Banking
Secret Behind Centrespread Brand Success—Kola Ayanwale
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Few days ago, Centrespread announced an affiliation with Grey Africa, bringing together two formidable brands in the marketing communication industry in Africa.
The partnership brought about CentrespreadGrey.
Chief Executive Officer of CentrespreadGrey, Mr Kola Ayanwale, in a chat with journalists in Lagos, described the partnership between Grey Africa and Centrespread as a demonstration of the readiness of Africans to foster seamless relationships that promote excellence across the continent.
Mr Ayanwale, who himself is one of Nigeria’s most successful marketing communications moguls, noted that the affiliation became necessary to satisfy a growing search by discerning clients for strong creative marketing communications super markets that have the wherewithal to innovate and create disruptive marketing campaigns capable of improving the fortunes of brands in the increasingly competitive market place.
He further added that the return of the Grey Group, which ranks among the world’s top creative, advertising and marketing organisations with an enviable global footprint, into Nigeria, at this point in time, was a positive sign that the world still recognizes the country for good.
”The most important value that the partnership we have forged with the Grey Group offers is to the Nigerian business environment.
“In doing this deal, we (both Grey and Centrespread) not only further our business interests but we pool our respective strengths, experiences, traditions and creative dynamism to provide a solution for a very acute need for Nigerian businesses, namely birthing timely and cost-effective cutting-edge marketing offerings to break the clutter and excite the market,” Mr Ayanwale posited.
Going down memory lane, he said in the Nigerian IMC landscape, the Centrespread history, over the last 35 years, has been sustained on the platform of unwavering commitment to innovation, disruption and excellence.
In his words, “the Centrespread brand has, today, attained iconic status in the Nigerian marketing communication industry because we have worked hard at uncompromising and consistent grooming and, as a result of this, we have remained one of the leading lights of the various revolutionary phases the nation’s IMC sector has witnessed.
“Nevertheless, we cannot afford to sit back and just enjoy the tag of being one of Nigeria’s most successful IMC groups of today. This is the right time to set to work to define and perfect how we want our brand to operate tomorrow.”
Drawing an analogy between the eagle and the Centrespread brand, Mr Ayanwale revealed that in the last 5 years, so much re-invention had taken place in the life of the Centrespread Group in terms of sharpening business focus and goals as well as harnessing of excellent talents to connect with the market of the future.
“Like the eagle, we withdrew to the war-room, plucked out old, withering wings and have now re-grown fresh plumage. Now, the Centrespread Grey brand, like the stronger, sharper and nimbler eagle, is here, ready to explore and dominate the exciting Nigerian integrated marketing communications skyline,” he enthused.
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.
