Banking
Heritage Bank Takes Youth Empowerment to Winners’ Chapel
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
One of the financial institutions in Nigeria, Heritage Bank, has intensified its youth empowerment campaign by working closely with the Living Faith Church (LFC) Worldwide, otherwise known as Winners Chapel.
The bank recently partnered with the church by throwing its weight behind its 17th Annual International Youth Alive Convention to help prepare and empower millions of young Nigerians with the aim of boosting their employment prospects.
The collaboration was triggered by the growing unemployment rate in Nigeria, which is giving the Nigerian government, corporate organisations, including Heritage Bank, something to worry about.
Incidentally, no less than 40 million unemployed people in the country are youths, comprising 66 per cent of Nigeria’s working population, according to the National Bureau Statistics (NBS).
As an institution at the forefront of empowering youths, the MD/CEO of Heritage Bank, Mr Ifie Sekibo, said there was the need to help prepare the millions of young Nigerians for the transition to work and engaged citizenship, by connecting both post-secondary and University graduates into understanding career opportunities and getting prepared for employment and entrepreneurship.
He also emphasized and canvassed for effective and increased investment in young people as a key pathway to jobs in today’s changing world of work.
Mr Sekibo, who was represented by Adesoji Ogunsanya, Head, Talent Resourcing, Human Capital Management, whilst giving career talks on Getting a Job Immediately after School, hinted on apt CV writing tips, how to prepare for interviews, personal effectiveness and, career and personal fulfilment.
Admonishing the Winners’ Youth Ministry, the banker also advised them to take care of themselves spiritually, emotionally and physically, whilst noting that self-management was also required for optimal productivity.
According to him, it is quite appropriate to also carry out a SWOT Analysis on yourself, leverage on the areas of strength and opportunities, build competency in the area of weakness and threat.
Mr Sekibo explained that the level of joblessness amongst young Nigerians was of interest to Heritage Bank to ensure that they were equipped to find decent jobs, adding that “young people are almost three times as likely as adults to be unemployed”.
However, he disclosed that one of the channels churned out in partnering the youths to leverage their talents and contribute their quota to the growth of the economy, was the use of financial inclusion strategy which would be adopted to prepare them and boost entrepreneurship development, as this is critical to Heritage Bank’s mission to create, preserve and transfer wealth across generations.
The Assistant National Youth Pastor of Living Faith Church, North Central, Mr George Eko, who expressed appreciation for the impartation of knowledge upon the youths by Heritage Bank; affirmed that the self-esteem of the youths had been elevated by being given the opportunity to interact with the Bank which they thought could never be a reality.
He expressed his joy and announced that the people were overwhelmed as the church was not only concerned about their spiritual development but with their physical development which had to do with employment, welfare, and other areas of their lives.
“Regardless of the no job scandal, the youths have been empowered differently and Heritage Bank partnered with the church in the Job Fair to ensure that the lives of the youths are improved,” Mr George added.
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.
