Banking
Diamond Bank, Facebook Train 120 Female SME Owners
By Dipo Olowookere
More than 120 female business owners in Calabar, Cross River State were recently trained by Diamond Bank in partnership with Facebook.
The event was the commencement of the first phase of training targeted at Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SME) owners to enhance their businesses through online marketing platforms.
The training exercise is aimed at scaling up the skills of small businesses to cater to millions of Facebook users in Nigeria and beyond.
Head, Regional Businesses -South, Diamond Bank Plc, Nkem Okoro, told newsmen at the event that the training is in collaboration with SheLeads Africa, a representative of Facebook.
“As one of the fastest growing retail banks in the country, Diamond Bank is always at the forefront of leveraging technology to drive SME businesses.
“The idea behind the training is to give our SME customers an opportunity to merge their personal and business Facebook accounts.
“There are over two billion people on Facebook and with that, our customers will be able to showcase their products to this large population as well as get leads that will take their businesses forward.
“We have over 120 SME customers that are participating in today’s event and we intend to actualise our promise to provide them financial and non-financial services. We provide such non-financial services knowing that when our customers succeed it will trickle down to us,” said Okoro.
Head, Emerging Businesses, Diamond Bank Plc, Ayodele Olojede, said the Bank recognised that access to market was a limiting factor in doing business, adding that, “We also recognise the contributing factor of women in the growth of GDP. It is therefore important to continue to support them to scale up and improve their productivity.
“What we are doing today is to teach them how to create and monetise their online visibility. Just by being on Facebook, you can increase your sales by over 33 per cent and a lot of women are not aware of this.
“Facebook is already a market for 26 million Nigerians and yet business owners are unaware. That is the reason for this training- to support businesses to grow. This is one of the first series across the country and we are planning to reach between 10, 000 and 20, 000 customers nationwide.”
One of the participants, Ruth Ntekim, owner of a luxury perfume store in Calabar, said, “I have learnt how to market products online by locating my audience and giving them direct information. Sometimes when you go on Facebook, you do not give the specific details to be able to attract the required audience, I have learnt how to restructure and how to create the right profile.”
Pastor Peace Ogar, also a business woman, said she runs a boutique in Calabar which has presence online. “I am here to learn and of course you can’t get tired of learning. There is no knowledge that is useless, so I am here to learn.
“I have learnt how to give my business social media presence, and how to reach out to my audience, how to create content for my business, and have a target audience. To be honest with you, I have been on Facebook just posting pictures, relating with people, and I have never thought of how to reach out to people businesswise.
“But today I have learnt how to reach out to people businesswise, how to use insight, and how to get people to relate to you. Today, I have learnt that you can reach out to people, and then get feedback from them,” Ogar said.
Diamond Bank Plc is Nigeria’s lead driver in the financial industry, providing enhanced customer experience through innovation and technology. Regarded as supporter of Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises through SME lending, capacity building, business seminars and workshops. Its mobile banking app, “Diamond Mobile”, currently has over three million active subscribers on its platform.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, says Nigeria anticipates remittances from citizens living abroad to increase by two-thirds in 2026 as it seeks to bolster its foreign-exchange reserves to $1 billion monthly.
“We are expecting that by the end of the year, we will hit about a billion Dollars a month from diaspora remittances,” he said at the 14th Annual BusinessDay CEO Forum in Lagos on Thursday, themed From Stability to Shared Prosperity.
Mr Cardoso said remittances are expected to be boosted from more than $600 million currently, banking on the CBN’s deliberate target at remittances to diversify reserve sources beyond oil earnings.
According to him, the apex bank engaged Nigerians abroad, banks and international partners to identify barriers to official remittance flows.
He said the lender subsequently reviewed policies to ensure easier movement of funds into and out of the country.
Mr Cardoso described the approach as providing free entry and free exit for foreign exchange.
He said the reforms helped double diaspora inflows within one year and exceeded initial expectations, also projecting annual remittances could reach about $8 billion if the current momentum was sustained, adding that the development reflected growing confidence in Nigeria’s financial system and foreign exchange market.
Mr Cardoso said reforms introduced by the apex bank had restored stability in the foreign exchange market and improved investors’ confidence.
He identified exchange rate unification as one of the central bank’s major achievements under the reforms programme.
According to him, replacing multiple exchange rate windows with a market-driven system eliminated distortions and improved transparency.
Mr Cardoso said improved foreign exchange liquidity and stronger reserves were among the gains from the reforms.
He said Nigeria’s net external reserves had risen from about $3 billion at the start of the reforms to above $40 billion currently, noting that gross external reserves had grown to about $52 billion, representing about 10 months of import cover.
According to him, the reserves are designed to shield the economy from external shocks and excessive market volatility.
He said the reserves were not meant for routine interventions or day-to-day exchange rate management.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The flagship banking subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Limited, has been announced as the winner of Nigeria’s Best Digital Bank award at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2026.
The lender clinched this accolade at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2026 ceremony, held on July 17, 2026, at The Peninsula London, England, for its outstanding performance, innovation, customer service, and leadership.
GTBank’s recognition as Nigeria’s Best Digital Bank reflects its continued leadership in digital innovation and its commitment to delivering seamless, secure, and customer-centric financial solutions.
As the banking franchise of GTCO, GTBank has consistently set industry benchmarks in digital transformation, pioneering solutions that have redefined how individuals and businesses access, manage, and experience financial services.
Over the years, GTBank has transformed the banking experience through a suite of innovative digital platforms, including the GTWORLD mobile app and solutions that provide millions of customers with seamless, secure, and convenient access to financial services.
The bank continues to strengthen its digital capabilities by introducing products and services that meet evolving customer needs while maintaining the highest standards of security, reliability, and service excellence.
This latest recognition underscores the company’s position as a market leader and reflects its sustained investment in technology, operational excellence, and innovation.
“This recognition is a testament to the legacy upon which GTBank was built and the vision that continues to guide us today.
“From inception, our goal has been to deliver on the Group’s vision to make end-to-end financial services accessible to everyone by leveraging technology to remove barriers, simplify experiences, and create meaningful value for our customers,” the chief executive of GTBank, Mrs Miriam Olusanya, stated.
“While we are honoured by this recognition, we see it as an acknowledgement of what we have achieved and a motivation to do even more.
“We remain focused on raising the bar for digital banking, investing in innovative solutions, and delivering exceptional experiences that create lasting value for our customers.
“As the financial services landscape continues to evolve, we will continue to innovate, adapt, and lead with the same commitment to excellence that has defined our franchise for decades,” she added.
The Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2026 convened leading financial institutions, industry executives, and policymakers from across the globe to celebrate excellence, innovation, and leadership in the financial services sector.
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.
