Banking
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Beats Closing Gong at NGX
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The management of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc’s (GTCO Plc) was on Tuesday, July 13, 2021, honoured with a closing gong ceremony at the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
The beat of the gong on the stock exchange signifies the closing of the day’s trading activities. This is done by respected persons and organisations in society.
GTCO was privileged to beat the gong yesterday to mark the listing of its shares on the main floor of the exchange after the completion of all regulatory requirements for its corporate reorganisation into a holding company structure and the listing of GTCO Plc on the NGX and the London Stock Exchange, replacing Guaranty Trust Bank Plc.
Guaranty Trust was first listed on the Nigerian Exchange in 1997, winning the “Nigerian Stock Exchange President’s Merit Award” within months of its listing.
In 2007, it became the first Nigerian bank to list on London Stock Exchange, the first to dual list on international exchange and the first Nigerian company to raise international capital using listed Global Depositary Receipts.
Since then, Guaranty Trust has embarked on a decade of unparalleled growth with total assets and shareholders’ funds closing at N4.993 trillion and N837.2 billion respectively, at the end of Q1, 2021.
As part of its long-term growth strategy, Guaranty Trust has now adopted a holding company structure wherein GTCO Plc will operate as the parent company of all Guaranty Trust banking businesses across Africa and the United Kingdom as well as other non-banking businesses which will be established following the transition.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust, Mr Segun Agbaje, said, “These are very exciting times for us. Following our transition, we can now compete more effectively with non-banks in this new and evolving competitive landscape, whilst creating more value for customers and shareholders than we ever could as a bank.”
“Although we are delighted to have completed this rigorous transition process, we know that the hard work has just begun. We are in the final phase of building a new payments business that will deepen and extend digital financial services across Africa.
“We also believe that we are in a better position to drive an Asset Management business and a Pension Fund business, given our strong retail base and digital-first approach to financial services, which we have honed over the past decade,” he added.
Founded in 1990, Guaranty Trust has maintained an unbroken streak of year-on-year growth and a consistent lead in driving the digitization of financial services in Africa.
It is the best managed financial institution in Nigeria, leading the industry across key financial indices, such as Return on Equity (ROAE of 26.0 per cent in Q1 2021), Return on Assets (ROAA of 4.3 per cent in Q1 2021), and Cost to Income ratio (42.6 per cent in Q1 2021).
Banking
Banks, Fintech Firms Should Not Operate as Rivals—Ajalie
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.
Banking
Bankit MFB Introduces Web Banking Platform for Convenience, Security
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.
Banking
GTBank, UBA, Others Announce Early Closure of Branches as 2024 Ends
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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