Economy
AIICO Boosts GWP by 12.2% as Profit Dips 17.6% in Q1’21
By Adedapo Adesanya
Leading insurance company, AIICO Insurance Plc, recorded a 12.2 per cent growth in its Gross Written Premium (GWP) to N19.7 billion in the first quarter of 2021 from N17.6 billion recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2020.
According to the company, the increase was due to a year-on-year rise of 34.0 per cent in the general insurance business (35.7 per cent of gross written premiums) to N7.0 billion as against N4.6 billion recorded in Q1 2020.
However, the profit after tax declined by 17.6 per cent year-on-year to N1.5 billion in the first quarter of 2021 from N1.9 billion in the first three months of last year.
It was observed that the profit before tax increased by 11.3 per cent year-on-year to N1.6 billion in Q1 2021 from N1.4 billion in Q1 2020 on the back of improved overall profitability in the insurance businesses (Life, General and HMO).
AIICO revealed that it recorded an underwriting profit of N27.7 billion in Q1 2021 compared to the N131.0 million loss posted in Q1, noting that it was attached to changes in sovereign bond yields, which impacted the value of the company’s liabilities and assets.
In the life business, the firm explained that it was typically concerned about whether there is a surplus or deficit of assets over liabilities because of these movements. However, because of limitations in financial reporting, changes in liabilities affect underwriting profits while changes in assets are reported below underwriting profits.
“The effect is the significant variation in underwriting profits especially in volatile investment yield environments, such as we have in Nigeria. During Q1 2021, annualized yields rose by 430 basis points to 11.7 per cent at the long end of the yield curve, leading to a reduction in the fair values of assets and liabilities; the reduction in liabilities led to positive underwriting profit while the reduction in assets is reflected in the fair value losses for the period,” it said.
According to the firm, the total investment income declined to a loss of N24.1 billion in Q1 2021 compared to N4.7 billion in the same period of last year. This came as the federal government’s bond yields rose, affecting the fair value of the company’s financial assets. FGN bonds make up most of AIICO’s investment portfolio.
It was revealed that profits in its wealth management business declined in Q1 2021 as capital markets turned bearish during the quarter.
Total assets declined by 11.1 per cent to N216.2 billion in Q1 2021 as against N243.1 billion in the preceding year driven by a reduction in financial assets (-9.3 per cent; 79.0 per cent of total assets) and cash and cash equivalents (-38.2 per cent; 9.1 per cent of total assets).
Total liabilities declined by 13.4 per cent to N180.6 billion in the review period as against N208.4 billion recorded in the full year 2020. This was driven mainly by a decline in insurance contract liabilities (-15.9 per cent) from the rise in yields and reserving for new business and fixed income liabilities (-9.5 per cent) in its asset management business.
Total equity increased by 2.8 per cent to N35.6 billion in Q1 2021 from N34.7 billion recorded in the whole of 2020.
Commenting on the results, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Babatunde Fajemirokun, said, “The world is in a difficult moment and Nigeria has not been spared.
“Even as the world starts to move on from the pandemic, the economic after-effects will reverberate for a while yet. However, there is some reason for optimism – economic activities have improved, and the country will likely exit the recession. Oil prices remain elevated, and the pandemic-induced lockdowns are easing all over the world.
“We made significant strides in 2020: implementing our business continuity plan and leveraging technology to improve processes and get closer to our customers. Building on this, we recorded premium growth of 12.2 per cent year-on-year to N19.7 billion in Q1 2021. Our financial position remains resilient as well – shareholders’ funds increased 3.3 per cent year-to-date to N34.8 billion.
“Nonetheless, we remain optimistic that economic activities will continue to rebound in coming periods, the IMF has revised its economic growth forecasts for Nigeria upward to 2.5 per cent from 1.5 per cent.
“Insurance, like every other sector, will have its role to play in the economic recovery as enablers of economic growth by assuming risks that encourage long-term direct investment which enhances production and job creation. Our robust financial position ensures that we can meet our obligations when they arise.”
AIICO Insurance is a leading composite insurer in Nigeria with a record of serving our customers that dates back over 50 years. Founded in 1963, AIICO provides life and health insurance, general insurance and investment management services to create and protect wealth for individuals, families and corporate customers.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Despite signs that Nigeria’s headline inflation is easing, rising food prices continue to threaten the country’s inflation outlook, the chief executive of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Mr Muda Yusuf, has warned.
He noted that structural inflationary pressures in the real economy remain pronounced despite improving macroeconomic stability.
In a policy brief released following the inflation report, he noted that headline inflation eased marginally, while month-on-month change moderated from 1.75 per cent to 1.66 per cent, indicating that headline inflation has largely plateaued.
According to him, the dominant concern in the latest inflation report is the renewed acceleration in food inflation.
This growth, he said, suggested that food prices have resumed an upward trajectory after a brief period of moderation.
Warning that a renewed increase in food inflation has significant economic and social implications, he stressed that food inflation remained the biggest driver of Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis, stressing that rising food prices continue to erode household purchasing power, worsen poverty and food insecurity while weakening the inclusiveness of the current reform programme.
He maintained that sustained moderation in food prices is critical to improving citizens’ welfare and strengthening public confidence in the ongoing economic reforms.
Acknowledging the easing of core inflation as encouraging, he drew attention to the persistence of urban inflation.
At 16.08 per cent, urban inflation exceeded the national headline inflation rate of 15.91 per cent, while month-on-month urban inflation increased from 1.99 per cent to 2.13 per cent.
According to Mr Yusuf, the figures indicated that inflationary pressures remained particularly intense across urban centres.
He attributed the rising urban inflation partly to increasing population displacement from rural communities affected by insecurity, expressing worry that as more households migrate to urban areas, demand for housing, transportation, utilities and other essential services would increase, adding to inflationary pressures and creating additional urbanisation challenges.
Addressing insecurity in farming communities, he said, was important not only for protecting lives and property and boosting agricultural output but also for easing cost pressures in urban centres, adding that the June CPI data reinforced the view that Nigeria’s inflation challenge is predominantly structural rather than monetary.
On the monetary policy outlook, he said the data do not justify further monetary tightening, arguing that headline inflation has largely stabilised.
The CPPE chief expected the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to retain the current monetary policy rate at its next meeting, adding that the priority is for monetary and fiscal authorities to work together to accelerate structural reforms to expand food supply, improve logistics, reduce energy and production costs, lower debt service costs, as well as strengthen domestic value chains.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Additional shares of Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc have been listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
The new equities were added to the company’s existing stocks on Customs Street on Thursday, July 16, 2026, a notice from the bourse confirmed.
Business Post reports the total new ordinary shares of Sterling Holdings listed yesterday were 13,812,239,000 units.
They were from the offer for subscription of 12,581,000,000 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each sold for N7.00 per share, which was oversubscribed by investors.
The financial institution brought the new shares to the stock exchange to increase its total issued and fully paid-up shares to 65,929,251,414 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each from 52,117,012,414 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each.
“Trading licence holders are hereby notified that an additional 13,812,239,000 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each of Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc were on Thursday, July 16, 2026, listed on the daily official list of Nigerian Exchange Limited.
“The additional shares listed on NGX arose from the company’s offer for subscription of 12,581,000,000 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N7.00 per share.
“With the listing of the additional shares, the total issued and fully paid-up shares of Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc have now increased from 52,117,012,414 to 65,929,251,414 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each,” the notice read.
By Adedapo Adesanya
President Bola Tinubu has signed a Presidential Executive Order on Virtual Assets Coordination, establishing a new framework to coordinate the regulation of virtual assets across government agencies as Nigeria seeks to curb fraud while supporting innovation in the digital economy.
The Executive Order, which takes immediate effect, creates a Virtual Asset Council chaired by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to harmonise oversight of cryptocurrencies, tokenised assets, stablecoins, and other digital assets without creating a new regulator.
As part of the new framework, the CBN will establish a regulatory sandbox that will allow eligible firms to test virtual asset products, blockchain solutions, and related services under regulatory supervision before they are introduced to the wider market.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga.
According to the presidency, the Executive Order responds to the growing complexity of virtual assets, which increasingly cut across the traditional boundaries of currencies, securities, commodities, and payment systems.
The fragmented regulatory environment has left gaps that have exposed Nigeria to money laundering, terrorism financing, cybersecurity and data privacy risks, fraud, and revenue losses.
The government said some unregistered operators have exploited these regulatory gaps to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians, resulting in significant financial losses.
“The Order is designed to close these gaps through supervisory coordination, without introducing new layers of regulation or displacing the mandates of existing agencies,” the statement read.
Under the new framework, the Virtual Asset Council will be chaired by the CBN, with the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) serving as vice chairs. Other members include the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
The Council will provide policy direction, improve cooperation among participating agencies, and work with the Attorney General of the Federation to develop a harmonised legal and institutional framework for the sector.
The Executive Order also establishes a Virtual Asset Office, which will serve as the Council’s operational arm. The office will be domiciled at the CBN and will coordinate information sharing, applications, and reporting among the participating agencies through a shared supervisory technology platform.
The presidency stressed that the Executive Order does not create a new regulator or transfer statutory powers from existing agencies, clarifying that instead, each institution will continue to exercise its existing mandate while working within a coordinated framework.
Under the arrangement, registration of virtual asset businesses will depend on the nature of the service being offered.
Activities classified as securities will continue to be regulated by the SEC, while payment, settlement, custody, and other services involving non-security virtual assets will fall under the CBN.
Where there is uncertainty over regulatory jurisdiction, the Virtual Asset Council will determine the appropriate supervising agency.
“The sandbox will provide a controlled environment in which eligible operators can test and operate virtual asset products, services, and blockchain-based solutions under close supervision, enabling the participating agencies to assess the implications for monetary sovereignty, financial stability, market integrity, consumer protection, financial inclusion, and revenue administration before products reach the wider market,” the statement added.
According to the presidency, the sandbox will enable regulators to evaluate the implications of emerging products for financial stability, monetary sovereignty, consumer protection, financial inclusion, market integrity, and revenue administration.
The central bank is expected to announce further details of the sandbox.
