Banking
Gauging Leaps and Bounds of UBA Plc, Lion of Africa’s Banking
The United Bank of Africa has once again asserted its position as the lion of Nigeria’s banking. Most analysts agree on that, looking at the way it cut through on economic headwinds in the first quarter of 2017.
Quarterly reports, ratings, peer competitiveness, ready shareholders, and a motivated workforce are reasons the UBA will do better as leadership and market share go.
Ending 2016 with N384 billion in earnings, which was 22 percent increase from 2015’s figure, and a 32 percent rise in profit after tax to N91 billion, the bank ramped up N23 billion in the first quarter of 2017. That is 41 percent growth compared to the first quarter of 2016.
“Our performance in the first quarter of the year strengthens our optimism on economic and business recovery in Nigeria and many of our markets across Africa,” said Group Managing Director, Mr Kennedy Uzoka.
“More importantly, this result is evidence of efficiency gains in our pricing, balance sheet management and operations.”
While its Nigerian operations strengthen in terms of bottomlines, the overseas branches are equally faring well.
According to Mr Uzoka, the bank’s external operations contribute 35 percent of its earnings.
“We remained prudent in risk asset creation growing net loans by 2% year-to-date, as we have continued to monitor development in key sectors of the economy to take advantage of emerging bankable opportunities in due time,” he said while commenting on the quarterly report.
The UBA operates in 19 countries across Africa, and has branches in New York, London, and Paris. It serves millions customers in over 1000 business offices and centres where it carries out its retail, commercial and corporate banking, cross border payments and remittances, trade and finance, and other banking services.
Its flying start in 2017 further gets confirmation from Standard and Poor’s early in the month.
According to the international rating agency, the UBA is rated ‘B’ in long-term and ‘B’ short-term global scale counterparty credit ratings.
Analysts at Proshare said S&P’s ‘B’ rating is the highest rating currently assigned to any Nigeria-based financial institution.
“It thus reinforces the respectable quality and strength of UBA, the third largest Nigeria-based bank by total assets, deposits and profits,” the analysts said.
S&P also confirmed that UBA’s earnings will be resilient despite the economic slowdown in Nigeria. “We believe the bank’s capital and earnings under our risk adjusted capital and earnings framework will remain moderate over the next 12-18 months, with its capital adequacy ratio remaining well above minimum regulatory requirements,” the ratings agency noted.
The bank’s capital adequacy ratio was 19.7 percent at year-end 2016, way above the regulatory minimum of 15 percent. S&P believe it will remain stable over the next 12-18 months. Its showings in other indices are also superlative. Its credit losses to decline to about 1.0% in 2017-2018; its average liquidity ratio is doing well, 42 percent as of 2016; it has a stable funding ratio of 143 percent as of last December, thus becoming one of the lowest levels of loan leverage in Nigeria.
It has been a sustained rally for the bank. Which is a mark of its competitiveness in any situation. In the midst of decline Nigeria’s economy experienced last year, UBA still managed to tide over so well that it won five plaques in the Bank of The Year 2016 country awards in Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville, Senegal, Cameroon and Chad at the last annual Bankers Award in London.
Achievement trainers will make us such feat is possible when an organisation has a water-tight philosophy of goal getting. Well, the UBA has one: the three E’s—Enterprise, Excellence, and Execution.
But the GMD thinks that is not all. So he dedicated the awards to the customers whose loyalty, support and patronage, according to him, remain the fountain of the group’s growth and competitive edge in the African continent.
The UBA has over 14 million customers in Africa only. And they are well served by a synergy if technology and an army of highly motivated staff. It means a lot to the bank, especially the GMD, that its human resources remain in high spirits. As the 2016 annual report came out, and shareholders got over N19 billion in dividends, no fewer than 3000 staffers got promotion, too.
“Investment in our human capital is critical to our success,” said Mr Uzoka.
“It is a product of our ability to invest for the long term and create an institution that is built to last. It is the bedrock of our determination to be Africa’s leading customer focused bank.”
All thing being equal, the second quarter reports can only get better.
Source: National Daily
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.
