Banking
Zenith Bank, GTBank May Acquire Other Banks
By Dipo Olowookere
The duo of Zenith Bank Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) have expressed the possibility of expanding their operations through the acquisition of other financial institutions.
It is an open secret that the two banks, which are among the top five tier-one lenders in the country, run a policy of growing organically unlike one of its peers, which has expanded its operations by swallowing smaller financial institutions.
Addressing analysts from Lagos few days ago, the new Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Mr Ebenezer Onyeagwu, said the bank will not hesitate to acquire any available lender that falls in line with its (Zenith Bank) vision.
“In terms of acquisition, we will continue to grow organically, but if we find anything attractive in the market, that is in line with our strategic imperative, we will look at it.
“But we will not go out inordinately to seek for acquisition, but if we find something that is quite attractive and really fits the kind of profile of the investment that we do, we will consider [it].” Mr Onyeagwu said at the conference call, which Business Post was also part of.
Speaking further, the Zenith Bank chief said, “On the opportunity to acquire any of the retail lender; first is that we will continue to grow organically, that is our primary goal. If we find anything that is strategically relevant and would add reasonable value to us, we will look at it.
“We will not just do acquisition for the sake of doing it, we will do it [because] there is money to be made, there is incremental value, not for cosmetic reasons.”
Commenting on whether Zenith Bank wants to remain the largest bank in the country, the respected banker said, “There is a pecking order where we stand and we want to defend that. That is the legacy passed on to us by our leader.”
“It can’t be that under this exco team led by me, that we will lower the standard, no. The whole essence is to project and maintain our leading position in the market; no matter the condition or situation, we will do everything possible to maintain our prime position,” Mr Onyeagwu declared.
Earlier, in its conference call, GTBank said it was also considering expanding its operations in the banking space, however, outside Nigeria if the right deal comes its way.
Addressing analysts from its based in Lagos, the GMD of GTBank, Mr Segun Agbaje, said his bank will not rush into acquiring any lender for the sake of it.
“In terms of growing strategy, I am trying to be very careful because a lot of these things are strategic and require approvals I can’t make alone.
“We will start to look at other things, probably outside of what you are seeing us do now, some of it might be to look at making acquisitions outside of Nigeria so that we can [spread] to certain region.
“But I think it would be wrong for me to say at this point that we will not consider other option of growing [inorganically] because as a bank, we would continue to grow. We would broaden our options,” he said at the analyst call last week, which also had Business Post in attendance.
Banking
CBN Clears Otedola’s Nominee to Join FBN Holdings Board
By Dipo Olowookere
After acquiring a significant stake in FBN Holdings Plc, oil mogul, Mr Femi Otedola, now has someone to protect his interest in the financial institution.
A few months ago, FBN Holdings was embroiled in a leadership tussle between Mr Otedola and the current chairman of the company, Mr Tunde Hassan-Odukale.
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited and other stakeholders had to intervene in the matter and it was clearly made known that Mr Otedola is the largest single shareholder of FBN Holdings, which is sometimes fondly called First Bank.
It was feared that Mr Otedola may topple his rival from the position when shareholders of the company meet at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) later this year.
On Tuesday, Business Post gathered that Mr Otedola’s nominee to the board has been cleared by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a non-executive director.
The new member of the FBN Holdings board of directors is Mr Julius B. Omodayo-Owotuga, the deputy chief executive of Geregu Power Plc.
In 2018, Mr Otedola sold his 75 per cent stake in Forte Oil Plc, which later became Ardova Plc, to acquire Geregu Power Plc.
His confidence and trust in Mr Omodayo-Owotuga may have influenced his decision to send him to FBN Holdings to protect his interest in the financial institution.
Mr Omodayo-Owotuga was formerly with Mr Otedola at the defunct Forte Oil as the Group Executive Director in charge of Finance and Risk Management.
He is a finance expert with huge experience in Finance, Risk Management, Treasury, Internal Controls, General Administration, Procurement, and Information Technology.
While at Forte Oil, he was a member of the Executive Management Team that restructured a then moribund company into a vibrant industry player.
He equally led the capital restructuring, acquisitions, debt capital raise, maiden credit rating and divestment initiatives.
Prior to joining Forte Oil Plc, he had responsibility for the Asset and Liabilities Management function at the Africa Finance Corporation.
He is a KPMG trained finance professional who possesses extensive investment experience spanning Financial Services, Power and Oil & Gas sectors with a proven track record of significant achievements.
His two decades of work experience spans blue-chip companies such as KPMG; Standard Chartered Bank; Africa Finance Corporation (AFC); Forte Oil Plc, MBC International Bank (Now First Bank of Nigeria Limited) and Geregu Power Plc.
Mr Omodayo-Owotuga is an alumnus of Oxford University’s Said Business School, United Kingdom, IE Business School, Madrid, Spain and the University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria.
He has a B.Sc. in Accounting and a Masters in Business Administration (with distinction). He is a CFA Charter Holder; a Fellow of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) and The Institute of Credit Administration.
Banking
Fidelity Bank Customers Win Millions of Naira in GAIM 5 Promo
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
On Thursday, January 27, 2022, some Fidelity Bank customers had the opportunity to win millions of Naira in the month’s draw of the lender’s Get Alert in Millions savings promo, season 5 (GAIM 5).
It was gathered that no fewer than 10 customers of the financial institution became N1 million richer. They were from several branches across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria and presented with their prizes at an event held at Fidelity Bank, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
One of the winners, Stanley Okpoto, who could not hide his joy, said, “I am more than happy to receive this cash prize from Fidelity Bank.
“Being a long-time customer and follower of the bank, I feel special and grateful that as little as 2K earned me so much money. I am looking forward to how this money will further transform my business. I encourage my friends and family to take advantage of this life-changing opportunity.”
Also speaking at the well-attended event, the promo Chairman and Executive Director in charge of the bank’s Lagos and South-West Directorate, Dr Ken Opara, said the ceremony marked a special celebration for the bank being the first prize presentation for the year and therefore sets the tone for the remaining prize presentations to be held in the year.
“It gives me great pleasure to announce the presentation of the sum of N1 million to Ajoma Rachael Iyowo and Stanley Sunday Okpoto who emerged winners in the second GAIM 5 monthly draw which held last week.
“Asides Stanley and Ajoma, eight other customers of Fidelity Bank will receive cash prizes at similar events holding simultaneously at some of our branches across Nigeria. These customers only had to maintain a minimum of N2,000 in their Fidelity Bank accounts to emerge winners. That is the beauty of the GAIM 5 savings promo.
“As a bank, we remain committed to empowering our customers with the resources, expertise and solutions they need to meet their strategic business goals. Whether it is the right loan product, appropriate payment channel or in this case, the benefits for saving their money with us, we are all about providing platforms and solutions to help our customers grow,” explained Dr Opara, who was represented by the bank’s Chief Digital Officer, Lanre Showunmi, stated.
The GAIM campaign is an 8-month long scheme that was launched in November 2021. So far, Fidelity Bank has enriched the lives of over 520 customers with cash prizes ranging from N10,000 to N1 million in weekly consolation draws and monthly draws respectively.
Qualifying requirements for the scheme are maintaining an account balance of at least N2,000 in a Fidelity Bank savings account and activating a debit card. According to the bank, the promo employs a ticketing approach whereby each N2,000 in customers’ accounts represents a ticket in the draws.
In operation since 1988, Fidelity Bank is a full-fledged commercial bank with a growing customer base of over 6 million customers across Nigeria. The bank is known for exceptional customer service and digital innovation.
Banking
Subscription for N20bn FSDH Merchant Bank Series 6, 7 CP Ongoing
By Dipo Olowookere
FSDH Merchant Bank Limited is currently selling the series 6 and 7 of its commercial paper and it plans to raise about N20 billion from the exercise.
Business Post gathered that subscription for the corporate debt instrument commenced on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, and will end on Monday, January 31, 2022.
The exercise is under the financial institution’s N40 billion commercial paper programme issuance, which would be used to finance the company’s short-term working capital requirements and general corporate purposes.
According to details of the sales, the series 6 is with 181-day maturity with a discount rate of 9.00 per cent and an implied yield of 9.42 per cent, while the series 7 is a 268-day tenor with a discount rate of 9.75 per cent and an implied yield of 10.50 per cent.
FSDH Merchant Bank is the subsidiary of FSDH Holding Company Limited. It operates as a private limited liability company duly licenced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to carry on merchant banking activities in the country.
The firm said investors can subscribe to the papers as they are free and clear of withholding taxes, though the minimum subscription is N5 million, with multiples of N1,000 thereafter.
A look into the books of the lender indicated that its liquidity profile is above-average as its liquid assets accounted for about 60 per cent of its total assets in the 2021 financial year.
However, in the accounting year, the gross earnings fell year-on-year by 15.48 per cent to N13.79 billion, with interest income contributing about 80 per cent to the revenue.
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