By Adedapo Adesanya
FBNQuest, the investment banking and asset management business of FBN Holdings Plc, has urged private mid-cap companies to carefully explore the capital financing options available in the local financial markets.
The firm noted that equity and quasi-equity capital are important sources of financing for mid-cap companies seeking investment for their current operations and expansion initiatives.
Speaking at a parley organised for representatives of the financial media on Thursday, Mrs Ijeoma Agboti, Managing Director, FBNQuest Funds, said that the current economic headwinds facing mid-cap businesses place a demand on business leaders to carefully plan their capital needs with a view to optimization and defensive positioning.
Equity capital can be helpful to businesses because business owners can sell shares to investors to finance expansion and growth without immediate obligation.
Quasi-equity encompasses various loan and convertible loan options for which repayment is linked to future cash flows but often provides more flexible payment terms than traditional loans.
The interaction included a presentation by Mr Tunde Abidoye, Head of the Equity Research team of FBNQuest, on the prospects for Nigeria’s macroeconomy, highlighting the outlook for public debt, the exchange rate, and inflation.
Mr Abidoye stated that “businesses and investors now face difficult conditions including mounting pressures on inflation and exchange rate, constrained disposable income as well growing pressure from the external sector.
Given the challenges on both the global and domestic fronts, it is essential for businesses and investors to have informed views on important macroeconomic variables in order to minimize business risks and to develop a long-term strategy to take advantage of opportunities as they arise.”
Overall, Mrs Agboti said that while the outlook for the business environment remains uncertain over the next 6 months, strong opportunities remain to bolster capital structures and pursue strategic business prospects.
“A difficult economic environment provides a good opportunity to re-strategize and position for recovery,” she noted.
In the process, she noted that investors should decipher attractive opportunities presented by quality issuers.
