Economy

Only 30% of Insurance Firms in Nigeria are Valued Above N5b

Published

8 years ago

24/09/2018

By The Nation

More than two-thirds of insurance companies are valued below the minimum capital requirement to operate in the lowest rung of the proposed new insurance capital base, making most insurers susceptible to aggressive mergers and acquisitions.

Current valuation of insurance companies obtained at the weekend by The Nation showed that some 70 percent of insurance companies are valued below the N5 billion required to operate as a composite tier- 3 insurance company under the planned minimum capital requirements. Only 15 percent of insurers meet the N15 billion requirement while 15 percent meet the N5 billion for the second-tier composite operator.

There are 27 insurance companies quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

While regulators use the book value or shareholders’ fund as a measure of regulatory compliance, investment experts agreed that market value is a major component in any corporate valuation. Market value is usually ahead of book value because of the wealth creation potential and future value accretion of the book value. A reversal poses challenges in the event of capital raising and mergers and acquisition, according to investment pundits.

Chief Operating Officer, GTI Capital, Mr Kehinde Hassan, said market valuation is one of the criteria for valuation of a company for any purpose of new share issuance or mergers and acquisitions.

According to him, corporate finance experts use market value, net asset value or book value, peer group analysis and scenario analysis to reasonably ascertain possible valuation for a company. The financial ratios tend to revolve around a range and any value significantly outside the range is usually treated as an outlier and removed in the calculation of the pricing average.

Mr Hassan said low market valuation might have strong influence on the overall valuation of a company as strategic investors may only at best offer slight premium on market value of a company. In a hard-pressed situation, large investors may demand for market-based value or offer price around the pricing range.

Managing Director, Sofunix Investment and Communications Limited, Mr Sola Oni, said low valuation is a possible trigger for aggressive mergers and acquisitions as low-capitalised companies may find it difficult to raise required capital in the event of massive capital raising exercise by many companies.

According to him, market valuation, though not absolutely the exact determination of the value of a company in all cases, is a major indicator of the health of a company and over a period of time, the true reflection of its worth.

“If a company is struggling to meet shareholders’ expectation, such a company is a target for acquisition. Strategic investors usually look for low valuations and synergies and for a company under pressure of minimum capital requirement, the market valuation may play a big role in the negotiation,” Mr Oni said.

He noted that one of the immediate expectations from the implementation of the new tier-based capital by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) is mergers and acquisitions, which may lead to historic consolidation of the insurance sector.

Citing the example of the Nigerian banking industry, Mr Oni said consolidation, though somewhat a bitter pill may be the much-needed tonic to boost investors and customers’ confidence in the sector, adding that capitalisation is a major requirement for global competitiveness.

“Investors’ confidence in the insurance sector is low, so there is the need for a turnaround of the sector. Consolidation may lead to such turnaround. However, the current low valuations also present good opportunities for discerning investors who can see into the future, who know that Nigeria as a growing country cannot exist without a viable insurance sector, to take positions ahead of the repositioning of the sector,” Mr Oni said.

Most of the insurance companies are trading below their 50 kobo nominal value. Investment experts agreed that boards of insurance companies may find it difficult a decision to offer shares below nominal value.

Under the new NAICOM’s tier-based minimum solvency capital policy, insurers will be classified into three tiers according to the minimum capital base and risk-bearing capacity. Tier 1 insurance companies are required to have minimum capital base of N9 billion for general insurance and N6 billion for life insurance, implying a composite capital base of N15 billion. Tier 2 companies are divided into two categories, with N4.5 billion minimum capital base for general insurance and N3 billion for life assurance. Thus a composite insurance-general and life insurance, will be required to have minimum capital base of N7.5 billion. Tier 3 companies will continue to operate on the existing minimum capital base of N3 billion for general insurance and N2 billion for life insurance, implying a composite capital base of N5 billion for a composite tier 3 insurance company.

Under the risk-based capitalisation approach, tier 1 companies will be able to undertake all risks including annuity and high-level special risks such as energy and aviation risks. Tier 2 companies will undertake retail insurance as prescribed under Tier 1, including commercial and industrial risks and group life assurance while tier 3 companies will only be able to write retail insurance only including micro insurance, motor, fire, agriculture, compulsory liability insurances, individual life, health and miscellaneous insurance.

The Nation recently reported exclusively that insurance companies have launched plans for emergency fund raising at the capital market as consolidation looms in Nigeria’s most populous quoted industry.

Economy

NASD Exchange Extends Bearish Run After 0.56% Drop

Published

21 hours ago

03/04/2026

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange extended its stay in the south territory with a decline of 0.56 per cent on Wednesday, April 2.

This brought down the market capitalisation by N13 billion to N2.417 trillion from N2.430 trillion, and downed the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) by 22.57 points to 4,062.87 points from the previous session’s 4,062.87 points.

It was observed that the NASD exchange ended with three price gainers and three price losers during the trading day.

MRS Oil Plc depreciated by N19.00 to close at N171.00 per unit compared with the previous price of N190.00 per unit, NASD Plc lost N4.14 to trade at N37.36 per share compared with Wednesday’s N41.50 per share, and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc gave up N2.00 to sell at N78.00 per unit versus N80.00 per unit.

On the flip side, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc appreciated by 19 Kobo to N93.00 per share from N92.81 per share, Food Concepts Plc expanded by 15 Kobo to N2.87 per unit from N2.72 per unit, and Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc improved by 2 Kobo to 52 Kobo per share from 50 Kobo per share.

Yesterday, the volume of securities dipped by 91.8 per cent to 260.2 million units from 3.2 billion units, the value of securities went down by 98.1 per cent to N154.2 million from N8.3 billion, while the number of deals soared by 53.3 per cent to 46 deals from 30 deals.

GNI Plc was the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 56.9 million units valued at N3.9 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.5 million units traded for N1.8 billion.

The most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis was also GNI Plc with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.2 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units exchanged for N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units transacted for N1.2 billion.

Economy

Naira Slips to N1,380/$1 at Official Market, Remains N1,405/$1 at Black Market

Published

21 hours ago

03/04/2026

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Naira dropped N2.09 or 0.15 per cent against the United States Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Thursday, April 2, to trade at N1,380.79/$1 compared with Wednesday’s rate of N1,378.70/$1.

However, it appreciated against the Pound Sterling in the official market by N2.77 to quote at N1,824.86/£1 versus the N1,836.57/£1 it was traded at midweek, and improved its value against the Euro by N10.54 to N1,591.92/€1 from N1,602.46/€1.

Yesterday was the last trading session of the week for the local currency in the spot market, as the market will be closed on Friday and Monday for the Easter Holiday.

At the black market, the Nigerian Naira maintained stability against the greenback yesterday at N1,405/$1, but gained N8 at the GTBank FX counter to settle at N1,388/$1, in contrast to the previous session’s N1,396/$1.

Pressure eased on the domestic currency as strong policy indicators have helped calm the majority of worries within the financial systems. Particularly in the remittance segment, the apex bank has directed all International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs) to route remittance transactions through designated Naira settlement accounts in banks, a move aimed at boosting transparency and channelling more foreign exchange into the formal market.

This helps take off pressure from the foreign reserves, which have fallen below the $50 billion mark as they are gradually decreasing rather than falling sharply.

Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market was bullish on Thursday, as macro sentiment shifted against recent optimism after reports that Iran is drafting a protocol with Oman to manage traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, easing concerns about disruptions to a key global oil route.

The remarks came after U.S. President Trump on Wednesday night vowed to hit Iran “extremely hard” in the coming weeks and that the Strait of Hormuz would “open naturally” once the war ends.

Cardano (ADA) chalked up 1.9 per cent to trade at $0.2435, Dogecoin (DOGE) grew by 1.2 per cent to $0.0912, Ethereum (ETH) appreciated by 0.8 per cent to $2,066.37, Bitcoin (BTC) added 0.5 per cent to sell at $67,080.53, Solana (SOL) increased by 0.5 per cent to $79.91, and Ripple (XRP) jumped 0.2 per cent to $1.31.

Conversely, Binance Coin (BNB) dipped 0.7 per cent to $586.90, and TRON (TRX) depreciated by 0.3 per cent to $0.3147, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00 each.

Economy

Bulls, Bears Share Customs Street’s Spoils Amid Bullish Investor Sentiment

Published

21 hours ago

03/04/2026

Dipo Olowookere

By Dipo Olowookere

The local stock market was relatively flat on Friday, as the bears and the bulls shared the spoils of war, though investor sentiment turned bullish compared with the preceding session’s bearish posture.

Data from the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited showed that the All-Share Index (ASI) was marginally down by 4.66 points as it ended at 201,698.89 points versus Wednesday’s 201,703.55 points, and the market capitalisation slightly contracted by N3 billion to N129.806 trillion from N129.809 trillion.

Customs Street was shut on Friday because of the public holidays declared by the federal government today and next Monday.

Business Post reports that John Holt declined by 9.91 per cent to N15.45, Abbey Mortgage Bank shed 9.60 per cent to trade at N8.95, International Energy Insurance slipped by 6.48 per cent to N3.32, Chams shrank by 5.30 per cent to N3.75, and Tantalizers depreciated by 5.18 per cent to N4.03.

On the flip side, Unilever Nigeria improved by 10.00 per cent to N103.40, Fortis Global Insurance gained 9.82 per cent to trade at N1.23, Multiverse appreciated 9.81 per cent to N20.15, Legend Internet advanced by 9.38 per cent to N6.30, and Zichis grew by 9.02 per cent to N14.14.

The market breadth index was positive during the trading session, as there were 35 appreciating stocks and 24 depreciating stocks.

Yesterday, investors traded 560.0 million equities valued at N19.3 billion in 49,676 deals, in contrast to the 815.5 million equities worth N33.3 billion transacted in 52,641 deals in the preceding day, representing a drop in the trading volume, value, and number of deals by 31.33 per cent, 42.04 per cent, and 5.63 per cent, respectively.

Secure Electronic Technology dominated the activity log with 59.7 million shares valued at N61.1 million, Wema Bank exchanged 52.0 million equities worth N1.4 billion, VFD Group transacted 36.0 million stocks for N410.5 million, Access Holdings sold 35.3 million shares valued at N914.8 million, and Chams traded 31.0 million equities worth N115.0 million.