Banking
Heritage Bank Promo Winners Get 40 Inch LED TVs
By Dipo Olowookere
Two winners have emerged in the December/January 2016 draw of Heritage Bank Plc on-going Happy Days Promo.
The two winners, Mrs Nwagbo Anastasia and Mr Segun Akinsola, both customers of Heritage Bank, were presented with the prizes over the weekend in Lagos by senior officials of the bank in the presence of an executive official of the Consumer Protection Agency (CPC) Mr Onifade Abideen.
The Heritage Bank team was led by the Group Head, Market Intelligence and Analytics, Mrs Cynthia Erigbouem; Group Head, Lagos Island, Tomi Oyesola; Experience Centre Manager, Allen Ikeja, Aderonke Famoroti; Aniekan Udiba, Experience Centre Manager, Heritage Bank and Team Lead, Market Strategy, Ifeanyi Mofunanya while Executive Officer of Consumer Protection Council (CPC) Mr. Onifade Abideen who is in charge of sales promotion witnessed the presentations.
Speaking after the presentation, one of the winners, Mr Akinsola, who has been banking with the bank for just about a year said, when he was told that he won a 40-inch LED flat screen TV, he was sceptical of the information, until his account officer came to his place of work to confirm it.
He said he would continue to put more money as deposit with bank, preferably in a fixed deposit account.
On her part, Mrs Anastasia, who has been banking with the bank for four years, said she was very happy to emerge as one of the lucky winners of the promo.
According to Mrs Anastasia, when she received a phone call that she won in the promo, she first doubted it until the manager of her experience centre confirmed it to her.
Mrs Anastasia, who trades in leather bags at Balogun Market, Lagos, lauded the bank for the promo and promised to spread the good news to her colleagues in the market.
Heritage Bank recently launched the six-month promo to reward customers who made N20,000 deposits into its account on a monthly basis with a 42–inch LED flat screen TV, a customer with N100,000 deposit at the end of April will be qualified to win N1 million while a customer with N500,000 deposit at the end of May will be qualified to win a brand new Toyota Corolla saloon car.
Two winners each emerged from across the six geo-political zones of the country: Abuja Group, Lagos Group, North Group, South East Group, South-South Group and South –West Group.
In the Abuja Group, where 64 customers qualified for the December draws, Uchenna Egbo and Adams Oshiomole Mohammed emerged as winners while in the January draws, with 58 qualifying customers, Awalite Adaobi Mmachukwu and Ekanem Idaye Grace Charles emerged as winners.
Obimma Osita Innocent and Nwagbo Nonye Anastasia won in the December draws in the Lagos Group while Asomugha Sunday Okwuchukwu win in the January 2017 draws.
In the North Group, Namadi Abba and Charity Ogbonna won in the December draws while Chinwendu Akamelu and Muyibat Abdulkarim were the winners in the group in January draws.
Okoro John Nwankwo and Emeghobo Ifeanyi Chigozie emerged winners of the 42-inch LED flat screen TV in the December edition while Obangwu Dorathy Ngozi and Ozoemenan Adagba James were the winners in the group for the month of January.
In South-South, Nmah Ihuoma Onwuka and Lynda Ijeoma Ukachike won in December 2016 draws while Akpan Bill Afia and Mary Effiong Thompson won in the January draws.
Makanjuola Segun Kayode and Aromolaran Mayowa Alade won the December 2016 draws while Christiana Adegbola and Babatunde Tayo Anthonia won the January 2017 draws.
In a keynote address, Mrs. Adaeze Udensi, an Executive Director of the Bank had said the six-month promo was flagged off in December 2016 to celebrate existing and potential customers of the Bank.
She said customers of the Bank were expected to make deposits into their accounts to qualify them for monthly raffle draws, adding that any customer who was able to keep N100,000 in its account at the end of April 2017 would qualify for a draw to win N1 million while at the end of the promo, (May 31) one lucky customer will win a brand new Toyota Corolla saloon car out of customers who have N500,000 and above as deposits.
The raffle draws were attended by other executive directors of the Bank namely: Messrs Niyi Adeseun (Abuja and North Bank) and Jude Monye (Enterprise Risk Management /Chief Risk Officer) as well as Mr Joshua Nggada of the Consumer Protection Agency (CPC) and Seyi Oreagba of Lagos Lottery Board among others.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
About N2 billion is expected to be used to finance renewable energy products for customers by the end of 2026 in an effort to accelerate Nigeria’s clean energy transition.
To meet this goal, Sterling Bank is launching Sterling Solar Financing Hubs inside StarTimes retail outlets to embed on-the-spot solar financing at the point of purchase.
From the N2 billion earmarked for this initiative, N600 million has already been used up.
Under this programme, customers can now walk into participating outlets, select their preferred solar solution, receive financial guidance from dedicated Sterling Solar Financing Advisors, and begin the financing process immediately, subject to the bank’s credit assessment.
The first phase of the rollout commenced this July with five Solar Financing Hubs across Lagos, located in Lekki, Ikeja, Festac, Surulere, and Victoria Island.
The network will expand rapidly to 46 StarTimes outlets nationwide before the end of the third quarter of 2026, with a view to extending the model to more than 200 StarTimes locations nationwide.
Both parties have promised to continue working together to democratise access to clean energy financing, empowering more Nigerians to solarise their homes and businesses while contributing to a greener future.
“Sterling exists to enrich lives, and we believe that access to clean, reliable energy should be within everyone’s reach. Through this partnership with StarTimes, we are democratising access to solar by bringing financing directly to the point of need, enabling more families and businesses to transition to sustainable energy without the burden of prohibitive upfront costs. This is about unlocking opportunity, improving livelihoods, and powering Nigeria’s future,” the Divisional Head of Renewable Energy and Mobility at Sterling Bank, Mr Darlington Nwankwo, said.
Also commenting, the Vice President of StarTimes Nigeria, Mr Eric Xiao, said, “With the rollout of the Sterling Solar Financing Hubs, we are doing more than just selling solar products; we are building a sustainable energy ecosystem. By integrating StarTimes’ extensive service network with Sterling Bank’s professional financial services, we are significantly lowering the barrier for Nigerian households and small businesses to access clean energy.
“Moving forward, we will continue to deepen this partnership, ensuring that more Nigerians can enjoy reliable, affordable, and smart energy solutions, ultimately turning our vision of energy accessibility into a reality for all.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Nigeria Business Summit Regional Tour of Stanbic IBTC Bank made a detour to Jogor Centre, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, to empower Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
The event brought together business leaders, development partners and government representatives to discuss pathways for sustainable enterprise development across the South-West.
Participants engaged in practical masterclasses on export opportunities; access to finance and business growth strategies; gaining actionable insights into market expansion; trade documentation; credit readiness; financial record-keeping; and structured financing solutions designed to support long-term business success.
The Head of Enterprise Banking at Stanbic IBTC Bank, Ms Olajumoke Bello, informed participants that the programme is part of the lender’s commitments to supporting MSMEs through practical business education, strategic partnerships and improved access to growth opportunities.
The Executive Director of Business and Commercial Banking at Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr Remy Osuagwu, on his part, said, “Our ambition is to be more than a financial institution to Nigerian businesses. We want to be a trusted growth partner, providing the financing, business insights and advisory support entrepreneurs need to build sustainable enterprises and unlock new opportunities.”
Similarly, the chief executive of Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr Wole Adeniyi, who reinforced the company’s commitment to enterprise development, highlighted the importance of providing businesses with the right support structures to enable sustainable growth and long-term competitiveness.
“At Stanbic IBTC, we believe that sustainable economic growth depends on the success of small and growing businesses. That is why we are focused on providing access to finance, practical advisory support and the connections businesses need to move from ambition to scale,” he stated.
The Oyo State Commissioner for Investment, Trade, Cooperatives, and Industry, Professor Soliu Adelabu, said the initiative was designed to support businesses and strengthen the state’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, praising the bank for its support for traders, entrepreneurs, and artisans in the state.
The Permanent Secretary in the Oyo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs O.M. Shotonwa-Roagess, highlighted the importance of strategic partnerships in expanding economic opportunities for women and vulnerable groups across Oyo State. She noted that the ministry remains open to collaborating with organisations such as Stanbic IBTC, development partners and the private sector to drive financial inclusion, entrepreneurship and sustainable economic empowerment.
The Nigeria Business Summit Regional Tour forms part of Stanbic IBTC’s broader commitment to empowering entrepreneurs through capacity building, financial inclusion and strategic business support, helping enterprises unlock new opportunities for growth and long-term success.
The Ibadan leg built on the momentum of previous tour stops in Katsina and Aba.
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.
