Banking
Trade Finance for SMEs Still Limited, ICC Survey of 251 Banks Shows
The International Chamber of Commerce’s 10th annual Global Survey titled ‘Global Trade: Securing Future Growth’ has revealed that counter-terrorism and other international regulations are significantly inhibiting the ability of SMEs to trade internationally.
According to the latest ICC Global Survey, of 251 banks in 91 countries, trade finance remains constrained, with a key reason for the constraints being lenders’ requirements to comply with international regulations.
Of particular concern are regulations countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) as well as international sanctions stipulations. Some 87% of the respondents reported that complying with counter-terrorism and international sanctions regulations is a “major challenge” with respect to their ability to offer trade finance. And that this is especially harmful for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The constraints arise from the huge increase in resources banks must invest to ensure compliance with a wide range of often inconsistent regulatory requirements and expectations across jurisdictions. Perhaps more challenging, the interpretation of regulatory requirements can vary between senior policymakers and examiners assessing compliance. The effect is that banks apply large internal resources and incur cost to ensure compliance with standards that are at times unintended and unnecessarily stringent – a burden banks increasingly consider only worthwhile for their largest clients, leaving SMEs unsupported.
“Everyone accepts that access to finance is critical for business growth, particularly for SMEs,” says Chris Southworth, ICC United Kingdom’s Secretary General. “Yet here we see an example of well-meaning regulation having unintended consequences in the real economy. So while innovation and digital trade continue to support financial inclusion for SMEs by providing new ways of delivering finance to business, a more proportionate regulatory regime for the treatment of low risk trade finance would unlock more resource to fund trade, which will benefit the global economy.”
Writing in Global Survey, World Trade Organization Director General, Roberto Azevêdo, added his concern regarding financial inclusion for SMEs. Including micro companies (with less than 10 employees), he said: “Around half of MSME requests for trade finance are rejected by banks, and in more than 70% of the cases they seek no alternative financing, simply because it is not available. Persistent gaps in trade finance can mean exclusion from the trading system and that major trade and development opportunities are missed”.
The Global Survey concludes that SME exclusion is a major cause of the “trade finance gap” (calculated by the ICC and Asian Development Bank at US$1.5 trillion in 2017) between the demand and supply of trade finance.
“This year’s Global Survey consistently shows that regulatory issues are among respondents’ top concerns,” wrote John Denton, General Secretary of ICC in the survey’s foreword. “Looking at further research from ICC and other actors, it is also clear that some financial regulations governing banks have had the unintended consequence of widening the trade finance gap, making it more difficult for smaller companies and traders in the developing world to access much needed financing.”
However, the Global Survey findings also reveal strong positivity among trade-supporting lenders with respect to trade finance growth trends. Nearly three quarters of banks presented an optimistic outlook for the next 12 months, with respondents headquartered in Africa and Asia Pacific the most positive, at 89% and 81% respectively.
By Dipo Olowookere
Shareholders of Wema Bank Plc will receive a dividend of N1.25 for the 2025 financial year if approved at the next Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The board proposed the cash reward to investors after achieving record-breaking growth and unparalleled performance across several key metrics in the year under review.
Details of the FY 2025 audited financial results of the lender showed that pre-tax profit went up by 116.4 per cent to N221.9 billion from N102.5 billion, while net profit soared by 125.4 per cent to N194.5 billion from N86.2 billion in 2024.
Last year, the financial institution grew its gross earnings by 52.8 per cent to N660.6 billion from N432.3 billion in the preceding year, driven largely by a 62.7 per cent growth in interest income, reflecting improved yields on earning assets and growth in the loan book.
As for its balance sheet, it was observed that total assets chalked up 41.5 per cent to N5.07 trillion from N3.59 trillion, and customer deposits grew by 30.3 per cent to N3.29 trillion from N2.52 trillion, demonstrating sustained customer confidence.
This growth in deposits provided stable funding for asset growth while supporting liquidity and balance sheet resilience. Net interest income more than doubled, rising by 103.9 per cent to N361.0 billion, supported by improved asset pricing and balance sheet expansion. Non-interest income also grew modestly by 8.3 per cent to N85.3 billion. Net loans and advances increased by 44.7 per cent to N1.74 trillion, up from N1.20 trillion in FY 2024, thus reflecting Wema Bank’s continued support for key sectors of the economy while maintaining a disciplined risk management approach.
“Wema Bank has delivered one of the strongest growth trajectories in its history. From a PBT of N14.75 billion three years ago, we grew to N43.59 billion in 2023 and reached N102 billion in 2024. In 2025, we have taken an even bolder step forward, recording a PBT of N221 billion,” the chief executive of Wema Bank, Mr Moruf Oseni, commented.
“As of September 2025, Wema Bank successfully surpassed the N200 billion recapitalisation minimum threshold for commercial banks with national authorisation.
“Our FY2025 Financial Results only corroborate what has become abundantly clear—Wema Bank is here not just to stay, but to lead the future of banking in Africa,” he added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is considering the recapitalisation and restructuring of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) to address the significant financing gap facing micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
The Deputy Governor of the apex bank in charge of Economic Policy, Mr Muhammad Abdullahi, disclosed this during a panel session at the launch of the Nigeria Development Update by the World Bank in Abuja on Tuesday.
He explained that a recent review by the apex bank found that existing DFIs were too small to meet the credit needs of businesses.
DFIs are specialised, government-backed financial entities designed to promote economic growth by funding critical sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, and SMEs. Key institutions include the Bank of Industry (BOI), Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), Nigeria Export Import Bank (NEXIM Bank), Bank of Agriculture (BOA), National Credit Guarantee Company Limited, and Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation, among others.
“We conducted a review last year of the development finance space. Across all the DFIs in Nigeria, the total asset base is slightly above N8 trillion, whereas what is required in development finance for MSMEs is over N130 trillion,” he said.
He said that simply injecting capital would not solve the problem.
“The only way to address this is not only through public sector capital injections into these institutions, but also by making them bankable and investable,” he said.
Abdullahi said the CBN and the Ministry of Finance are reviewing DFI structures to improve their efficiency and risk appetite.
“We are reviewing the entire sector to ensure that we can correct the incentives, improve risk appetite, and also strengthen capital levels,” the deputy governor added.
He also said the reforms aim to introduce stronger market-based principles.
“We are looking at the structure to see how more market fundamentals can be incorporated, because the way it has been done in the past has not delivered the desired results,” Mr Abdullahi said.
On the persistent financing challenge for MSMEs, he said lending to the real sector has always been one of the structural challenges “Nigeria’s economy faces in terms of ensuring that credit reaches businesses that require it”.
Business Post reports that the CBN recently concluded the recapitalisation of the Nigerian banking sector, while the insurance sector is ongoing.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The women-focused initiative by Sterling Bank, OneWoman, is already yielding positive results, especially in promoting financial inclusion and empowering female-led enterprises in Nigeria.
Business Post reports that the programme was created to support women through three key pillars of capital, capacity, and community.
In 2025, according to the Head of the OneWoman Initiative, Ms Ezinne Nwokafor, the initiative gave out N43.9 billion loans to 2,450 female entrepreneurs, trained 6,000 of them, served about 380,000 women across three sectors of career women, women in business and freshers, and their vision 2030 is to give out N500 billion loans to one million women across their three sectors.
She noted that a significant majority of Nigerian women remain excluded from formal credit, with only a small percentage able to access structured financing. Despite improvements in financial inclusion, women continue to face systemic barriers that limit their ability to secure funding.
Ms Nwokafor pointed out that women account for a substantial share of micro, small, and medium enterprises and contribute meaningfully to the economy, yet face a financing gap estimated at $42 billion annually, according to the International Finance Corporation.
She also referenced data showing that more than half of women-led businesses identify access to finance as a major constraint, while rejection rates for loan applications remain significantly higher for women than for men.
According to her, these challenges are often linked to structural issues such as gaps in asset ownership, social norms, and limited access to financial data and visibility.
“Sterling’s OneWoman initiative is positioned to bridge this gap by combining financial solutions, mentorship, capacity building, and community support for women across different stages of their journey,” she said at the Funding Her Future Breakfast Dialogue in Lagos.
The session brought together voices from across sectors for a focused and necessary conversation on how to unlock more inclusive and effective financing pathways for women-led businesses in Nigeria.
On his part, the chief executive of Sterling Bank, Mr Abubakar Suleiman, said, “Women-led businesses need the right support systems, the right networks, and the right ecosystem to grow with confidence and scale with resilience.”
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