Banking
Stanbic IBTC Supports Businesses with Bouquet of Solutions
Stanbic IBTC Holdings has highlighted its array of solutions to support businesses in the country to make the most of 2021.
The solutions on offer are geared towards providing access to flexible funding for small, medium and large-scale enterprises thereby addressing inadequate access to capital, exposure to international markets and inherent challenges plaguing local and international trade.
The solutions also allow organisations to take advantage of joint partnerships without the risk of losing capital and benefit from medium to long term investment solutions that help businesses in maximising their resources.
Over the years, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC has remained at the forefront of providing financial solutions to business enterprises in the country, while offering Nigerian importers access to its global presence through its Africa China Agent Proposition (ACAP).
Targeted at business owners who import goods from China or have trade dealings with China, ACAP, through Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC, links Nigerian importers to Chinese exporters, facilitates payments and ensures the successful completion of their trade dealings.
Leveraging Stanbic IBTC’s network of Chinese agents, with client satisfaction being the cornerstone, ACAP offers a broad ecosystem of services, solutions and support, which equips African and Chinese businesses to leverage trade and growth opportunities to drive Africa’s growth. The ACAP solution, which has been termed ‘game-changer’, eases the cashflow worries of African importers by providing access to finance while also empowering the importers to have end-to-end visibility of the entire importation and logistic process.
Likewise, the Stanbic IBTC Trade Club offers business owners exposure to meet and trade with suppliers anywhere in the world, thus giving them the needed exposure for their businesses to thrive.
With the increasing clamour for diversification of the nation’s economy from crude oil, the Bank also highlighted its Agribusiness solution, which is geared at providing financing options to stakeholders in the agriculture value chain. Simultaneously, Vehicle Asset Financing (VAF) is targeted at financing heavy machines needed for business or personal purposes.
Investors are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities in the stock market via vehicles such as the Stanbic IBTC Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) and equity-focused Mutual Funds which provide a diverse range of investment portfolios well-suited for medium to long-term investing.
They are specially designed for investors with higher risk appetite suitable for investing in the Nigerian stock market, which returned circa 50 per cent in 2020. Sotubo emphasised that these funds provide a unique opportunity for individuals and organisations to invest in a portfolio of professionally-managed listed securities, thereby stretching their financial resources to earn even more over an extended period.
However, the organisation notes the importance of minimising risk and transacting with trust, without the fear of losing in the event of an eventuality. This is why the Stanbic IBTC Escrow Services are a necessity at this time. Tailored at ensuring the security assets including funds, an Escrow account offers buyer-seller protection such that buyers can deposit their money and the Trustee or Escrow Agent initiates payment only when the seller delivers the required goods in line with the Escrow Agreement terms. This way, both parties in a trade deal are protected and businesses can thrive.
Furthermore, in line with minimising risk, Stanbic IBTC emphasises the need for businesses to obtain the fire and special perils insurance coverage in order to protect against unexpected loss that may arise from natural disasters or malicious intent.
Stanbic IBTC also offers its corporate client’s digital offerings such as Mobile App, Enterprise Online, *909#, Contactless POS, C’gate, PrimePay, Paywithlink and so on, to make business transactions easy and seamless.
While wishing everyone a prosperous new year, the Stanbic IBTC Bank Chief Executive, Wole Adeniyi, urged existing and prospective customers to take advantage of the array of solutions aimed at supporting business efforts in 2021.
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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.
