Banking
ASIS 2025 Summit: The Alternative Bank Champions Bold Action for Africa’s Future
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
From Thursday, July 10 to Friday, July 11, government officials, civil society organisations, the private sector, and development partners will be in Lagos for the 2025 Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS).
The event is organised by The Alternative Bank in partnership with Sterling One Foundation and United Nations Nigeria.
It flagged-off today with a high-level roundtable and from tomorrow, stakeholders will brainstorm on how to proffer solutions that will drive tangible and scalable impact.
In addition to developing new frameworks for sustainable development, the summit will provide a platform for impact investors to finance existing African solutions tackling issues on climate change, circular economy, education, health, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), renewable energy, and agriculture.
The Alternative Bank is throwing its weight behind this to reaffirm its commitment to driving sustainable development across Africa.
“The theme of this year’s summit, Scaling Action, speaks volumes. It reflects an urgent and deliberate shift from rhetoric to results, from bold conversations to bold execution.
“Now is the moment for real, bold solutions to tackle issues such as poverty, food insecurity, climate change, and inequality,” the Executive Director for North at The Alternative Bank, Mr Garba Mohammed, said at a press conference held at the United Nations House in Abuja.
“At The Alternative Bank, we believe that impact is the new bottom line. As a purpose-driven, ethically grounded, and specialised financial institution, we have aligned our strategy and operations with the SDGs and Agenda 2063.
“These are not just aspirational frameworks to us; they are action guides that shape how we invest, how we collaborate, and how we serve,” he added.
Since its inception, The Alternative Bank continues to champion sustainable development through strategic interventions that empower youth, women, and smallholder farmers. The Bank plays a leading role in transforming Africa’s food systems, by enabling sustainable agricultural practices, providing financing, capacity-building, and market access to smallholder farmers.
Additionally, AltBank’s ACT Youth Digital Empowerment Program equips thousands of young people with digital, entrepreneurial, and life skills, positioning them as job creators and champions of sustainable development. For women, the Bank’s initiatives, such as the Matazalla Women’s Mobility Initiative, Althaven, and the Light Her Program, break barriers by providing eco-friendly electric tricycles, capital, mentorship, and networks to women entrepreneurs.
These efforts align with the United Nations SDGs and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, contributing to a more inclusive, prosperous, and sustainable Africa.
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.
