E-Financial
Access Bank Supports Women Entrepreneurs to Tap $2Bn Event Industry Opportunity
Access Bank through its W initiative is supporting women entrepreneurs in the event industry to tap the industry opportunity and scale their businesses.
Abiodun Olubitan, group head of women banking at Access Bank at a recent roundtable discussion with women entrepreneurs urged event industry practitioners to scale their businesses while seizing opportunities in the sector.
“The event industry is worth $2 billion annually and we need to pay attention to it,” Olubitan said. She noted that the bank is ready to support women entrepreneurs to expand, saying that the bank wants “to associate with them, hear them and support their business to grow, faster than they would do it on their own.”
Speaking also, Gbemisola Ajibulu, team lead, W Initiative, Access Bank disclosed that the bank decided to put the event together to underscore the role of practitioners in the event industry which is primarily dominated by women and their contribution to the economy at large.
“We understand that women play a very important role in the economy generally and the events industry is also a very important sector as well and it is majorly dominated by women,” Ajibulu said.
“We are not just a bank, we also care about businesses and their growth and about women doing business and how they can be equipped both with training and loans – both financially and non-financially at whatever capacity we can help when we need to do so as a bank” she added.
Bolanle Olosunde-Jenrola, chief executive officer of Writer Corporate & Personal Brand Story Architect, trained participants on how they can leverage social media to market their products and grow their client base.
“By putting yourself out there online, you make it possible for someone who is far away and has never heard of you before to patronize your products. So that way, businesses can now scale and increase their customers base,” she explained.
“Marketing online ensures that you can have multiple customers because many people know you,” she noted.
Kemi Awe of Kiversworld Catering and Services, a participant at the event applauded Access Bank for the W initiative and supporting small business operators to scale their businesses.
“Before this event, there were several things that I didn’t know about my business that I was able to learn during the breakout session. I now understand that it is possible to have all my CAC registration done by the bank, this will make my business official and registered,” she said.
“I also enjoyed the social media training session and the tips that were shared to enable me to grow my business online. In all, it was an amazing experience,” she added.
E-Financial
Greenwich Group Celebrates 30 Years of Financial Innovation
Greenwich Group, a leading financial solutions provider in Nigeria, is celebrating 30 years of delivering innovative financial solutions tailored to the evolving needs of stakeholders while contributing to the growth and development of the Nigerian economy.
The lead institution, formerly known as Greenwich Trust Ltd, has transitioned from its early days as a Financial Adviser and Issuing House into a Merchant Bank. In March 2024, Greenwich Merchant Bank was granted an Approval-In-Principle (AIP) by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for a non-operating financial holding company structure. Today, Greenwich Merchant Bank is the most capitalized Merchant Bank in Nigeria, with a strong asset base of ₦146 billion as of June 30, 2024.
In commemoration of its 30th Anniversary, the Company hosted an exclusive dinner event at the Grand Ballroom, Oriental Hotel in Lagos, to celebrate and appreciate its loyal Clients and Customers who have been part of the journey, as well as express its deep gratitude to the stakeholders, while rewarding 45 Staff members who have been instrumental in the Group’s journey to success. The event was well attended by dignitaries across board.
Amongst the awardees was a posthumous award for leadership, which was awarded to the late (Sir) Remi Omotosho with the sum of ₦50 million. The best Staff across the Greenwich Group, Mrs. Yakashim Shettem, also received the Kayode Falowo Award for Excellence which also went with a cash prize.
In his welcome remarks, Chairman of Greenwich Group, Kayode Falowo, expressed profound gratitude to God, appreciated the Company’s stakeholders, and noted that the dinner is part of the Group’s broader initiative to further appreciate its Clients and recognize the efforts of the Staff for their loyalty as it progresses to its next growth phase.
According to him, the institution is set to unfold a remarkable transformation by launching into new territories of businesses—Insurance, PFA and Fintech, as it has received an Approval-In-Principle from the Central Bank of Nigeria to operate as a holding company.
Speaking of some of the awardees, the Chairman hinted that Greenwich has continued to build on the legacy of the late (Sir) Remi Omotosho’s good governance, integrity, and professionalism, as he was part of the journey of the Company while alive. He further explained that the recipient of the Kayode Falowo Award for Excellence, Shettem was honored for epitomizing the core values of integrity, efficiency, innovation, loyalty, and transparency.
The Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, a special guest at the event, commended the Chairman of Greenwich for demonstrating exemplary leadership and commitment to excellence in his role for spearheading the remarkable traits that have significantly contributed to the growth and success of the Institution.
“We are celebrating the testament of the triumph of tenacity, which is predicated on faith, hope, and fortitude. Kayode is somebody who is dependable, reliable, and very consistent. Kayode upholds all the attributes of good governance. He has demonstrated himself to be a good manager of human and financial resources over the years. I am convinced that your best is yet to come,” he added.
In his vote of thanks, the MD of Greenwich Merchant Bank, Benson Ogundeji acknowledged the presence of the stakeholders, other distinguished guests, top executives of other banks, and valued customers. He emphasized the significance of the celebration, attributing the success of the past decade to the unwavering support and guidance of the Chairman which has been instrumental to the growth of the institution, the commitment of the Staff, and the unwavering faith of the esteemed Shareholders in the Company’s vision, as their continued patronage has been fundamental to Greenwich’s success.
Dignitaries who attended the event included the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun; Phillip Ikeazor, Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability of the CBN; President and Chairman of the Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Professor Pius Olanrewaju; Kayode Fayemi – Former Governor Ekiti State; Haruna Jalo Waziri, MD/CEO, CSCS Plc and Dr Emomotimi Agama, DG, SEC. Other dignitaries who attended the event included Mrs. Olufunke Agagu, the wife of a former Governor of Ondo State; Chief Pius Akinyelure, Chairman, Board of Directors, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Ray Atelly, Chairman, Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) and many others.
E-Financial
SEC Restates Commitment to Transparency in Fintech Regulation
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has assured stakeholders in the fintech space it is committed to ensuring transparency and integrity in the regulation of the space.
Dr. Emomotimi Agama, director general, SEC, said it has provided a level playing field to all applicants.
Agama, stated this during a meeting with Regulatory Incubation and Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Program applicants on Monday.
The SEC DG stated that the commission understands the anxiety and the need to be regulated but added that they have to be very careful even in its desire to be inclusive.
He said, “The process of registration is a very technical process because registration is the hallmark of regulation. It goes beyond onboarding and registering, it requires monitoring, education, and surveillance and all of these are continuous. This journey is a new one that we have not gone through before. As we continue, we will find challenges, which we need to solve because every challenge is solvable.
“I am here to assuage fears being exhibited, we have provided a level playing field but as a government institution we must take things into context while doing this. The groups that were admitted into the ARIP and RI are beginning to see that we have started demanding for some information, operational updates and more regulatory requirements in line with the concept of a Regulation Incubation Programme or a Sandbox as some other institutions call it. In doing this, we are understudying what they are doing and the risk that they pose to investors and to themselves.
“We have not only done that, we have also issued new regulations to the public, which we call an exposure document. If you look at it, it is an upgraded version of our earlier regulations and the regulation making process demands that we get your views as stakeholders before it becomes a regulation.”
Agama stated that the inputs of stakeholders is important as regulators cannot claim to know everything adding that the rules would be amended to include all valid points to make it an all-inclusive document.
He further disclosed that the commission has increased the space to include more regulations to accommodate more individuals, more institutions and more functions because accommodation is the stance of the government regarding the space.
E-Financial
Ecobank Warns against Fraud during Yuletide
Ecobank Nigeria has cautioned customers to be vigilant against fraudsters during the Yuletide while promising uninterrupted access to banking services through its digital platforms throughout the holiday season.
In a statement on Monday, Adeola Ogunyemi, head, Consumer Banking at Ecobank Nigeria, emphasised that customers can continue their shopping and transactions smoothly via the bank’s various digital channels.
Ogunyemi highlighted the Bank’s long-standing commitment to digital transformation, which aims to improve customer experience and provide alternative access to banking services.
Ecobank Nigeria is an affiliate of the Ecobank Group, the leading pan-African banking group.
The bank offers a comprehensive suite of financial services and solutions to consumer, commercial, corporate, and investment banking customers at over 240 branches and 35,000 Xpress Point agencies across Nigeria.
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