Banking
Coronation Merchant Bank Grows Gross Earnings 66% in 2017
By Dipo Olowookere
Nigeria’s leading merchant banking brand, Coronation Merchant Bank Limited, has announced its 2017 full year results, posting a 66 percent increase in its gross earnings.
Presenting the financial documents to its stakeholders at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Lagos, chief executive of the lender, Mr Abu Jimoh, said the firm achieved a Profit Before Tax of N5.1 billion.
According to him, “Despite the tough market conditions that characterized significant parts of the year, the underlying business fundamentals of the bank remained strong as reflected in the gross earnings growth of 66 percent to N25.5 billion in 2017.
“As we progress in our journey to become Africa’s premier investment bank, we remain committed to providing our clients with superior financial services whilst generating attractive and sustainable returns for shareholders.”
Mr Jimoh further said, “The impressive results of the bank in the last three years demonstrate the effectiveness of our strategy, the quality of our past decisions and the commitment of our board and management to maximize shareholder value whilst actively expanding our franchise in select, high growth markets where we believe we have a competitive advantage.”
He said Coronation MB Group recorded a notable improvement in key performance metrics in 2017, despite the tough and challenging operating environment.
“Our interest income growth of 67 percent y/y and non-interest income growth of 57 percent in 2017 re-affirm the sustainability of our core business growth.
“We will continue to gain momentum in our efforts to achieve more diversified earnings, as we strengthen our subsidiaries offerings.
“Our deliberate focus on the efficiency of our business operations has continued to yield considerable returns for the bank.
“Despite the high inflation rate, cost-to-income ratio increased marginally by 90bps to 46.1 percent (Dec 2016: 45.2 percent), reaffirming the bank’s commitment to rein in costs while improving operating efficiency,” the bank chief noted.
Mr Jimoh said aside from the strong earnings performance, the group recorded a significant growth in its Balance Sheet in 2017.
Total assets increased by 28 percent to N136.7 billion from N106.6 billion in December 2016, and shareholder’s funds increased to N29.5 billion from N25.9 billion – a valid testament to the resilience of the group’s operations and its adaptability to current market realities and challenges.
But Mr Jimoh assured that, “We will continue to maintain a disciplined and prudent approach in asset creation in line with our overall risk management framework and evidenced in our growth in loan book of 42 percent which increased from N22.7 billion to N32.3 billion with zero NPL.”
He said, “While general economic conditions and the regulatory environment remain tight, we believe that our new business and lending strategies, embedded risk management culture and continuous cost savings will enable us to stand firm throughout this period.”
Mr Jimoh told stakeholders that, “In the coming years, we will focus on the disciplined implementation of our growth strategy to drive efficiency in all segments of our business leveraging fintech and process re-engineering.”
Coronation Merchant Bank group was established to fill the gap in a long-underserved market segment, seeking to address the need for long-term capital across key sectors of the economy, and has two branches located in Abuja and Port Harcourt with its Head Office in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Group offers investment and corporate banking, private banking/wealth management and global markets/treasury services to its diverse clients.
It also offers securities trading/brokerage, asset management and trustees services via its subsidiaries; Coronation Securities Limited, Coronation Asset Management Limited respectively.
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.
