Economy
PenCom Assets Under Management Rises 23% to N25.9trn in September 2025
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has disclosed that the Assets Under Management (AuM) of the regulated pension industry increased by 23 per cent year-on-year to N25.9 trillion as of August 2025.
This was contained in the latest monthly update by the regulator, which indicated that the pension industry has remained resilient amid prevailing macroeconomic challenges.
This was supported by sustained growth in pension contributions and consistent investment returns across asset classes.
However, despite the industry’s impressive performance, it remains significantly underpenetrated. On a standardised basis, the total pension assets account for only about 7.1 per cent of Nigeria’s 2024 gross domestic product (GDP).
According to PenCom, the strong year-on-year growth was primarily driven by sustained investment in FGN securities, which was supported by the elevated interest environment. Their value grew by 17 per cent year-on-year or N2.3 trillion to N15.7 trillion.
Within this segment, FGN bonds were the primary driver of growth, accounting for a substantial share of -85 per cent of the total FGN securities. Investment in FGN bonds increased by 5 per cent year-on-year to N13.3 trillion.
The Nigerian stock market also contributed to the impressive year-on-year performance, with pension fund holdings in equity investments rising sharply by 86 per cent per cent year-on-year or N1.7 trillion to reach N3.6 trillion.
In August, the NGX ASI advanced by 0.31 per cent month-on-month, and it has delivered an impressive year-to-date return of 45.68 per cent.
The bullish sentiment in the local bourse market was fuelled by strong investor appetite for bellwether stocks, supported by improved macroeconomic conditions and strong corporate earnings.
The performance of the money market asset class improved significantly compared with the previous year, with total pension assets in money market instruments rising by 15 per cent year-on-year to N2.4 trillion.
In contrast, corporate debt declined slightly by 1 per cent year-on-year or N22.1 billion to N2.2 trillion. The slowdown in corporate issues during the year was due to the high-interest-rate environment, driven by the monetary tightening stance of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) 50 basis-point cut in September signals the beginning of a potential easing cycle, which could lower borrowing costs and improve market conditions for debt financing.
The latest inflation data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) also showed a sixth moderating cycle to 18.02 per cent in September 2025, further boosting support for more when the committee meets in November.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange suffered its fifth decline for this week on Friday after it closed lower by 0.09 per cent, with the Unlisted Security Index (NSI) down by 8.91 points to 3,639.10 points from 3,642.22 points and the market capitalisation declining by N1.86 billion to end N2.177 trillion compared with the previous day’s N2.179 trillion.
Yesterday, the bourse recorded three price losers led by NASD Plc, which crumbled by N4.00 to close at N55.00 per share compared with the previous day’s N59.00 per share, as FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc depreciated by 68 Kobo to N66.23 per unit from Thursday’s closing price of N66.91 per unit, as Mass Telecom Innovation Plc lost 4 Kobo to end at 40 Kobo per share versus the preceding day’s 44 Kobo per share.
On the flip side, there were two price gainers led by Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc, which added 21 Kobo to close at N40.81 per unit compared with the previous session’s N40.60 per share and UBN Property Plc, which improved by 10 Kobo to N2.09 per share from N1.99 per share.
During the session, the level of activity increased as the the volume of transactions surged by 255.7 per cent to 10.2 million units from 2.9 million units, the value of trades soared by 122.0 per cent to N189.5 million from N85.4 million, and the number of deals increased by 22.5 per cent to 49 deals from the previous day’s 40 deals.
When the bourse ended for the day, CSCS Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 10.5 million units worth N427.7 million, trailed by FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc with 893,553 units traded for N60.1 million, and MRS Oil Plc with 291,801 units valued at N58.3 million.
However, CSCS Plc took over as the most active stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 10.5 million units old for N427.7 million, as Geo-Fluids Plc slipped to second place with 7.7 million units worth N52.4 million, and Mass Telecom Innovation Plc occupied the third spot with 6.2 million units transacted for N2.5 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira appreciated against the US Dollar by 44 Kobo or 0.03 per cent in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Friday, January 24 to sell for N1,421.63/$1 compared with the N1,422.07/$1 it was traded on Thursday.
This was buoyed by increased FX inflows from exporters as well as sustained Dollar volume from non-bank corporate, individual and other sources.
However, the Naira lost N15.61 against the Pound Sterling in the same market window yesterday to quote at N1,924.17/£1 compared with the previous day’s value of N1,908.56/£1 and depreciated against the Euro by N3.60 to finish at N1,669.56/€1 versus the N1,665.96/€1 it was exchanged a day earlier.
At the GTBank forex counter, the Nigerian currency traded flat against its American counterpart at N1,430/$1, and also maintained stability against the greenback at the parallel market segment during the session at N1,485/$1.
Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market took a hit as slowdown occurred, explained by large holders taking profits.
The market had seen a short lived boost after Japanese intervention sent the Yen surging against the US Dollar, a move some saw as a necessary step toward resuming a bull market in crypto.
However, investors took profit with Dogecoin (DOGE) down by 0.8 per cent to $0.1240, and Cardano (ADA) down by 0.7 per cent to $0.3585.
Further, Solana (SOL) dropped 0.6 per cent to sell at $126.89, Litecoin (LTC) depreciated by 0.5 per cent to $68.42, and Binance Coin (BNB) fell by 0.1 per cent to $890.13.
But, Ripple (XRP) appreciated by 0.4 per cent to $1.91, Ethereum (ETH) rose by 0.3 per cent to $2,953.72, and Bitcoin (BTC) grew by 0.1 per cent to $89,477.58, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) traded flat at $1.00 each.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The House of Representatives Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee on Tax Laws on the Allegations of Illegal Alterations on the Gazetted Tax Laws has released an interim report on its findings, accusing the executive arm of government of removing and inserting some items in the bills passed by the parliament.
The chairman of the 7-man panel, Mr Afam Victor Ogene, in the report released on Friday, said the laws were altered after they were transmitted to the executive by the National Assembly for assent by President Bola Tinubu.
Recall that a member of the green chamber of the parliament, Mr Abdulsamad Dasuki, raised an alarm on the discrepancies in the gazetted version and the one passed by the legislative arm of government.
The Minority Caucus of the House of Reps, headed by Mr Kingsley Chinda, in a statement on December 28, 2025, vowed to “unconditionally protect the independence of the legislature and our democracy.”
It then constituted the committee on January 2, 2026, to get to the roots of all the issues surrounding the scandal.
The next day, the lower chamber of the National Assembly, through its spokesman, Mr Akintunde Rotimi, released a statement announcing that the Speaker, Mr Abbas Tajudeen, had directed the release of the four tax reform Acts; The Nigeria Tax Act, 2025; The Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025; The National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025; and The Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025, duly signed into law by the President, for public record, verification, and reference.
The statement further added that the Speaker has also ordered an internal verification and immediate public release of the Certified Acts to eliminate doubts, restore clarity, and protect the sanctity of the legislature.
In its report yesterday, the panel said it discovered some alterations in the gazetted version, noting that, “given the anomalies, illegalities, and impunity observed, which clearly undermine the National Assembly’s constitutional powers and democracy, the committee finds the current evidence sufficient to warrant a deeper investigation. This will ensure accountability for the affront against the legislature.”
“To achieve this, the committee respectfully requests an extension to conduct a more thorough examination of the matter,” it added.
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