Economy
Traders Increase Investment in Nigerian Stocks by 16.6% in One Week
By Dipo Olowookere
Nigerian stocks attracted more investments last week than the preceding week as a result of renewed confidence in the market, as traders quickly take a position, especially in large-cap equities, ahead of the release of financial results in the coming months.
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited has been impressive in 2023, and there are indications that next year will be better. Those who have missed out on the goodies this year are already positioning themselves for 2024 so as not to be left behind again.
Consequently, the bourse witnessed an improvement in the value of transactions by 16.6 per cent to N45.070 billion from the N38.644 billion recorded a week earlier.
However, the volume of transactions went down to 2.423 billion shares from 2.543 billion shares, and the number of deals decreased to 34,704 deals from 36,138 deals.
Universal Insurance, UBA and GTCO topped the activity chart after trading 543.315 million shares worth N10.577 billion in 3,860 deals, contributing 22.43 per cent and 23.47 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.
Financial stocks were the most active in the week, selling 1.726 billion units worth N22.760 billion in 18,190 deals, contributing 71.23 per cent and 50.50 per cent to the total trading volume and value apiece.
Conglomerates shares trailed with 201.478 million units valued at N2.350 billion in 1,533 deals, as consumer goods equities posted a turnover of 127.468 million units worth N3.671 billion in 4,113 deals.
Business Post reports that 49 shares gained weight in the week versus 32 shares in the preceding week, 33 stocks lost weight versus 49 stocks in the previous week, and 73 equities closed flat, the same as the earlier week.
Multiverse topped the advancers’ log after growing by 57.02 per cent to N9.39, Thomas Wyatt rose by 32.80 per cent to N3.32, Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank appreciated by 32.09 per cent to N1.77, Ecobank jumped by 21.35 per cent to N20.75, and Secure Electronic Technology soared by 17.19 per cent to 75 Kobo.
On the flip side, Consolidated Hallmark lost 12.70 per cent to settle at N1.10, Oando slumped by 12.29 per cent to N10.35, Abbey Mortgage Bank weakened by 10.47 per cent to N1.54, MRS Oil deflated by 9.96 per cent to N99.00, and Tantalizers fell by 9.62 per cent to 47 Kobo.
On a week-on-week basis, the All-Share Index (ASI) and the market capitalisation appreciated by 0.17 per cent to 71,541.74 points and N39.149 trillion, respectively.
Similarly, all other indices finished higher except for NGX Main Board, insurance, ASeM, energy, Lotus II and industrial goods, which went down by 0.54 per cent, 1.44 per cent, 1.03 per cent, 0.58 per cent, 0.22 per cent and 3.03 per cent, respectively while the sovereign bond index closed flat.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) says the rollout of electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) will strengthen tax compliance, curb revenue leakages and improve transparency in tax administration as it moves to fully digitise the country’s tax system.
The Project Lead for the NRS e-Invoicing Project, Mr Mohammed Bawa, stated this at the DigiTax E-Invoicing Compliance Breakfast Session held in Lagos on Wednesday.
The event, organised by DigiTax, an NRS-accredited e-invoicing platform, formed part of efforts to support the agency’s ongoing education and sensitisation campaign on the e-invoicing mandate.
Mr Bawa said the initiative aligns with global trends in tax digitisation and is expected to help improve Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio, which remains one of the lowest in Africa.
According to him, the system will provide the NRS with greater visibility into transactions across sectors, formalise activities within the informal economy and standardise invoice formats nationwide using globally recognised invoice schemas.
He added that e-invoicing would improve operational efficiency for both businesses and tax authorities while supporting the NRS’ transition from manual and electronic tax administration processes to a fully automated system-to-system interaction model.
Mr Bawa noted that the legal framework for implementation is backed by the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, which prescribes penalties for non-compliance.
He disclosed that the NRS has completed onboarding large taxpayers and is preparing to enforce compliance with defaulting entities.
According to him, medium taxpayers are expected to begin compliance in the third quarter of 2026, while onboarding of emerging taxpayers will commence in 2027, with full adoption targeted for all taxpayers by the end of 2028.
Mr Bawa urged taxpayers yet to be onboarded onto the platform to begin the process and work with accredited service providers to ensure compliance.
On his part, Country Director of DigiTax Nigeria, Mr Olumide Akinsola, urged businesses to look beyond their internal systems and assess the compliance status of suppliers and counterparties.
He warned that businesses whose suppliers fail to transmit invoices through the MBS platform risk losing eligibility to claim Value Added Tax (VAT) input credits on such transactions, describing the resulting supply chain exposure as a significant commercial risk that many organisations have yet to quantify.
Mr Akinsola also announced the launch of DigiTax’s white paper, The State of E-Invoicing Readiness in Nigeria, which examines compliance adoption trends and the readiness gap across different taxpayer segments.
He added that DigiTax operates in Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), noting that experience from those markets shows businesses that integrate early are better positioned to avoid disruptions when enforcement begins.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The names of about 100,000 companies registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) are about to be deleted for inactivity, especially for failing to file their annual tax returns, Business Post reports.
This information was disclosed by the CAC via a notice signed by its management on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
The list contains organisations like the Nigeria-Poland Chamber of Trade Invest Ltd, Alariwo of Afrika Ltd, Ovation Sports International, First Union Pension Fund Administrators, Investopedia Limited, Baptist High School Abuja Ltd, and Yobe Aluminium Manufacturing Industries Ltd, amongst others.
In the statement, the commission said its decision to strike off the names of the affected firms from the register aligns with the provisions of Section 692(3) (3) and (4) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), 2020.
However, the affected companies can still salvage the situation by filing all outstanding annual returns and regularising their records within 90 days.
“Please note that companies that fail to comply within the stipulated timeline shall be struck off the register without further notice,” it declared, expressing its continued commitment to providing prompt and efficient registration and regulatory services to the satisfaction of its valued customers.
See the full list below:
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange gained 1.75 per cent on Wednesday, July 15, pushing the NASD Security Index (NSI) up by 74.20 points to 4,316.51 points from 4,242.31 points, as the market capitalisation added N44.54 billion to finish at N2.590 trillion compared with the preceding session’s N2.546 trillion.
During the session, there was an 11.5 per cent rise in the value of transactions at midweek to N72.7 million from the preceding session’s N65.2 million, as there was a 3.7 per cent growth in the number of deals to 28 deals from the previous session’s 27 deals, while the volume of securities slumped by 64.5 per cent to 4.9 million units from 13.7 million units.
At the close of trades, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc ended as the most active security by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, with the second spot occupied by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc after selling 2.3 billion units valued at N6.5 billion, and the third position was taken by Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc, which exchanged 74.3 million units for N5.3 billion.
GNI Plc also finished the trading day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with a turnover of 3.4 billion units traded for N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units transacted for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units sold for N415.7 million.
Business Post reports that the market breadth index was negative yesterday, as there were two price gainers and three price losers.
11 Plc added N22.36 to its value to close at N250.00 per share versus N227.64 per share, and CSCS Plc improved by N7.95 to N90.35 per unit from N82.40 per unit.
On the flip side, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc lost N1.37 to end at N150.00 per share versus N151.37 per share, UBN Property Plc depreciated by 6 Kobo to N1.75 per unit from N1.81 per unit, and Food Concepts Plc dropped 1 Kobo to close at N2.49 per share versus N2.50 per share.
