Connect with us

Economy

CBN’s New Capital Base for BDC Operators Unreasonable—ABCON

Published

on

Abuja BDC operators

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) has described the new regulatory guidelines of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that pegged the minimum capital base for tier-1 BDC operators at N2 billion and N500 million for tier-2 licence as unreasonable because it is far above global best practices.

The president of the group, Mr Aminu Gwadabe, at an emergency of the organisation in Lagos, said the new policy is discriminatory, kicking against it.

Recall that last week, the apex bank directed forex traders to reapply for operational licences as part of its efforts to sanitize the foreign exchange (FX) market, noting that operators must meet the minimum capital requirements for the license category applied within six months from the effective date of the guidelines, which is June 3, 2024.

But ABCON at the meeting asked the central bank to “allow the existing owners of both the eligible BDCs and revoked BDCs to recapitalise instead of reapplying for a new licence.

“The existing N35 million capital requirements should be recognised and be part of recapitalisation. The CBN should embark on nationwide enlightenment to address the fears of the willing investors.

“We observed the minimum financial requirements of N2 billion and N500 million for Tier-1 and Tier-2 BDCs respectively is discriminatory and higher than what is obtainable in other jurisdictions.

“In the United Kingdom, the capital base for a BDC is £50,000; Kenya $50,000; India $67,000; Uganda $13,000 among others which are far lower than what has been pegged for Nigeria operators,” Mr Gwadabe stated.

He argued that the six months compliance timeline is not sufficient to raise such funds but suggested two years as the apex bank did with financial institutions currently undergoing recapitalisation.

 “Even BDC operators with landed properties or other assets for sale to raise the funds, will not be able to accomplish such within the time frame.

“Other sectors, including banks have a two-year timeline. Such timeline should also be granted to BDCs,” he stated, warning that the planned high capital base could chase genuine BDC operators to the parallel market and worsen the exchange rate.

“The CBN should avoid the Algerian example where higher capital pushed BDCs to the parallel market and disrupted the country’s exchange rate system.

“Existing BDCs to be allowed to use their generic names as against registration of new names at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

“The terms of engagement for mergers and acquisitions should be properly explained to allow for inclusion. The allocation of 75 per cent to cards and 25 per cent cash in forex transactions should be reversed inversely to encourage smooth take-off,” he stated.

Aduragbemi Omiyale is a journalist with Business Post Nigeria, who has passion for news writing. In her leisure time, she loves to read.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Economy

FG Releases Transition Guidelines for Tax Acts 2025

Published

on

Tax Acts 2025

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The transition guidelines on the Tax Acts 2025 to provide direction to taxpayers, tax practitioners, revenue authorities and other stakeholders on how to address various issues arising from the old regime to the new framework have been released by the federal government.

The framework was issued on Thursday via a statement signed by the Director of Press Relations in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Efe Ovuakporie.

The guidelines set out the process for transition from the repealed tax laws to the new tax framework effective January 1, 2026.

Under the guidelines, the Tax Acts 2025, comprising the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, the Nigeria Tax Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, apply from the respective commencement dates as enacted in each law. In particular, January 1, 2026, for the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025.

Tax liabilities, assessments, audits, investigations, disputes and enforcement actions relating to periods before that date will be treated under the repealed tax laws, the notice stated.

Tax returns relating to accounting periods ending before January 1, 2026, will be filed under the previous tax laws, while returns relating to accounting periods ending from January 1, 2026, onward will be administered under the new tax framework.

The document also covers the treatment of income taxes, transaction taxes, development levies, tax incentives, exemptions, record-keeping obligations and transactions that span both the old and new tax regimes.

Existing tax incentives and exemptions granted under the repealed laws will remain in place until their expiration dates. New applications and pending requests, however, will be considered under the provisions of the Tax Acts 2025.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, described the Tax Acts 2025 as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s tax reform programme, noting that the Guidelines set out how existing obligations, ongoing matters and future transactions will be treated under the new regime.

According to the Minister, the guidelines are anchored on three key principles – clarity, fairness and administrative certainty, adding that they are intended to promote uniform implementation and support effective administration across the Nigeria Revenue Service, State Internal Revenue Services, the FCT Internal Revenue Service, Local Government Revenue Committees, tax practitioners and taxpayers nationwide.

Continue Reading

Economy

Federal, State, LG Councils Share N2.3trn FAAC Allocation

Published

on

faac allocation

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a total of N2.300 trillion among the federal government, state governments, and Local Government Councils from the revenue generated in May 2026.

The amount is slightly higher than the N2.257 trillion distributed last month, according to a statement issued by the Head of Information at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Mrs Efe Ovuakporie.

The FAAC allocation was confirmed at its June 2026 meeting following consideration of revenue receipts for the month of May.

The total distributable revenue of N2.300 trillion comprised N1.611 trillion from statutory revenue and N688.785 billion from Value Added Tax (VAT).

From the distributable amount, the federal government received N818.680 billion, while state governments got N759.141 billion. Local Government Councils were given N534.277 billion, and oil-producing states received N188.132 billion as 13 per cent derivation revenue.

The gross statutory revenue for the month stood at N2.652 trillion, representing an increase of N273.623 billion compared to the N2.378 trillion recorded in April 2026.

FAAC reported significant increases in collections from Companies Income Tax (CIT), Capital Gains Tax (CGT), Stamp Duties, Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Hydrocarbon Tax (HT), and oil royalties during the period under review.

However, collections from Import Duty, Value Added Tax (VAT), Excise Duty, and Common External Tariff (CET) levies recorded declines compared to the previous month.

Gross VAT revenue for May 2026 stood at N743.668 billion, lower than the N806.617 billion collected in April 2026.

The committee noted that despite the decline in VAT collections, overall revenue performance for the month was strengthened by improved receipts from petroleum-related taxes and Companies Income Tax.

Continue Reading

Economy

NGX Suspends Trading in Fortis Global Insurance Equities

Published

on

Fortis Global Insurance

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

Trading in the equities of Fortis Global Insurance Plc on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited has been suspended.

The action was taken on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, by the regulatory subsidiary of the NGX Group Plc, NGX Regulation (NGX RegCo) Limited.

It was to prevent investors from buying and selling the company’s securities on the stock market ahead of its share reconstruction.

According to a circular signed by the Head of Issuer Regulation Department of NGX RegCo, Mr Godstime Iwenekhai, the suspension is also to determine the shareholders who are entitled to receive the reconstructed shares.

“Trading license holders and the investing public are hereby notified that trading in the shares of Fortis Global Insurance Plc was suspended on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.

“The suspension is necessary to prevent trading in the shares of Fortis Global Insurance Plc to enable the Company’s Registrars and the Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS) to reconcile their books for the listing of the reconstructed shares on Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX).

“The suspension is also required for the purpose of determining the shareholders who are entitled to receive the reconstructed shares,” the notice stated.

Continue Reading

Trending