E-Financial
UBA Makes 20 More Customers Millionaires, Doles Out N30m in 3rd Draw of UBA Wise Savers Promo
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Pan African financial institution, has again rewarded another 20 customers who have emerged winners in the third quarterly draw of the UBA Wise Savers Promo winning N1.5 million each, bringing the total amount won so far by 60 customers to N90 million.
The electronic raffle draw, which was held at the UBA Head Office in Lagos on Wednesday, July 31st, was witnessed by the relevant regulatory bodies including the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Lagos State Lottery Board and Consumer Protection Council.
Lucky customers who emerged winners in the latest draw cut across all regions of the country.
They are Yusuf Muhammed; Adebakin Anuoluwapo Elizabeth; Babatunde Temidayo Ruth; Christian Emetole; Nwabuife Ikeagu; Omoye Amiengheme; Ogechukwukanma Okoh; Akinyemi Abidemi Betty; Okoro Chukwuma and Chukwu, Patricia Nnenna.
Others are Adejoke Olarinoye; Fatoki Hassan; Nwokocha Ikechukwu Emmanuel; Owolanke kole Emmanuel; Ferreira Adesola Afolatomi; Emmanuel Omoigui; Uzoigwe Anthonia; Elesin Titilayo Oluwabunmi; James Suleiman Umar and Lawan David Nahinokan.
The ongoing promo, which commenced in September last year, is expected to run till September 30, 2019 and will see a final 20 customers from across Nigeria become millionaires, winning N30 million in the last quarter of this year.
At the end of the fourth promo, a total of N120 million will have been won by 80 customers.
Speaking during the event, Mr. Jude Anele, UBA’s Group head, Consumer & Retail Banking, said that since the promo began late last year, the bank has been impressed at the level of response by its customers and the general public across the country, adding that the purpose of the campaign is to reward loyal customers while encouraging the savings culture.
He noted that there has been a remarkable increase in the number of participants in this edition compared to the previous one, adding that the bank’s objective of helping customers’ save for the rainy day is being achieved.
He said: “It is very easy to spend money but to save is a habit all must imbibe. Our key objective is to encourage our customers to save regularly. We are here to support our customers and to encourage them to save as well.”
Anele urged other customers to take advantage of the subsequent opportunities the last quarterly draw will offer.
Sampson Aneke, group head, Transaction and Electronic Banking, who also spoke at the event said, “There is no better time to give back and delight customers than this challenging economic period where people need all the support they can get to make life more meaningful. With this in mind we decided to prioritise our customers as we always do at UBA by giving them plenty to cheer about and that is the reason why another 20 customers have been made millionaires today.
Aneke noted that the promo is consistent with the bank’s novel initiatives in prioritizing customers, and said it was necessitated by the invaluable belief the Bank has in its customers.
“We will continue to listen and give them nothing short of the best that they deserve. UBA will not relent, because we are impressed with the impact this has made so far and will continue to touch the lives of our loyal customers positively,” he explained.
The criteria for qualifying for the draw is to save at least N30,000 in a UBA savings account or in instalments of N10,000 each for a period of three months. Those yet to be UBA customers can open a savings account on any of the numerous bank channels, including Magic Banking (*919*20#) and LEO, or in any of the UBA branches across the country, and start saving to stand a chance of winning.
United Bank for Africa Plc is a leading pan-African financial services group, operating in 20 African countries, as well as the United Kingdom, the United States of America and with presence in France.
UBA was incorporated in Nigeria as a limited liability company after taking over the assets of the British and French Bank Limited who had been operating in Nigeria since 1949.
The United Bank for Africa merged with Standard Trust Bank in 2005 and from a single country operation founded in 1949 in Nigeria – Africa’s largest economy – UBA has become one of the leading providers of banking and other financial services on the African continent.
The Bank which was awarded the Best Digital Bank in Africa by the Euromoney awards in 2018, provides services to over 17 million customers globally, through one of the most diverse service channels in sub-Saharan Africa, with over 1,000 branches and customer touch points and robust online and mobile banking platforms.
The shares of UBA are publicly traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange and the Bank has a well-diversified shareholder base, which includes foreign and local institutional investors, as well as individual shareholders.
Nigeria has approached the World Bank for a fresh $10.50m loan to enhance the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) technical capacity and modernise the country’s domestic payment infrastructure.
Olayemi Cardoso, Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria
According to information on the World Bank website on Thursday, the proposed CBN Technical Assistance Facility seeks to support integrating innovative technologies and data science into the CBN’s supervisory processes.
This is expected to help the apex bank tackle long-standing and emerging challenges in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving financial landscape while improving the domestic payment infrastructure for remittances.
The project, currently at the concept review stage, will focus on three key areas. Firstly, it aims to strengthen the CBN’s institutional capacity to keep pace with technological advancements through a robust governance framework, expert advisory support, peer-to-peer central bank exchanges, and modernisation of the CBN’s internal processes to align with the digital era.
Secondly, it will enhance the CBN’s supervisory capacity through technology and data improvements. This involves funding modern technical solutions, including Supervisory Technology systems, to improve data accuracy, operational efficiency, and risk-based supervision.
Thirdly, it aims to modernise domestic payment systems for remittances to improve their safety and reliability.
It will explore innovative methods to attract informal remittance flows into formal channels while conducting annual surveys on remittance households and fostering peer-to-peer learning for knowledge exchange.
According to the World Bank, the objective of this project is “to strengthen technology-enabled, data-driven, risk-based supervision at the CBN and improve domestic payment infrastructure for remittances in Nigeria.”
The project aligns with the government’s pursuit of a cashless economy and the increasing adoption of digital financial services in Nigeria.
The scheme, which has a commitment amount of $10.50m, is scheduled for board presentation approval on June 12, 2025. The implementing agency is the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Sterling Bank has called for the cancellation of bank transfer fees by major banks, announcing it will no longer take any money for itself for any local online transactions by its customers.
The announcement, made on April 1st, initially sparked widespread arguments, with many assuming it was a marketing prank tied to April Fools’ Day.
However, Sterling Bank, in a statement, has confirmed that it is not a stunt, that the zero-transfer-fee policy was real, and effective immediately.
With this move, Sterling becomes the first major Nigerian bank to take a definitive stand against the long-standing practice of charging customers for everyday digital transfers, an issue that has grown increasingly contentious as digital banking adoption deepens.
“We believe access to your own money shouldn’t come with a penalty,” said Obinna Ukachukwu, growth executive leading the Consumer and Business Banking Directorate, Sterling Bank
“This is more than a financial decision, it’s a values-based one. It reflects our commitment to making banking fair, inclusive, and truly customer focused.
“We’re not yet the biggest bank in Nigeria, but we’ve been the boldest,” Ukachukwu added.
“Sterling fearlessly believes in the future of Nigeria, and this is us backing Nigerians with more than words,” it sated.
Under the new policy, Sterling customers will enjoy free transfers for all local transactions conducted via the bank’s mobile app. This translates into significant savings, particularly for individuals and new small business owners who make frequent daily transfers.
The bank’s latest move has been met with widespread public approval, sparking positive reactions across social media and placing pressure on industry peers to follow suit.
We’re proud to lead this change,” Ukachukwu added. “We hope it inspires others to think differently about what customers truly need from their banks, not just in services, but in values.”
Fidelity Bank Plc has reported a pre-tax profit of N385.2 billion for 2024, representing a 210 per cent growth compared to the N124.3 billion recorded in 2023.
Dr Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, managing director/chief executive officer, Fidelity Bank Plc,
The bank, in a statement released on Monday, declared a total dividend of N2.10 per share following its strong financial performance in 2024.
Gross earnings increased by 87.7 per cent to N1,04 trillion, driven by a 106.9 per cent growth in interest and similar income to N950.6 billion.
The increase in interest income was attributed to improved yields on earning assets and a 51.6 per cent expansion in the earnings base to N6.3 trillion.
This led to a profit after tax of N278.1 billion, representing a 179.6 per cent annual growth.
Commenting on the results, Dr Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, managing director/chief executive officer, Fidelity Bank Plc, expressed satisfaction with the growth.
“We are delighted with our 2024 full-year (FY) performance, which showed strong growth across key revenue lines, improved asset quality and significant traction in our strategic business segments.
“Our impressive results led to a triple-digit increase by 210 per cent in Profit Before Tax (PBT), rising from N124.3 billion in 2023 to N385.2 billion in 2024,” she said.
A further review of the financial performance revealed that the bank’s net interest income increased by 127.1 per cent to N629.8 billion, driven by a high-yield environment in 2024.
To optimise its margin, the bank maintained asset yields above funding costs by maintaining a high low-cost deposit profile at 92.6 per cent.
This led to an increase in its Net Interest Margin from 8.1 per cent in 2023 FY to 12.0 per cent.
Similarly, the bank continued to deepen its market share in both the corporate and retail segments, with customer deposits increasing by 47.9 percent from N4 trillion in 2023 financial year to N5.9 trillion.
The increase was driven by strong double-digit growth across all deposit types.
The Retail Banking Business gained significant traction, with savings deposits increasing by 28.8 per cent to N1.1 trillion, marking the 10th consecutive year of double-digit annual growth in savings deposits.
In spite of the challenging economic conditions in 2024, the bank continued to support the real sector of the economy by increasing its Net Loans and Advances from N3.1 trillion in 2023 to N4.4 trillion in 2024.
“This remarkable performance demonstrates our capacity to deliver superior returns to our shareholders.
“In line with our commitment to them, we have declared a final dividend of N1.25 per share, bringing our total dividend for the 2024 financial year to N2.10 per share,” Onyeali-Ikpe explained.
Having consistently paid dividends since 2006, Fidelity Bank will pay investors a total dividend of N2.10 per share for the 2024 financial year.
This is subject to shareholders’ approval at its forthcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) on April 29, 2025.
The dividends will be paid on April 29, 2025, to shareholders whose names appear on the register of members as of April 15, 2025.
The bank successfully completed the first phase of its capital raising exercise through a Public Offer and Rights Issue in 2024, which were oversubscribed.
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