By Dipo Olowookere

The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited came under panic sell-offs on Thursday, as the investing community awaits the outcome of a probe into trading activities around one of the stocks on the bourse.

On Monday, trading in Zichis equities was prohibited by the regulator after it gained almost 900 per cent in one month of being listed by introduction on the growth board of the exchange.

This action triggered cautious trading on Customs Street, and things have not remained the same since then.

Yesterday, the key performance indices of the Nigerian bourse further depreciated by 0.41 per cent, the third straight loss this week, as investors book profit before being trapped.

It was observed that the energy industry gained 0.12 per cent and was the only one in green, as the industrial goods space shed 1.19 per cent, the banking counter depreciated by 0.63 per cent, the insurance sector lost 0.32 per cent, and the consumer goods segment tumbled by 0.03 per cent.

As a result, the All-Share Index (ASI) contracted by 802.39 points to 193,567.81 points from 194,370.20 points, and the market capitalisation decreased by N515 billion to N124.239 trillion from N124.754 trillion.

During the session, investors traded 868.5 million shares worth N31.5 billion in 69,310 deals compared with the 1.4 billion shares valued at N46.2 billion exchanged in 70,222 deals at midweek, showing a drop in the trading volume, value, and number of deals by 37.96 per cent, 31.82 per cent, and 1.30 per cent, respectively.

Jaiz Bank led the activity chart with 78.9 million equities valued at N1.2 billion, Japaul traded 73.3 million stocks worth N274.8 million, Access Holdings exchanged 66.9 million shares for N1.7 billion, Chams sold 56.9 million equities worth N239.6 million, and Zenith Bank transacted 45.5 million stocks valued at N4.1 billion.

The worst-performing stock for the day was Jaiz Bank after it lost 9.98 per cent to trade at N12.63, Ikeja Hotel declined by 9.90 per cent to N37.75, John Holt shrank by 9.90 per cent to N8.65, Enamelware slipped by 9.88 per cent to N36.50, and Cadbury went down by 9.69 per cent to N61.95.

On the flip side, FTN Cocoa was the best-performing stock after it gained 10.00 per cent to sell for N6.05, RT Briscoe improved by 9.95 per cent to N11.38, Deap Capital soared 9.92 per cent to N6.98, Japaul grew by 9.91 per cent to N3.77, and Ellah Lakes surged 9.72 per cent to N11.85.

Investor sentiment remained bearish as the exchange finished with 30 price gainers and 38 price losers, implying a negative market breadth index.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The acquisition of the Bullet brand portfolio from Sun Mark has been completed by Champion Breweries Plc, a statement from the company confirms.

This marks a transformative milestone in the organisation’s strategic expansion into a diversified, pan-African beverage platform.

With this development, Champion Breweries now owns the Bullet brand assets, trademarks, formulations, and commercial rights globally through an asset carve-out structure.

The assets are held in a newly incorporated entity in the Netherlands, in which Champion Breweries holds a majority interest, while Vinar N.V., the majority shareholder of Sun Mark, retains a minority stake.

Bullet products are currently distributed in 14 African markets, positioning Champion Breweries to scale beyond Nigeria in the high-growth ready-to-drink (RTD) alcoholic and energy drink segments.

This expansion significantly broadens the brewer’s addressable market and strengthens its revenue base with an established, profitable portfolio that already enjoys strong brand recognition and consumer loyalty across multiple markets.

“The successful completion of our public equity raises, together with the formal close of the Bullet acquisition, marks a defining moment for Champion Breweries.

“The support we received from both existing shareholders and new investors reflects strong confidence in our long-term strategy to build a diversified, high-growth beverage platform with pan-African scale.

“Our focus now is on disciplined execution, integration, and delivering sustained value across markets,” the chairman of Champion Breweries, Mr Imo-Abasi Jacob, stated.

Through this transaction, Champion Breweries is expected to achieve enhanced foreign exchange earnings, expanded distribution leverage across African markets, integrated supply chain efficiencies, portfolio diversification into high‑growth consumer beverage categories, and strengthened presence in the RTD and energy drink segments.

The acquisition accelerates Champion Breweries’ transition from a regional brewing business to a multi-category consumer platform with continental reach.

Bullet Black is Nigeria’s leading ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage, while Bullet Blue has built a strong presence in the energy drink category across several African markets.

By Adedapo Adesanya

Emerging market fintech firm, M-KOPA, has announced plans to deepen its reach in Nigeria to the South South and South East regions, starting with Edo this year, after providing N231 billion in credit to over 1 million customers in the country.

The firm released its first Nigeria-focused Impact Report, which showed that Nigeria is M-KOPA’s fastest-growing market and fastest to reach the milestone.

Since its foray into the Nigerian market in 2019, M-KOPA has been working to dismantle barriers to financial inclusion by providing flexible smartphone financing and digital financial tools that align with how people in the informal economy earn and manage their money.

It operates in six states in the country, including Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo, among others.

The report highlights the company’s contribution to income generation, digital inclusion and economic opportunity for Every Day Earners across the country.

The report showed that M-KOPA has enabled 290,000 first-time smartphone users, while 56 per cent of agents accessed their first income opportunity through the platform.

It showed high income and livelihood gains among its users, with about 77 per cent of customers leveraging smartphones or digital loans obtained through the platform to generate income, indicating that access to financed devices is directly supporting micro-entrepreneurial activity and informal sector productivity.

Furthermore, 75 per cent of users report higher earnings since gaining access to M-KOPA’s services, suggesting measurable improvements in personal revenue streams. On the distribution side, 99 per cent of agents disclose increased earnings, reflecting positive spillover effects across the company’s value chain.

In addition, 81 per cent of long-term customers state that their household expenses have improved, pointing to enhanced financial stability and better consumption smoothing over time.

Speaking on the report, Mr Babajide Duroshola, General Manager, M-KOPA Nigeria, said, “Nigeria represents extraordinary potential, and we’re proud that it has become M-KOPA’s fastest-growing market. Our Impact Report shows that when Every Day Earners gain access to the right digital and financial tools, they use them to create stability and long-term progress for their families. This is about access that unlocks opportunity and sustained prosperity.”

On its expansion plans Nigeria-wide, the M-KOPA helmsman said, “Many of the states we are considering are already similar to the ones we are currently in proximity… So, there is proximity and similarity between these states, and that’s what we are going to do, starting with Edo.”

He noted that as M-KOPA Nigeria continues to expand, the focus remains on ensuring more everyday earners gain access to the digital and financial tools they need to build resilient, prosperous futures in Nigeria’s rapidly digitising economy.