Economy
Oil Rebounds as US, South Korea Differ on Reserves Release
By Adedapo Adesanya
Crude oil prices recovered slightly after jittery signals followed the expectation that the United States would announce a Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) release along with some other nations.
The Brent crude rose 17 cents or 0.21 per cent to settle at $81.41 per barrel, while the United States West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude improved by 19 cents or 0.24 per cent to $79.20 per barrel.
Prices sank about 4 per cent to a six-week low after the market got word about a US request to countries and China’s decision to release some crude, before recovering some ground later on Thursday.
The US has reportedly asked China and other major consumers such as India, South Korea, and Japan to release crude from their strategic stockpiles too, in a coordinated effort to lower oil prices.
And the market reacted when China said it was already working on a crude oil release, a spokeswoman at the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration noted on Thursday.
This is coming as part of bids to cool markets which comes as high gasoline prices and other inflationary pressures have sparked a political backlash.
But ease came when Japan and South Korea, two of the top world’s top oil exporters, have shown resistance to releasing reserves.
A Japanese industry ministry official said the US had requested the country’s cooperation in dealing with higher oil prices, adding that Japan by law cannot use reserve releases to lower prices.
A South Korean official said it was reviewing the US request for Seoul to release some oil reserves, but added it could only release crude in case of a supply imbalance.
However, if only the US and China release their reserves, it will likely drive prices lower at least temporarily.
The proposed release of reserves represents an unprecedented challenge to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) because it involves top importer China.
This is evident as the prices ignored a bullish inventory report from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported on Wednesday a surprise crude oil inventory draw of 2.1 million barrels for the week to November 12, against analyst expectations of a build of 1.55 million barrels.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) and OPEC have said more supply will be available in the coming months, and this could force Joe Biden’s administration to spring to action faster than expected.
OPEC and its allies, OPEC+ plans to meet on December 2. The group has taken a slower approach to boost output, viewing the economic recovery as too fragile to justify more supply.
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.
