Economy
Expert Highlights Ways to Achieve Financial Security
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A financial literacy expert, Ms Tosin Olaseinde, has advised that in order to have a better financial second half report, one must start saving now.
She said achieving financial security is not rocket science, noting personal finance is a long-term project which mostly requires the right mindset, at 80 per cent, to succeed and only 20 per cent of knowledge.
Speaking at a special Grow With V webinar themed What Does Your Half-Year Finance Report Say? the founder/CEO of Money Africa stressed that being resilient, having multiple streams of income, and building emergency funds, are key attributes of an individual on their way to financial security.
At the event organised by VBank and anchored by the Public Relations and Communications Manager for VFD Group, Ms Lolade Nwanze, she said “the first step to financial independence is planning; what you don’t track you can’t follow through with.
“Emergency fund is extremely important. How much emergency fund do you have? Start thinking about being resilient; think of what to fall back on and how many streams of income to create. You don’t look for money when you need it, you start to look for it before you need it.”
Ms Olaseinde noted that investing in interest-yielding platforms is far better than putting one’s money in the traditional rotating savings and loans systems popularly called ‘ajo’ or ‘esusu.’
She described the latter as inefficient and warned against Ponzi schemes while stressing that compounding and time remain the best partners for financial growth.
Advising on what to invest in, the expert said, “Hedge your money by investing in stable currencies. When thinking of where to invest, think stocks, bonds, hedge funds, private capital etc.
“Remember that preservation of capital is better than high rewards when considering high-risk ventures. plan, re-evaluate, benchmark and don’t stop tracking.”
Grow With V is a monthly webinar session that brings subject experts in different knowledge areas into the same virtual room with young individuals, professionals and SMEs.
In the past, it has featured Noble Igwe, Mai Atafo and popular Instagram store owner, Maureen Edwin.
In this second half of the year, VBank is partnering with individuals and businesses to help grow their finances via a personal finance series.
VBank is a digital banking platform that allows individuals to set up a full-fledged banking account in two minutes and provides products like fixed deposits, loans and target savings as well as a budgeting feature to encourage tracking and accountability.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Nigeria slightly surpassed its quota set by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in July 2026.
In the month under review, the country produced about 1.57 million barrels of crude oil per day.
It was the third consecutive month Africa’s largest oil-producing nation was meeting its monthly quota, set to stabilise the price of the commodity on the global market by the oil cartel.
Data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on Wednesday showed that the 1.5 million barrels per day ceiling for Nigeria was surpassed last month.
The agency disclosed in a statement today that the country produced 1.505mbpd of crude oil and 0.17mbpd of condensate, bringing the combined daily production to 1.67mbpd.
In the month under review, the daily peak production of crude oil and condensate was 1.78mbpd, while the lowest daily production was 1.57mbpd.
Although Nigeria met its OPEC quota in the month of July, the statistics show that on a month-on-month basis, production fell by 4 per cent.
This was attributed to the decline in production due to operational challenges experienced at the Erha and Akpo fields, which impacted crude oil output during the period under review.
These disruptions constrained production volumes and contributed significantly to the overall reduction in national crude oil output.
Despite the challenges, production operations across most other producing assets remained relatively stable, with operators implementing measures aimed at maintaining production efficiency and minimising the impact of operational constraints, NUPRC stated.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The over 9 billion shares of Lasaco Assurance Plc issued to shareholders of the company via a rights issue have been listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
The equities were brought to Customs Street on Wednesday by the organisation, increasing its total issued and fully paid-up share capital.
Lasaco Assurance, which scaled the recapitalisation hurdle of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) in July 2026, raised fresh capital from the capital market to shore up its capital base.
The underwriting firm got about N18.5 billion from the rights issue, which involved the issuance of 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares at a unit price of N2.00.
The exercise was on the basis of five new ordinary shares for every existing six ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Friday, February 20, 2026.
Confirming the listing of the additional stocks of Lasaco Assurance today, the Head of Issuer Regulation Department of NGX RegCo, Mr Godstime Iwenekhai, announced in a circular that, “Trading licence holders are hereby notified that an additional 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each of Lasaco Assurance Plc were today, Wednesday, August 12, 2026, listed on the daily official list of Nigerian Exchange Limited.
“The additional shares arose from the company’s rights issue of 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N2.00 per share on the basis of five new ordinary shares for every existing six ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Friday, February 20, 2026.
“With the listing of the additional 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares, the total issued and fully paid-up share capital of Lasaco Assurance Plc has now increased from 11,083,585,855 to 20,319,907,401 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) has said the successful recapitalisation of the insurance industry will strengthen the sector’s ability to support financial stability and economic growth.
NIA Chairman, Mrs Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, said a well-capitalised insurance industry would be better positioned to meet its obligations promptly, underwrite complex and large-scale risks and serve as a dependable pillar of the Nigerian economy.
She made the remarks while commending the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) for its structured implementation of the new minimum capital requirements under the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025.
Mrs Nwachukwu said NAICOM’s clear guidelines, systematic verification process, defined timelines and rigorous supervision had provided operators with a credible framework for navigating the recapitalisation exercise.
She described the outcome as a major milestone for the industry and congratulated the 43 insurance and reinsurance companies that have successfully met the prescribed minimum capital requirements.
According to her, the exercise represents “a major win not just for regulators and operators, but for policyholders, investors and the wider Nigerian economy.”
Mrs Nwachukwu said the association would continue to work with NAICOM and other stakeholders to consolidate the gains of the exercise, with emphasis on sustainable industry growth, stronger market conduct and improved consumer confidence.
The official also expressed solidarity with the eight companies still undergoing final verification and regulatory review, urging them to remain confident as NAICOM completes the process within the 14-day review period.
The NIA chairman assured policyholders and the wider business community that the insurance industry would emerge from the recapitalisation exercise stronger, more resilient and better positioned to contribute to Nigeria’s economic development.
