Bank Shows Business Owners Ways To Minimise Risk

By Ahmed Rahma

A leading financial institution, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, has provided Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with ample solutions to support their businesses and ways to minimize risk.

The solutions, which are to help boost their businesses, allow organisations to take advantage of joint partnerships without the risk of losing capital, focused on providing the business owners with access to flexible funds and exposure to international markets.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Mr Wole Adeniyi, the solutions were designed to support SMEs and address its customers’ trade and financial needs.

“Over the years, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, as Nigeria’s leading end-to-end financial services provider, has remained at the forefront of providing financial solutions to business enterprises in the country, while offering Nigerian importers access to its global presence through its Africa China Agent Proposition (ACAP),” Mr Adeniyi said.

“Leveraging Stanbic IBTC’s network of Chinese agents, with client satisfaction being the cornerstone, ACAP offers a broad ecosystem of services, solutions and support, which equips African and Chinese businesses to leverage trade and growth opportunities to drive Africa’s growth.

The ACAP solution, which has been termed ‘game-changer’, eases the cashflow worries of African importers by providing access to finance while also empowering the importers to have end-to-end visibility of the entire importation and logistic process,” he added.

The bank also highlighted its Agribusiness solution, which is geared at providing financing options to stakeholders in the agriculture value chain. Simultaneously, Vehicle Asset Financing (VAF) is targeted at financing heavy machines needed for business or personal purpose.

Speaking, Chief Executive of Stanbic IBTC Asset Management, Mr Oladele Sotubo, urged investors to take advantage of the opportunities in the stock market via vehicles such as the Stanbic IBTC Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) and equity-focused Mutual Funds which provide a diverse range of investment portfolios well-suited for medium to long-term investing.

He said, “They are specially designed for investors with higher risk appetite suitable for investing in the Nigerian stock market, which returned circa 50 per cent in 2020.”

Sotubo emphasized that these funds provide a unique opportunity for individuals and organisations to invest in a portfolio of professionally-managed listed securities, thereby enhancing their financial resources to earn even more over an extended period.

Noting the Importance of minimizing risk and transacting with trust, the lender restated the need for businesses to obtain the fire and special perils insurance coverage so as to prevent unexpected loss that may arise from a natural disaster.

The organisation also talked about the Stanbic IBTC Escrow Services tailored at ensuring the security assets including funds, an Escrow account offers buyer-seller protection such that buyers can deposit their money and the Trustee or Escrow Agent initiates payment only when the seller delivers the required goods in line with the Escrow Agreement terms. This way, both parties in a trade deal are protected and businesses can thrive.