Banking
Access Bank Hosts Exclusive Roundtable For Women In Event Industry
Nigeria’s largest commercial bank, Access Bank Plc hosted a one-of-a-kind roundtable discussion under its transformative ‘’W’’ Initiative, focusing exclusively on empowering women in the events sector at the bank’s headquarters on Tuesday in Lagos.
This initiative underscored the bank’s commitment to fostering growth and providing tailored solutions for the ever-changing, dynamic and influential industry as the ‘’W’’ Initiative is poised to proffer customized solutions to address the emerging challenges in Nigeria’s Event Industry.
The ‘’W’’ initiative, a one-stop centre of all Access Bank’s women empowerment offerings is fully prepared to boost the capacity of female entrepreneurs who currently dominate the event sector as the bank goes beyond internal strategies and engages directly with industry stakeholders to gain a profound understanding of their challenges and aspirations through a strategic roundtable discussion
The roundtable featured insightful breakout sessions where attendees were segmented into sub-sectors such as event decorations, rentals, and event planning. Representatives from Access Bank and the W Initiative led constructive discussions, actively listening to the specific needs of each sub-segment.
Attendees voiced their challenges to scale including increased moratorium periods, lower interest rates, instalment payment plans for essential equipment, exhibition platforms for brand visibility, streamlined documentation processes for loan acquisition, and seamless account opening procedures.
Abiodun Olubitan, Group Head of Women Banking at Access Bank Plc, addressed these concerns, stating: “You hear a lot of people talk about loans and they want training and support. When they say support, everything I hear is loan and training and that already we have. However, we might not call it a name (like) ‘loan for caterers’, so maybe you’re waiting for that.
There is a big umbrella of loans which we call the W Power Loan which is available for market expansion or business expansion as the case may be. It’s available for working capital. It’s available for asset acquisition, and every of those loan needs falls into this basic category. So, already, we have something for them but then, we are now trying to bring it to their fore.” She concluded.
Gbemisola Ajibulu, Team Lead for Women Banking at Access Bank Plc, highlighted the significance of the events industry, valued at over N20 billion, and the bank’s dedication to creating fit-for-purpose products that cater to the unique needs of this burgeoning sector.
The event also provided a valuable networking opportunity for industry players. Brand Storyteller Bolanle Olosunde-Jenrola led an engaging session titled: “Optimizing Social Platforms for Brand Visibility,” equipping attendees with actionable strategies to enhance their global brand presence through social media.
Leaders from prominent industry associations, including the Rental Professional Society of Nigeria, Association of Venue Owners of Lagos, Professional Food Service Owners Providers of Nigeria, Association of Event Vendors of Nigeria, and Association of Party Planners of Nigeria, were also in attendance.
As a highlight, Ogunmuyiwa Oyelola Sarah, an excited bride-to-be, won an extraordinary wedding package comprising a fully decorated event centre, a three-tier cake, traditional Alaga service, event management and coordination, and a media team – all complimentary for her upcoming nuptials.
The roundtable discussion is one of many ‘’W’’ Initiative sessions aimed at empowering women across diverse industries and regions in Nigeria.
About the ‘’W’’ Initiative
The “W” Initiative is Access Bank’s comprehensive centre for women empowerment offerings. These offerings encompass capacity-building programs, mentorship opportunities, and maternal health services, all designed to contribute to a stronger, more sustainable society.
To explore the full suite of W Initiative offerings, visit: https://www.accessbankplc.com/sustainable-banking/our-community-investment/the-w-initiative or follow @thewcommunity on Instagram.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A collaboration to enable fast money transfers into Nigeria has been entered into between Flutterwave and Xoom, PayPal’s international digital money transfer service.
The partnership allows Xoom transfers to be converted by Flutterwave and settled locally in Naira, enabling quick transfers directly into recipients’ bank accounts at Access Bank, UBA, Zenith Bank, First Bank, GTBank, and additional participating banks across Nigeria.
The deal also enables Xoom’s global network with Flutterwave’s local payout infrastructure, allowing users globally to send funds directly into Nigerian bank accounts with improved speed and efficiency.
Nigeria is the leading remittance recipient in Sub-Saharan Africa, receiving over $20 billion in personal remittances in 2024. Despite this volume, receiving international payments has historically remained complex due to FX constraints and settlement delays. This collaboration helps address those challenges in a market of more than 232 million people, where the ICT sector is projected to contribute 21 per cent of GDP by 2027.
By combining Xoom’s expansive reach with Flutterwave’s local compliance and banking partnerships, the two companies are providing a more accessible financial corridor for the continent.
Xoom, a PayPal service, is a fast and secure international digital money transfer service that enables consumers to send money, pay bills, and reload phones for friends and family in approximately 160 markets globally.
As part of PayPal’s global payments ecosystem, Xoom leverages advanced fraud protection, compliance capabilities, and a trusted global network to help millions of customers move money quickly and securely across borders.
“We’re excited to have been chosen by Xoom for their Nigeria expansion. Millions of Nigerians rely on money from abroad to support everyday needs, whether it’s families receiving help from loved ones, freelancers getting paid for their work, or individuals earning income from the global economy. This helps make it easy and more reliable for people in Nigeria to receive funds and stay connected to opportunities beyond borders,” the chief executive of Flutterwave, Mr Olugbenga GB Agboola, stated.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An initiative known as Nigeria Lightning Rounds, designed to expand funding opportunities for Nigerian startups and small businesses by connecting founders with local and international investors, has been launched by ProvidusUnity Bank, in partnership with US-based global venture firm and accelerator, gener8tor.
Scheduled to be held on July 15, 2026, Nigeria Lightning Rounds will feature carefully selected startups engaging with targeted investors who have expressed interest in supporting Nigerian innovation.
Participating founders will have the opportunity to pitch their businesses through focused 15-minute virtual sessions facilitated by gener8tor and ProvidusUnity Bank’s networks.
The program will focus on high-growth sectors including fintech, healthtech, manufacturing, sustainability, and AI, but welcomes SMEs from all industries, with intending participants urged to apply via https://www.gener8tor.com/lightning-rounds/nigeria.
“We recognise that access to capital remains one of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Through our partnership with gener8tor, we are creating a platform that connects promising Nigerian founders with investors who can provide the support required to scale their businesses,” the Head of Business Development at ProvidusUnity Bank, Mr Ernest Elue, stated.
“The partnership reinforces ProvidusUnity Bank’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by supporting innovation, enabling access to opportunities, and creating pathways for businesses with high-growth potential,” he added.
Also commenting, the Director of Lightning Rounds at gener8tor, Ms Elizabeth Larios, said, “gener8tor is thrilled to partner with ProvidusUnity Bank to extend the Lightning Rounds model into Nigeria.
“This collaboration reflects our commitment to building equitable ecosystems and driving capital to the most promising and underrepresented entrepreneurs.”
Lightning Rounds are a signature initiative of gener8tor’s investment platform, which has facilitated thousands of investor-startup meetings globally. The format is optimised to eliminate friction, reduce bias in early-stage fundraising, and help founders secure capital from investors aligned with their mission and stage. gener8tor’s previous Lightning Rounds for Nigerian Founders in 2025 featured 18 participating Investors and led to 50 investment meetings facilitated.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The verification of the depositors of the 46 microfinance banks, whose operating licenses were revoked by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over a week ago, has commenced.
The exercise, aimed at refunding those whose funds were trapped in the small lenders, is being conducted by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).
In a statement on Thursday, the agency said its staff members have been positioned at the offices of the affected banks across the country to attend to depositors.
It was disclosed that depositors of the defunct banks, who had their Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) linked to their accounts in the failed banks, will be paid through their alternative accounts in existing banks.
However, depositors whose BVNs were not linked to their accounts in the failed banks have been encouraged to visit the affected banks’ offices with proof of account ownership, a passport photograph, verifiable means of identification (Driver’s Licence, Permanent Voter’s Card, International Passport or National ID Card) and BVN.
NDIC also stated that depositors can alternatively file their claims online through its website: www.ndic.gov.ng, to complete the Pre-Verification Claims Form by clicking on the Search Bar, and typing Pre-Verification Claims Form; opening the Form and filling in their details. They can also do so by clicking the link: https://ndic.gov.ng/ndic-pre-verification-claims-form/ or by visiting any of the NDIC offices closest to them to file their claims.
For further enquiries, the corporation can be reached on any of the following lines: 09037273810, 09038197064, 08104220807, 09064657140.
