Banking
Shareholders Laud Wema Bank Board’s Impressive Gender Diversity
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The inclusion of five females in the 11-man board of directors of Wema Bank Plc has been applauded by shareholders of the financial institution.
At the 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the bank held in Lagos on Thursday, May 22, 2025, shareholders said the impressive gender diversity should be emulated by others.
The national coordinator of the Pragmatic Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mrs Bisi Bakare, while speaking at the gathering, said, “On gender inclusion, I would also like to commend Wema Bank for an impressive gender diversity on the board with five out of 11 directors being female, representing a remarkable 38 per cent ratio.”
She also commended the lender for its “outstanding performance despite the challenging macroeconomic performance.”
“Furthermore, I want to seriously commend the succession plan of Wema Bank, and the board for achieving 100 per cent attendance in meetings, which shows a full commitment on their part,” she added.
Similarly, shareholders expressed a vote of confidence in Wema Bank for its proactive approach to employee well-being and its outstanding performance.
While addressing investors at the AGM, the chairman of Wema Bank, Oluwayemisi Olorunshola, thanked the shareholders, employees, regulators, partners and other stakeholders for their continued support and contributions to the bank’s outstanding performance, reiterating the company’s commitment to sustaining the upward surge in its performance in the decades to come.
On his part, the chief executive of the financial institution, Mr Moruf Oseni, promised that Wema Bank would “continue to deliver best-in-class financial solutions, invest in second-to-none technology.”
He stated that after the conclusion of the N150 billion rights issue, which ended on May 21, 2025, the board would seek another N50 billion through private placement for next month, Business Post gathered.
“At the end of it all, what we expect is that Wema Bank will have qualifying capital slightly north of N267 billion, which allows us to sustain the resilient and robust franchise that we have built together, to keep Wema Bank thriving as a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
“Wema Bank stands strong at 80 and in the decades to come, I can assure you that the growth we are experiencing today, is just a tip of the iceberg,” Mr Oseni concluded.
Last year, grew its gross earnings by 91.51 per cent to N432.34 billion from N225.75 billion in 2023, with post-tax profit rising by 140.13 per cent to N86.29 billion from N35.93 billion, and customer deposits up by 35.65 per cent to N2.524 trillion from N1.861 trillion, driven by improvement in retail deposits.
During the period, its Non-Performing Loan (NPL) rate went down to 3.86 per cent amid a growth in loans to customers by 49.94 per cent to N1.201 trillion from the N801.10 billion recorded in 2023.
With earnings per share (EPS) of 483.2 Kobo and an impressive profit, the company paid a dividend of N1 per share to shareholders.
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.
