Banking
GCR Affirms Union Bank’s BBB+(NG) Rating
By Dipo Olowookere
The national scale ratings of BBB+(NG) and A2(NG) in the long and short term respectively assigned to Union Bank of Nigeria Plc by Global Credit Ratings (GCR) have been affirmed.
The ratings, placed on Rating Watch, are valid until January 2018, GCR said in a statement issued last week.
Explaining why the ratings were affirmed, GCR said Union Bank maintained a relatively stable market share of 3.6 percent (in terms of total assets), ranking UBN among Nigeria’s mid-tier banks.
After its recapitalisation in 2012, the bank embarked on a transformation journey to become one of the country’s leading mid-sized banks by 2018, a strategy management actively pursued in FY16.
Total shareholders’ funds grew 10.1 percent to N271.7 billion at FY16.
However, the bank’s capital adequacy ratio (CAR) declined to 13.3 percent (FY15: 15.3 percent), falling below the regulatory minimum of 15 percent.
CAR was impacted by an increase in risk weighted assets, caused by naira devaluation during the period.
To strengthen capitalisation, management is in the process of raising additional capital of about N50 billion by way of a Rights Issue. This is expected to be concluded before the end of FY17.
The bank’s gross non-performing loan (NPL) ratio remained relatively stable at FY16 (6.9 percent vs. 6.7 percent at FY15), but above Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) tolerable limit of 5 percent.
Specific provision coverage of impaired loans reduced to 40 percent from 44.6 percent at FY15, while total coverage stood at 182 percent at FY16.
Management continue to focus on NPL recoveries, amidst a tightening credit risk granting criteria. Total recoveries as at 1H FY17 stood at N1.7 billion.
UBN’s regulatory liquidity ratio ranged between 33 percent and 44 percent throughout FY16, and averaged 40 percent (FY15: 45 percent) for the period, against a regulatory minimum of 30 percent.
The bank’s liquid asset to short term funding ratio declined to 21.5 percent (FY15: 23.9 percent), albeit comparing favourably with peers. Liquidity across the industry was impacted by increase in banks’ cash reserve ratio during the period.
Profit before tax for the bank, which grew 6.7 percent to N15.7 billion (in line with budget), was underpinned by 7.8 percent and 9.3 percent growth in interest and non-interest income respectively.
However, profitability was constrained by an increase in operating expenses and impairments. Operating expenses grew on the back of higher staff and IT costs, while impairments were largely impacted by foreign currency movement.
As a result, return on average equity and assets stood at 6.1 percent and 1.4 percent in FY16, from 6.2 percent and 1.4 percent in FY15 respectively.
Annualised pre-tax profit as at 1H FY17 is reflected ahead of budget and that of same period in FY16, largely supported by growth in non-interest income.
GCR explained that the Rating Watch reflects UBN’s current CAR position and the planned capital raising for FY17. Global Credit Rating will reassess the ratings immediately after year-end.
The rating may be reviewed upward following a sustained improvement in profitability, liquidity and market share. Also, an improvement in asset quality metrics such that it falls within the tolerable limit may be favourably considered.
A downward review of the rating may result from the bank’s continued inability to meet the regulatory required CAR, and/or further decline in liquidity and/or asset quality metrics.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Registration for the second HerFidelity Apprenticeship Programme (HAP 2.0) organised by Fidelity Bank Plc has commenced.
The Divisional Head of Product Development at Fidelity Bank, Mr Osita Ede, informed newsmen that the initiative was designed to empower women with sustainable entrepreneurship skills.
The lender created the flagship women-empowerment initiative to equip women with practical, income‑generating skills and structured pathways to entrepreneurship.
“HerFidelity Apprenticeship Programme 2.0 reflects our commitment to continuous improvement. Having evaluated feedback from the first edition, we have returned with stronger partnerships and deeper mentorship programmes to ensure that women acquire not just skills, but sustainable economic opportunities,” he said.
“At the heart of the programme is guided, real‑world learning. Participants will undergo intensive apprenticeship training under reputable institutions and industry experts across select fields such as hair styling, shoe making, auto mechatronics, and interior decoration,” Mr Ede added.
He noted that HerFidelity Apprenticeship Programme 2.0 goes beyond skills acquisition by offering participants a wide range of business advisory services. These include business and financial literacy training, mentorship support throughout the apprenticeship journey, access to Fidelity Bank’s women‑focused and SME financial solutions, as well as guidance on business formalisation and growth strategies.
Further emphasising the bank’s vision, Mr Ede said, “By integrating structured mentorship with entrepreneurial development, Fidelity Bank is positioning women not just as trainees, but as future employers, innovators, and economic contributors within their communities. This aligns with our mandate to help individuals grow, businesses thrive, and economies prosper.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A new branch of The Alternative Bank (AltBank) has been opened in Ondo State as part of the expansion drive of the financial institution.
A statement from the company disclosed that the new branch would support export-oriented agribusinesses through Letters of Credit and commodity-backed trade finance, ensuring that local producers can scale beyond state borders.
For SMEs, the bank is introducing robust payment rails, asset financing for equipment and inventory, and supply chain-backed facilities that strengthen working capital without trapping businesses in interest-based debt cycles.
The Governor of Ondo State, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, represented by his Chief of
Staff, Mr Olusegun Omojuwa, at the commissioning of the branch, underscored the importance of financial institutions in economic development.
“The pivotal role of financial institutions to economic growth and development of any economy cannot be overemphasised. It provides access to capital, supporting small and medium-scale enterprises and encouraging savings.
“Therefore, I have no doubt in my mind that the presence of The Alternative Bank in Ondo State will deepen financial services, create employment opportunities and stimulate economic activities across various sectors,” he said.
In her remarks, the Executive Director for Commercial and Institutional Banking (Lagos and South West) at The Alternative Bank, Mrs Korede Demola-Adeniyi, commended the state government’s leadership and outlined the lender’s long-term vision for Ondo State.
“As Ondo State steps into its next fifty years, and into the future anchored on the sustainable development championed during the recent anniversary celebrations, The Alternative Bank is here to be the financial engine for that vision. We didn’t come to Akure to hang banners. We came to fund work, farms, shops, and factories.”
With Ondo State’s economy anchored largely on agriculture, particularly cocoa production, poultry farming, and other cash crops, alongside a growing SME and trade ecosystem, AltBank is deploying sector-specific financing solutions tailored to these strengths.
For cocoa aggregators, processors and poultry operators, the bank will provide production financing, facility expansion support, machinery lease structures, and structured trade facilities under its joint venture and cost-plus financing models, with transaction cycles of up to 180 days for commodity trades and longer-term structured asset financing for equipment and infrastructure.
The organisation is a notable national non-interest bank with a physical network now surpassing 170 locations, deploying capital to solve real-world challenges through initiatives such as the Mata Zalla project, which saw to the training of hundreds of women as electric tricycle drivers and mechanics.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, announced on Tuesday that the country’s banking sector is making strong progress in the recapitalisation drive, with 20 banks now fully compliant.
Mr Cardoso disclosed this during a press conference at the first Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of 2026, where he also highlighted positive developments in the nation’s foreign reserves.
On March 28, 2024, the apex bank announced an increase in the minimum capital requirements for commercial banks with international licences to N500 billion.
National and regional financial institutions’ capital bases were pegged at N200 billion and N50 billion, respectively.
Also, CBN raised the merchant bank minimum capital requirement to N50 billion for national licence holders.
The banking regulator said the new capital base for national and regional non-interest banks is N20 billion and N10 billion, respectively.
To meet the minimum capital requirements, CBN advised banks to consider the injection of “fresh equity capital through private placements, rights issue and/or offer for subscription”.
Following the development, several banks announced plans to raise funds through share and bond issuances.
In January, Zenith Bank said it had raised N350.46 billion through rights issue and public offer to meet the CBN minimum capital requirement.
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), on July 4, said it had successfully priced its fully marketed offering on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).
In September, the CBN governor said 14 banks fully met their recapitalisation requirements — up from eight banks in July.
With one month to the central bank’s March 31, 2026, recapitalisation deadline, 13 Nigerian lenders are yet to cross the finish line.
Additionally, the governor noted that 33 banks have raised funds as part of the ongoing recapitalisation exercise, signalling robust capital mobilisation across the sector.
He stated that gross foreign reserves have climbed to a 13-year high of $50.4 billion as of mid-February 2026.
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