Banking
GCR Affirms Union Bank’s National Scale Rating of BBB+(NG)
By Dipo Olowookere
The national scale ratings assigned to Union Bank of Nigeria Plc of BBB+(NG) and A2(NG) in the long and short term respectively have been affirmed by Global Credit Ratings.
Also, the firm announced last Thursday that the ratings are with stable outlook and that they remain valid until June 2018.
Commenting on the ratings, Global Credit Ratings disclosed that the rating took into consideration the lender’s successful capital raising exercise of N49.7 billion through a Rights Issue, which was concluded in December 2017, with 120 percent subscription.
While the bank’s capital adequacy ratio had declined to 13.3 percent at FY16 against the required minimum of 15 percent for international commercial banks, the newly raised capital is to be largely utilised to regularise the shortfall and support working capital.
Furthermore, the 20 percent over-subscription is considered a reflection of shareholders’ continuous support for the bank.
Union Bank’s gross non-performing loan (NPL) ratio rose from 6.9 percent at FY16 to 9.1 percent at 3Q FY17, becoming a major concern for the ratings.
In addition, per management, the increase in NPL was largely due to macro-economic pressures on businesses across the country, and its resultant effect on the loan book.
Nonetheless, cognisance is taken of the effort towards NPL recovery, as the bank reported N2 billion in recoveries at 3Q FY17, compared to N923 million recorded for the same period in FY16.
Union Bank’s regulatory liquidity ratio stood at 40.6 percent at 3Q FY17, against the regulatory minimum of 30 percent, while the liquid assets to short term funding ratio rose to 30.4 percent from 21.5 percent at FY16.
Performance based on unaudited 3Q FY17 results, reflect a pre-tax profit of N13.0 billion, representing 2.1 percent decline from the corresponding period in FY16.
Primarily driving the performance was an annualised 20.4 percent growth in interest income to N88.5 billion, but a similar rise in interest expense (up by an annualised 68.1 percent) constrained net interest income to N46.9 billion.
However, profitability was further enhanced by a decline in net impairment charge to N5.9 billion from N12.7 billion at 3Q FY16.
Operating expenses increased by 10.1 percent (which management attributed to inflationary pressure) from the 3Q FY16 position and as such the cost ratio rose to 72.2 percent from 66.2 percent at FY16.
Return on average equity and assets (ROaE and ROaA) stood relatively stable at 6.1 percent and 1.3 percent respectively.
GCR says it considers the capital raising exercise as rating positive. The appropriate deployment of capital and regularisation of capital adequacy metrics, sustained improvement in profitability, asset quality and liquidity measures, and a further strengthening of the bank’s competitive position in the domestic market, could lead to upward ratings migration.
However, a downward review of the rating may result from a further decline in asset quality and earnings metrics, high capital encumbrance by unreserved NPLs and tight liquidity.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The chief executive of TeamApt Limited, Mr Dennis Ajalie, has called for a robust collaboration in the digital payments ecosystem, saying banks and fintech companies should not see themselves as rivals.
Mr Ajalie said the industry’s regulator, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has delineated what each entity should do and how they should function in creating a successful payment ecosystem that protects consumers and enables businesses, which he admitted to be complementary and not competitive.
Touching on the imperative of borderless transactions and the solutions for implementation concerning the framework, he said, “Borderless transactions have to happen because we’re becoming more interconnected by the day and by the minute.”
“We still have a lot of siloed implementations among key stakeholders and unless we recalibrate our systems, borderless remains beyond our reach and a mirage,” Mr Ajalie stated at the Committee of e-Business Industry Heads (CeBIH) conference in Lagos themed Payment System Vision 2030: Navigating Contemporary Issues in Driving Future Growth.
“There’s the fierce urgency of now that demands that we find solid ways to interconnect, and once we’re able to interconnect within ourselves, reconcile properly, especially on the local front, then we can present a single, unified front that will enable us to push transactions and receive transactions from outside.
“We cannot go forward without fixing these internal challenges,” he added at the event, where he was one of the panellists.
TeamApt, a subsidiary of Moniepoint Incorporated, facilitates payment processing across many industries while enabling reliable payments for banks and their customers while reducing operating costs.
Wrapping up his thoughts, the TeamApt boss reiterated the need for industry-wide collaborations in fighting the menace of fraud.
“If we are able to all share information and collaborate seamlessly, we’ll find out that it becomes disinteresting for these bad faith individuals to use the collective technology commonwealth that we have all built to commit nefarious activities.
“So, it goes back to collaboration among fintechs, the banks, NFIU, infrastructure providers, the telcos, and switches. We’ve all got to come together to say, enough is enough and that this present situation threatens all of us rather than just one of us,” he added.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An innovative web banking platform to provide customers with an additional digital channel to manage and carry out uninterrupted daily transactions on their phones, laptops and other devices has been introduced by Bankit Microfinance Bank (MFB).
The emerging small financial institution said it came up with this platform to break barriers and empower individuals and businesses to manage their finances with confidence.
With this, Bankit MFB is redefining convenience and security in banking, ensuring uninterrupted access to financial services, time-saving functionalities, efficiency, real-time account updates, 24/7 availability, and faster transactions.
“In today’s fast-paced digital age, connectivity is everything in banking, and for us, it’s all about improving customer experience with simple banking options and empowering our teeming customers to live their best lives.
“We are revolutionizing the Fintech landscape in Nigeria, and we have developed this solution to empower our customers to bank securely, anytime, anywhere, conveniently.
“We are committed to leveraging technology to enhance the banking experience for all our customers,” the chief executive of Bankit Africa, Mr Yen Choi, stated.
“Bankit’s web banking platform reaffirms one of the bank’s core values – Innovation and sets a new standard for accessibility and security in the banking industry.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to excellence, Bankit Africa will continue to evolve its offerings to meet and exceed the needs of its rising customer base.
“Some key features of this web banking platform include: a simple way to send money, buy airtime, and pay bills with no extra fees or hidden charges,” he added.
Bankit MFB is a licensed financial institution dedicated to providing innovative, customer-centric financial solutions to individuals, businesses, and communities in Nigeria, with a focus on simplicity, convenience, and security.
By Dipo Olowookere
Banking operations at the branches of most financial institutions in Nigeria will end earlier than expected today, Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
The majority of them have sent messages to their customers to inform them of this development.
Business Post sighted some of these notices sent by the banks to their customers via electronic mails (e-mails).
One of them from Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Limited said transactions at its Lagos branches will close for the day and year by 3 pm while in other branches at 2 pm, encouraging customers to use its digital channels for their financial transactions.
“We would like to inform you that all our branches nationwide will close to customers early on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
“During this period, we encourage you to take advantage of our digital channels for banking needs,” the notice read in parts.
On its part, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc said its branches would close for the day at 2 pm across the nation.
“As we prepare for the New Year celebration, our branches will close by 2 pm on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
“While our branches take a break, our digital channels, the UBA Mobile Banking, Leo, *919# or internet banking are available 24/7 for all your banking needs.
“Your security is our priority. We will never ask for your BVN, card number, PIN or personal details. Suspect anything fraudulent? Call our Fraud Help Desk,” the message from the lender read.
As for Fidelity Bank Plc, it plans to stop banking services at its branches nationwide today by 2 pm to resume on Thursday, January 2, 2025.
“Please be informed that our branches will close at 2 pm on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, ahead of the New Year holiday.
“As always, our digital channels; Mobile Banking, USSD Bank (*770#), PoS, ATMs, Cards, and Ivy Chat, will be available 24/7 for all banking transactions.
“Please note that normal operations will resume at 8 am on Thursday, January 2, 2025,” the bank said in its message to customers.
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