Economy
FBN Holdings Earnings Hit N627bn, to Pay 38 Kobo Dividend
By Dipo Olowookere
FBN Holdings Plc, the parent company of First Bank Nigeria Limited, on Monday announced its results for the year ended December 31, 2019.
The financial powerhouse improved its gross earnings to N627.0 billion from N587.4 billion, while the interest income rose to N442.6 billion from N435.6 billion, with the interest expense increasing to N152.3 billion from N150.2 billion, leaving the firm with a net interest income of N290.2 billion in FY19 compared with N285.3 billion in FY18.
FBN Holdings said it had an impairment charge for losses of N51.1 billion in contrast to N87.5 billion the prior year, while the net interest income after impairment charge for losses stood at N239.1 billion as against N197.9 billion a year earlier.
However, there was a drop in the net insurance premium revenue to N12.3 billion from N15.5 billion, while the fee and commission income increased to N104.3 billion from N92.7 billion, with the fee and commission expense jumping to N20.5 billion from N17.3 billion and the foreign exchange income declining to N9.5 billion from N32.9 billion.
In the results, the company said it had N17.2 billion as net gains on sale of investment securities, higher than N5.7 billion in the 2018 fiscal year, while dividend income increased to N4.4 billion from N2.3 billion, with other operating income declining to N2.9 billion from N3.2 billion.
In the year, there was a rise in the personnel expenses (N99.4 billion in FY 2019 versus N93.4 billion in FY 2018), other operating expenses increased to N182.2 billion from N150.3 billion.
According to FBN Holdings, it printed an operating profit of N83.5 billion in the period under review as against N63.9 billion in the previous year.
It was further disclosed that the profit before tax stood at N83.6 billion in FY19 compared with N63.9 billion, while the profit after tax rose to N73.7 billion from N58.2 billion.
In 2019, FBN Holdings grew its total assets to N6.2 trillion from N5.6 trillion, while the total liabilities rose to N5.5 trillion from N5.0 trillion.
A further analysis of the assets side of the balance sheet showed that loans and advances to customers increased to N1.9 trillion from N1.7 trillion, while investment in securities declined to N1.4 trillion from N1.7 trillion.
On the liabilities side, deposits from customers sharply jumped to N4.0 trillion from N3.5 triilion, while borrowings reduced to N250.6 billion from N338.2 billion.
FBN Holdings closed last year with retained earnings of N73.2 billion versus N3.1 billion two years ago.
Meanwhile, the board of FBN Holdings has recommended a dividend of 38 kobo to be paid on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 to shareholders whose names appear in the register of members as at the close of business on Monday, April 20, 2020.
The company said the register would be closed from Tuesday, April 21 to Wednesday, April 22, 2020, while the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the firm has been scheduled to take place on Monday, April 27, 2020 at Oriental Hotel, Lagos by 10am.
Economy
NBA Demands Suspension of Controversial Tax Laws
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The federal government has been asked by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to suspend the implementation of the controversial tax laws.
In a reaction to the tax reform acts, the president of the group, Mr Afam Osigwe (SAN), the suspension of the laws would allow for a proper investigation into allegations of alterations in the gazetted and harmonised copies.
A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Abdussamad Dasuki, alleged that some parts of the laws passed by the parliament were different from the gazetted copy.
To address the issues raised, the NBA said it is “imperative that a comprehensive, open, and transparent investigation be conducted to clarify the circumstances surrounding the enactment of the laws and to restore public confidence in the legislative process.”
“Until these issues are fully examined and resolved, all plans for the implementation of the Tax Reform Acts should be immediately suspended,” the association declared.
It noted that the controversies “raise grave concerns about the integrity, transparency, and credibility of Nigeria’s legislative process.”
“These developments strike at the very heart of constitutional governance and call into question the procedural sanctity that must attend lawmaking in a democratic society,” it noted.
“Legal and policy uncertainty of this magnitude has far-reaching consequences. It unsettles the business environment, erodes investor confidence, and creates unpredictability for individuals, businesses, and institutions required to comply with the law. Such uncertainty is inimical to economic stability and should have no place in a system governed by the rule of law.
“Nigeria’s constitutional democracy demands that laws, especially those with profound economic and social implications, emerge from processes that are transparent, accountable, and beyond reproach. Anything short of this undermines public trust and weakens the foundation upon which lawful governance rests.
“We therefore call on all relevant authorities to act swiftly and responsibly in addressing this controversy, in the overriding interest of constitutional order, economic stability, and the preservation of the rule of law,” the organisation stated.
Economy
MRS Oil, Two Others Raise NASD Bourse Higher by 0.52%
By Adedapo Adesanya
Demand for hot stocks, including MRS Oil Plc, buoyed the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 0.52 per cent on Tuesday, December 23.
The energy company was one of the three price gainers for the session as it chalked up N19.69 to sell at N216.59 per share versus the previous day’s value of N196.90 per share.
Further, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc gained N2.95 to close at N56.75 per unit versus N53.80 per unit and Golden Capital Plc appreciated by 84 Kobo to N9.29 per share from Monday’s N8.45 per share.
Consequently, the market capitalisation went up by N10.95 billion to N2.125 trillion from N2.125 trillion and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) rose by 18.31 points to 3,570.37 points from 3,552.06 points.
Yesterday, the NASD bourse recorded a price loser, the Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), which gave up 17 Kobo to close at N33.70 per unit against the previous trading value of N33.87 per unit.
The volume of securities traded at the session went down by 97.6 per cent to 297,902 units from the previous day’s 12.6 million units, the value of securities decreased by 98.5 per cent to N10.5 million from N713.6 million, and the number of deals remained flat at 32 deals.
By value, Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company (InfraCredit) Plc ended as the most actively traded stock on a year-to-date basis with 5.8 billion units exchanged for N16.4 billion. This was followed by Okitipupa Plc, which traded 178.9 million units valued at N9.5 billion, and MRS Oil Plc with 36.1 million units worth N4.9 billion.
In terms of volume, also on a year-to-date basis, InfraCredit Plc led the chart with a turnover of 5.8 billion units traded for N16.4 billion. Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc ranked second with 1.2 billion units sold for N420.7 million, while Impresit Bakolori Plc followed with the sale of 536.9 million units valued at N524.9 million.
Economy
NGX All-Share Index Soars to 153,354.13 points
By Dipo Olowookere
It was another bullish trading session for the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited as it closed higher by 0.59 per cent on Tuesday.
The market further rallied due to continued interest in large and mid-cap stocks on the exchange by investors rebalancing their portfolios for the year-end.
Yesterday, Aluminium Extrusion sustained its upward trajectory after it further appreciated by 9.96 per cent to N14.90, as Austin Laz gained 9.81 per cent to close at N2.91, Custodian Investment improved by 9.69 per cent to N38.50, and First Holdco soared by 9.35 per cent to N50.30.
Conversely, Royal Exchange declined by 7.22 per cent to N1.80, Champion Breweries shrank by 6.57 per cent to N15.65, NASCON lost 5.36 per cent to trade at N105.05, Sovereign Trust Insurance depreciated by 5.28 per cent to N3.77, and Japaul went down by 4.51 per cent to N2.33.
At the close of business, 29 shares ended on the gainers’ table and 27 shares finished on the losers’ log, representing a positive market breadth index and bullish investor sentiment.
This raised the All-Share Index (ASI) by 895.06 points to 153,354.13 points from 152,459.07 points and lifted the market capitalisation by N579 billion to N97.772 trillion from the previous day’s N97.193 trillion.
VFD Group finished the day as the busiest stock after it recorded a turnover of 192.0 million units worth N2.1 billion, GTCO exchanged 63.5 million units valued at N5.6 billion, Access Holdings traded 49.8 million units for N1.0 billion, First Holdco sold 45.8 million units valued at N2.3 billion, and Secure Electronic Technology transacted 38.3 million units worth N28.4 million.
In all, market participants bought and sold 677.4 million units valued at N20.8 billion in 27,589 deals compared with the 451.5 million units worth N13.0 billion traded in 33,327 deals on Monday, showing an improvement in the trading volume and value by 50.03 per cent and 60.00 per cent apiece, and a shortfall in the number of deals by 17.22 per cent.
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