of 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares at a unit price of N2.00.
The exercise was on the basis of five new ordinary shares for every existing six ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Friday, February 20, 2026.
Confirming the listing of the additional stocks of Lasaco Assurance today, the Head of Issuer Regulation Department of NGX RegCo, Mr Godstime Iwenekhai, announced in a circular that, “Trading licence holders are hereby notified that an additional 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each of Lasaco Assurance Plc were today, Wednesday, August 12, 2026, listed on the daily official list of Nigerian Exchange Limited.
“The additional shares arose from the company’s rights issue of 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N2.00 per share on the basis of five new ordinary shares for every existing six ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Friday, February 20, 2026.
“With the listing of the additional 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares, the total issued and fully paid-up share capital of Lasaco Assurance Plc has now increased from 11,083,585,855 to 20,319,907,401 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) has said the successful recapitalisation of the insurance industry will strengthen the sector’s ability to support financial stability and economic growth.
NIA Chairman, Mrs Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, said a well-capitalised insurance industry would be better positioned to meet its obligations promptly, underwrite complex and large-scale risks and serve as a dependable pillar of the Nigerian economy.
She made the remarks while commending the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) for its structured implementation of the new minimum capital requirements under the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025.
Mrs Nwachukwu said NAICOM’s clear guidelines, systematic verification process, defined timelines and rigorous supervision had provided operators with a credible framework for navigating the recapitalisation exercise.
She described the outcome as a major milestone for the industry and congratulated the 43 insurance and reinsurance companies that have successfully met the prescribed minimum capital requirements.
According to her, the exercise represents “a major win not just for regulators and operators, but for policyholders, investors and the wider Nigerian economy.”
Mrs Nwachukwu said the association would continue to work with NAICOM and other stakeholders to consolidate the gains of the exercise, with emphasis on sustainable industry growth, stronger market conduct and improved consumer confidence.
The official also expressed solidarity with the eight companies still undergoing final verification and regulatory review, urging them to remain confident as NAICOM completes the process within the 14-day review period.
The NIA chairman assured policyholders and the wider business community that the insurance industry would emerge from the recapitalisation exercise stronger, more resilient and better positioned to contribute to Nigeria’s economic development.
