Economy
GCR Affirms FBN Merchant Bank Limited’s A-(NG) Rating
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Local rating agency, Global Credit Ratings (GCR) has affirmed the national scale ratings assigned to FBN Merchant Bank Limited of A-(NG) and A2(NG) in the long and short term respectively, with the outlook accorded as stable.
GCR said it accorded the above credit ratings to FBN Merchant Bank Limited (FBNMB) after it successfully operated as a merchant bank for the full year 2016, having converted from Kakawa Discount House Limited (Kakawa) and subsequently becoming a member of the FBN Holdings Plc.
Also, note is taken of the significant change at the top management level to drive the new merchant banking strategy.
While FBNMB intends to explore all the permissible activities under merchant banking operations, it is yet to fully implement its strategic plan. As such, the bank is considered to be in an initiation stage.
Shareholders’ funds increased 4.0 percent to N29 billion at FY16, ranking as one of the highest among peers and ahead of the regulatory minimum of N15 billion for the subsector.
The bank’s capital adequacy ratio is considered strong at 22.6 percent, against a regulatory minimum of 10 percent.
The bank’s regulatory liquidity ratio ranged between 58.5 percent and 84.6 percent in FY16 and averaged 74.4 percent for the period, against the 20 percent regulatory minimum for the subsector.
Furthermore, cash and equivalents totalled N22.9 billion, representing 16.8 percent of the asset pool at FY16.
Furthermore, a sizeable 86.8 percent of the investment securities were placed in tradable treasury bills and Federal Government of Nigeria bonds.
Asset quality metrics improved significantly in FY16, as the non-performing loan (NPL) ratio reduced to 3.4 percent, from 12.2 percent in FY15.
While cognisance is taken of the fact that all NPLs were from the discount house operation, management has also informed GCR that these only relate to two obligors, one of which made a partial settlement in FY16.
Although FBNMB reported an improved profitability at the pre-tax level (which grew 28.5 percent in FY16), profit after tax was a lower N4.9 billion (FY15: N6.6 billion) as the bank had benefited from tax credit in FY15. The bank recorded 21.1 percent growth in total operating income, largely supported by non-interest income (comprising fee and commission income, foreign exchange revaluation gains as well as investment banking activities).
However, operating expenses also grew 39.5 percent on the back of ongoing structural adjustments and an increase in staff strength. The cost to income ratio is considered moderate at 39.8 percent.
Consequently, return ROaE and ROaA stood at 17.3 percent and 4.0 percent respectively in FY16 (FY15: 29.2 percent and 6.6 percent respectively).
Furthermore, performance in 1Q FY17 reflects a significant improvement from that of the same period in FY16, albeit behind budgeted figures. Note is taken of the fact that budgeted figures for FY17 appear optimistic.
The rating may be adjusted upward following a sustained improvement in profitability and asset quality. However, it may be negatively impacted by a deterioration in asset quality metrics, liquidity and or the capitalisation level.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has once again trimmed its 2024 and 2025 oil demand growth forecasts.
The bloc made this in its latest monthly oil market report for December 2024.
The 2024 world oil demand growth forecast is now put at 1.61 million barrels per day from the previous 1.82 million barrels per day.
For 2025, OPEC says the world oil demand growth forecast is now at 1.45 million barrels per day, which is 900,000 barrels per day lower than the 1.54 million barrels per day earlier quoted.
On the changes, the group said that the downgrade for this year owes to more bearish data received in the third quarter of 2024 while the projections for next year relate to the potential impact that will arise from US tariffs.
The oil cartel had kept the 2024 outlook unchanged until August, a view it had first taken in July 2023.
OPEC and its wider group of allies known as OPEC+ earlier this month delayed its plan to start raising output until April 2025 against a backdrop of falling prices.
Eight OPEC+ member countries – Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman – decided to extend additional crude oil production cuts adopted in April 2023 and November 2023, due to weak demand and booming production outside the group.
In April 2023, these OPEC+ countries decided to reduce their oil production by over 1.65 million barrels per day as of May 2023 until the end of 2023. These production cuts were later extended to the end of 2024 and will now be extended until the end of December 2026.
In addition, in November 2023, these producers had agreed to voluntary output cuts totalling about 2.2 million barrels per day for the first quarter of 2024, in order to support prices and stabilise the market.
These additional production cuts were extended to the end of 2024 and will now be extended to the end of March 2025; they will then be gradually phased out on a monthly basis until the end of September 2026.
Members have made a series of deep output cuts since late 2022.
They are currently cutting output by a total of 5.86 million barrels per day, or about 5.7 per cent of global demand. Russia also announced plans to reduce its production by an extra 471,000 barrels per day in June 2024.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A minority equity stake in Chappal Energies Mauritius Limited has been acquired by a Nigerian energy firm, Aradel Holdings Plc.
This deal came a few days after Chappal Energies purchased a 53.85 per cent equity stake in Equinor Nigeria Energy Company Limited (ENEC).
Chappal Energies went into the deal with Equinor to take part in the oil and gas lease OML 128, including the unitised 20.21 per cent stake in the Agbami oil field, operated by Chevron.
Since production started in 2008, the Agbami field has produced more than one billion barrels of oil, creating value for Nigerian society and various stakeholders.
As part of the deal, Chappal will assume the operatorship of OML 129, which includes several significant prospects and undeveloped discoveries (Nnwa, Bilah and Sehki).
The Nnwa discovery is part of the giant Nnwa-Doro field, a major gas resource with significant potential to deliver value for Nigeria.
In a separate transaction, on July 17, 2024, Chappal and Total Energies sealed an SPA for the acquisition by Chappal of 10 per cent of the SPDC JV.
The relevant parties to this transaction are working towards closing out this transaction and Ministerial Approval and NNPC consent to accede to the Joint Operating Agreement have been obtained.
“This acquisition is in line with diversifying our asset base, deepening our gas competencies and gaining access to offshore basins using low-risk approaches.
“We recognise the strategic role of gas in Nigeria’s energy future and are happy to expand our equity holding in this critical resource.
“We are committed to the cause of developing the significant value inherent in the assets, which will be extremely beneficial to the country.
“Aradel hopes to bring its proven execution competencies to bear in supporting Chappal’s development of these opportunities,” the chief executive of Aradel Holdings, Mr Adegbite Falade, stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Afriland Properties Plc helped the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange record a 0.04 per cent gain on Tuesday, December 10 as the share price of the property investment rose by 34 Kobo to N16.94 per unit from the preceding day’s N16.60 per unit.
As a result of this, the market capitalisation of the bourse went up by N380 million to remain relatively unchanged at N1.056 trillion like the previous trading day.
But the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) closed higher at 3,014.36 points after it recorded an addition of 1.09 points to Monday’s closing value of 3,013.27 points.
The NASD OTC securities exchange recorded a price loser and it was Geo-Fluids Plc, which went down by 2 Kobo to close at N3.93 per share, in contrast to the preceding day’s N3.95 per share.
During the trading session, the volume of securities bought and sold by investors increased by 95.8 per cent to 2.4 million units from the 1.2 million securities traded in the preceding session.
However, the value of shares traded yesterday slumped by 3.7 per cent to N4.9 million from the N5.07 million recorded a day earlier, as the number of deals surged by 27.3 per cent to 14 deals from 11 deals.
Geo-Fluids Plc remained the most active stock by volume (year-to-date) with 1.7 billion units sold for N3.9 billion, trailed by Okitipupa Plc with 752.2 million units valued at N7.8 billion, and Afriland Properties Plc with 297.5 million units worth N5.3 million.
Also, Aradel Holdings Plc remained the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 108.7 million units worth N89.2 billion, followed by Okitipupa Plc with 752.2 million units valued at N7.8 billion, and Afriland Properties Plc with 297.5 million units sold for N5.3 billion.
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