Economy
AXA Mansard Excites Customers With New Innovative Life Insurance Policy
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A new innovative life insurance policy that will tickle customers because of its benefits has been introduced by AXA Mansard Insurance Plc, a member of AXA, a global leader in the insurance and asset management business.
The new product, the Endowment Plan, guarantees the payment of 100 per cent of the insured funds to policymakers at maturity when still alive.
A statement from the underwriter also disclosed that in the case of death before the tenure of the insurance plan, the beneficiary of the policy sum insured.
The chief executive of AXA Mansard Insurance, Mr Kunle Ahmed, described this endowment policy as another demonstration of the company’s mission of moving from being a payer to a partner.
According to him, the organisation believes that as a progressive partner, it should address the different needs of the segments it serves and that this product addresses the needs of customers who want to enjoy the benefits of their life insurance coverage while still alive.
He noted that the product was created in response to the need of the insuring public rather than just pushing the company’s existing products, adding that it seeks to demonstrate that life insurance is not just about death benefits, which the policyholder wouldn’t witness, but about living a quality life when alive.
“This product is three in one. It offers the benefits of saving, investing, and life insurance coverage in one product for the same price. With this product, our customers can save towards their cherished dreams.
“While they save, they also get investment benefits because, at the end of the tenure, the sum insured is paid back 100 per cent with some interest. And if death or disabilities arise in the cause of this savings, the named beneficiary of the policyholder also gets the sum insured paid out.
“So, there is no need to worry about having an investment but no life insurance or having life insurance they cannot benefit from until death or permanent disabilities arise. Our Endowment plans are here to bridge that gap,” he stated.
Mr Ahmed added that, “With this product, you can save towards a future goal such as personal or children’s education, real estate acquisitions, or any other dream goal.
“And if life happens before the end of your preferred tenure, the beneficiary of your policy gets paid the full sum insured.
“If you’re alive at the end of your tenure, you’re paid your sum insured with some interest, and you can go ahead to realize your dream. That is what a partner does, and that’s why we have developed this product.”
Also speaking about the product, the Head of Life Business at AXA Mansard, Ms Abisola Nwoboshi, said the product was designed with customers in mind, noting that customers can choose a plan that is most convenient and suitable for their needs and financial comfort.
“There are two variants of this product that give our customers a lot of flexibility. Depending on the investment plan, a customer can choose the regular endowment plan, where she can get paid the full sum assured at the end of the tenure, or opt for the anticipated endowment option, where the customer can cash out 20 per cent, 30 per cent, and 50 per cent over the tenure of the policy.
“So, it all depends on what your investment goals are. And in case of death or permanent disabilities, the named beneficiary of the policy holder gets the full sum assured,” she explained.
Ms Nwoboshi added that the product also offers contribution flexibility, explaining that customers can choose different options, ranging from a one-off contribution to a monthly or yearly contribution.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has defended its decision to allow Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to invest in the parent companies of their custodians, insisting that adequate safeguards are in place to protect contributors’ funds.
The director-general of the pension regulator, Ms Omolola Oloworaran, speaking on Tuesday during the Meet the Press Briefing at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the commission’s decision to relax the investment restriction followed a comprehensive risk assessment that found minimal conflict of interest.
She explained that under PenCom’s investment regulations, PFAs are only permitted to invest pension assets in carefully selected instruments that meet stringent criteria, including profitability, strong credit ratings and proven track records.
According to her, the commission regularly reviews its investment regulations, conducts routine examinations and spot checks on PFAs to ensure strict compliance with established risk management guidelines.
“PFAs cannot just go into the stock market and buy any kind of stock. There are strict guidelines. Companies must demonstrate profitability, have a proven track record and satisfy other criteria before pension funds can invest,” she said.
Ms Oloworaran noted that each PFA also operates under the oversight of a board, an investment committee and a risk management committee, providing additional layers of governance to safeguard contributors’ funds.
She said PenCom recently issued a circular allowing PFAs to invest in the parent companies of their custodians after determining that the potential conflict of interest was negligible.
The PenCom boss explained that the parent companies involved are largely Tier-1 banks, including First Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Zenith Bank, which she described as A-rated institutions with strong financial foundations.
She said the policy was intended to widen investment opportunities for pension funds without compromising safety.
Using Stanbic IBTC as an example, Ms Oloworaran explained that if its custodian is Zenith Bank, the previous restriction prevented the pension administrator from investing in Zenith Bank shares despite the bank’s strong performance.
“We reviewed the risks and any potential conflict of interest and found the risks to be very low. That is why we opened that investment window,” she said.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Analysts at Meristem Research have predicted that the inflation rate for June 2026 in Nigeria should marginally rise to 15.95 per cent on a year-on-year basis from the 15.93 per cent reported in May 2026.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is expected to release inflation numbers for last month later today, Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
In its report sighted by Business Post, Meristem Research said it expects inflationary pressures to re-emerge across key economies in the near term, as the re-escalation of the US-Iran conflict has reignited upward pressure on global oil prices.
It disclosed that this marks a sharp reversal from most of June, when the ceasefire between the two countries helped drive oil prices lower, raising expectations of some relief on the inflation front.
With conflicts now flaring up again, oil prices are likely to increase again, and the anticipated easing in energy-driven inflation may not materialise as broadly as earlier envisaged.
“Nonetheless, some relief is likely from the food segment, where robust supply conditions across major producing regions and softening demand should continue to ease food price pressures,” it stated.
The team also explained that it projected a 15.95 per cent inflation rate because of the lingering effects of persistent food price pressures.
“However, we expect core inflation to moderate as the sharp reversal in energy prices begins to filter through to transportation, distribution, and other energy-related costs, easing underlying price pressures.
“On a month-on-month basis, the combined effect of lower petrol prices, a relatively stable Naira, and the gradual pass-through of reduced energy costs across the supply chain should exert further downward pressure on inflation.
“Based on our assessment, food inflation is expected to remain the key swing factor, as seasonal pre-harvest supply constraints are likely to offset some of the gains from lower logistics costs,” it said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The duo of Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc and Afriland Properties Plc weakened the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 1.61 per cent on Tuesday, July 14.
CSCS Plc saw its stock value drop N9.08 to close at N82.40 per share compared with the preceding session’s N91.48 per share, and Afriland Properties Plc slid by 17 Kobo to sell at N15.00 per unit versus N15.70 per unit.
The losses recorded by the two securities pulled back the market capitalisation by N41.64 billion to N2.546 trillion from N2.587 trillion, and cracked the NASD Security Index (NSI) by 69.36 points to 4,242.31 points from 4,311.67 points.
It was observed that the exchange witnessed two price advancers during the session, led by FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc, which gained N1.37 to end at N151.37 per share compared with the previous day’s N150.00 per share, and Food Concepts Plc chalked up 5 Kobo to settle at N2.50 per unit versus N2.45 per unit.
The volume of securities traded by market participants surged by 50.7 per cent to 13.7 million units from the previous 9.1 million units, while the value of securities went down by 79.7 per cent to N65.2 million from N320.4 million, and the number of deals crashed by 3.6 per cent to 27 deals from the previous session’s 28 deals.
At the close of transactions, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with the sale of 3.4 billion units for N8.4 billion, trailed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc, which exchanged 2.3 billion units valued at N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 73.9 million units transacted for N5.2 billion.
GNI Plc also closed the trading day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units traded for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million.
