By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Monday, March 9, 2026, has been fixed by Zenith Bank Plc for its annual International Women’s Day seminar in Lagos.

The event is part of activities lined up to commemorate the 2026 International Women’s Day, themed Give to Gain.

The theme prepared for Zenith Bank’s programme is Take it, You Own it, and was designed to deepen meaningful engagement around women’s empowerment, leadership, and sustainable impact.

The workshop will include segments focused on leadership insight, professional empowerment, wellbeing, and collaboration, offering attendees opportunities to engage deeply with thought leadership and practical strategies for advancing equity.

With a carefully curated programme spanning keynote addresses, panel conversations, Q and A sessions, and creative interludes, Zenith Bank’s 2026 International Women’s Day Seminar promises to be a catalyst for meaningful action.

“International Women’s Day is a reminder that progress requires intentionality.

Give to Gain speaks to the responsibility institutions have to create real opportunities, while our theme, Take It, You Own It, challenges women to step forward boldly and lead.

“At Zenith Bank, we are deliberate about building environments where women are supported to grow, thrive, and shape outcomes, not only within our institution but across the communities and industries we serve,” the chief executive of Zenith Bank, Ms Adaora Umeoji, stated.

Over the years, the lender’s International Women’s Day initiatives have brought together women leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs, and emerging talents for dynamic dialogue, inspiration, and shared learning around gender equity, professional growth, and inclusive opportunity.

More than a commemorative gathering, the 2026 seminar is designed as a convergence of influence, insight, and inspiration, bringing together accomplished women and progressive leaders across business, governance, creative industries, technology, and social impact.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Two employees of FSDH Merchant Bank Limited, Mr Bakare Oladimeji Surajudeen and Mr James Olukayode Imokwede, have been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The suspects were brought before Justice Ismaila Ijelu of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

They were accused of stealing and retaining stolen property valued at about $306,667.81 and €50,250.

The EFCC, which received a petition from the lender, said its investigations showed that the suspects processed fraudulent transfers through the SWIFT platform to third parties.

The bank said an internal audit uncovered unauthorised debits totalling $306,667.81 and €50,250, equivalent to N527.4 million from its Letters of Credit (LC) payable accounts.

At the court yesterday, after the defendants pleaded “not guilty” to all 10-count charges preferred against them, the prosecution counsel, H. U. Kofarnaisa, asked for a trial date and also prayed that the defendants be remanded in a correctional facility pending trial.

Counsel to the first and second defendants, Oluwaseun Akintunde and Olajide S. Onasanya, informed the court that bail applications had been filed on behalf of the defendants and also urged the court to grant them bail on liberal terms.

They also prayed that the defendants be remanded in the EFCC custody pending the perfection of their bail conditions.

The prosecution counsel, however, opposed the prayers of the defence seeking the remand of the defendants in the EFCC custody, saying that “the EFCC detention facilities are overstretched.”

After listening to both parties, Justice Ijelu granted the defendants bail in the sum of N2 million each, with two sureties in like sum.

The court ordered that one of the sureties must be a relative who is gainfully employed. The sureties must provide evidence of tax payment in the last three years and must show proof of livelihood, with their residences verified.

The defendants were ordered to deposit their international passports with the court, and must not travel outside the country without the leave of the court.

The judge subsequently remanded the defendants in a correctional facility pending the perfection of their bail conditions, and adjourned the matter till March 25, 2026, for the commencement of trial.

Business Post reports that one of the counts said, “That you, Bakare Oladimeji Surajudeen and James Olukayode Imokwede, sometime in 2021 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this court, dishonestly took the sum of N527,406,916.66, property of FSDH Merchant Bank Limited.”

By Adedapo Adesanya

Leading pan-African payments aggregator, PawaPay, has partnered with Deriv to support mobile money deposits across multiple African markets, with plans to expand further.

According to a statement on Tuesday, the integration gives Deriv users access to local payment methods through a single, compliant connection to major mobile operators.

The partnership, launched in 2025, currently supports mobile money deposits across eight African countries, with connectivity to major mobile money operators.

Deriv selected PawaPay to support its African expansion strategy in order to deliver mobile money without sacrificing localisation or reliability as volumes grow.

Since launching with PawaPay, Deriv has seen a measurable increase in mobile money deposits across the live markets. Coordinated launch and education campaigns accelerated adoption, while the underlying reliability of the integration meant fewer failed transactions and more predictable settlement, factors that directly affect whether a payment product succeeds in practice.

PawaPay connects businesses to local payment methods, including mobile money across 20 African markets, handling payment processing, settlement, FX, and reconciliation for global platforms operating at scale.

Through the partnership, Deriv users are able to fund their accounts using mobile money wallets they already use day to day. For platforms operating across African markets, mobile money is a primary way customers transact, and offering it reliably requires local operator connectivity, regulatory alignment, and the ability to manage payments consistently across markets.

PawaPay supports Deriv through a single integration that provides operator connectivity, compliance support, and settlement across the markets live today. This includes hands-on support during periods of network instability, so issues can be addressed before they impact users. The setup is designed to support high-volume payment flows as usage grows.

“Mobile money is already deeply embedded in how people transact across Africa,” said Mr Nikolai Barnwell, CEO at PawaPay. “The real challenge for companies expanding across multiple markets is running it reliably once volumes grow. Our role is to make sure payments remain predictable, so platforms like Deriv can focus on their customers rather than managing operational detail.”

On his part, Mr Derek Swift, Head of Client Funding Facilities at Deriv, said, “Our partnership with PawaPay is central to Deriv’s expansion across Africa. Their platform performs reliably in markets where payment infrastructure requires real local expertise, and their team operates with the kind of responsiveness that matters when you’re serving clients across multiple jurisdictions. This partnership has opened markets that simply weren’t accessible to us before.”