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E-Financial

CBN to Penalise Banks with MICR Reject by November 1

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Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has  said it will monitor the level of compliance by Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in accordance with its recently issued circular on the Nigerian cheque standard and added that it will sanction any bank with Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) reject by November 1. 2023.

CBN to Penalise Banks with MICR Reject by November 1

Cheque book with a blank cheque

The apex bank also assured that the recently lifted ban on 43 items will ensure that its monetary policy tools will become more effective with the attainment of a unified, well-functioning market for FX, where pricing is based on a willing-buyer and willing-seller system. With this, the CBN’s core functions and mandates become realisable.

The CBN in a circular titled; Circular on the revised Nigeria Cheque Standard (NCS) and Nigeria Cheque Printers Accreditation Scheme (NICPAS): MICR Rejects, noted that its NCS standard tagged version 2.0 was released with the aim of increasing the efficiency and security of the Nigeria Clearing System.

It however stated that MICR rejects have been on the increase wand ordered that in furtherance of the bank’s effort to reduce the number, DMBs must contact their personalisers and reiterate the need to revalidate the MICR code line details for correctness in accordance with the NCS and NICPAS version 2.0.

“Furthermore, both the presenting and receiving banks should also thoroughly examine their in-house cheque processing equipment to ensure that they are properly calibrated and supervised”, the CBN said.

It added that this is to eliminate distortion of image and data being transmitted during cheque truncation process.

It said, “Please note that the bank will monitor compliance with the provision of this circular and any bank with MICR reject starting from 1st November 2023 would be penalised in accordance with the sanctions grid”.

Meanwhile, the bank has expressed belief that its monetary policy tools will become more effective after it lifted the ban on 43 items.

It noted that the willing-buyer and willing-seller system allows the exchange rate to adjust to clear the market and ensure that there is always supply.

According to the bank, the widening premium between the official rate and the parallel market in recent months indicates that the rate has not been setting a clearing price and added that importers of these products rely on the parallel market to source FX for importing these goods.

This, the bank said, puts additional demand pressures on the parallel market, thereby widening the gap with the official rate and permanently segmenting the market.

“Removing these restrictions eliminates the need for importers of these products to go to the parallel market, reducing the pressure on the naira. The hitherto FX restrictions had implications on inflation, causing the prices of affected goods to increase”, the CBN said.

Speaking on how this benefits local production, the bank said, “Local production will benefit from cheaper imported inputs, and consumers will benefit from cheaper retail products. The policy is suitable for a unified FX market and positive as well for inflation. It is expected that employment generation will be boosted as closed factories re-open. Price stability will benefit the economy and the standard of living in general”.

 

 

 


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E-Financial

GTCO to Become First Nigerian Bank to List on London Stock Exchange

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By 8 am on July 9, GTCO Holdings is set to commence trading on the London Stock Exchange.

GTCO to Become First Nigerian Bank to List on London Stock Exchange

As the group is set to list all its shares on the London Stock Exchange, becoming the first Nigerian banking entity to do so.

This is as the group launches a public offer of new ordinary shares to raise approximately $100 million on the London Stock Exchange.

The equity offering, which is an accelerated bookbuild and managed by Citigroup, began on July 2 and is to last until July 31.

On July 31, the group announced that it would cancel the listing of its Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) on the UK Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Official List.

It will also cancel their admission to trading on the London Stock Exchange (LSE)’s main market.

In place of the GDRs, the group will list all its ordinary shares directly.

aims to admit all its shares to the equity shares category for international commercial companies under a secondary listing on the FCA’s Official List.

The shares will also begin trading on the LSE’s main market for listed securities.

According to a regulatory filing on the London Stock Exchange, the net proceeds from the offering will be used to recapitalize GTBank Nigeria.

Based on the prevailing exchange rate of N1,540 to the US dollar, the targeted $100 million equates to approximately N154 billion.

This capital raise is expected to position the Group to fully meet the N500 billion minimum paid-up share capital required by regulators for banks with international licenses.

As of now, both Zenith Bank and Access Holdings have already met—and exceeded—this threshold.

 


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E-Financial

NAICOM Issues New Licenses to SanlamAllianz Life, General Insurance

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The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has handed over new licenses to SanlamAllianz Life and General Insurance Nigeria Ltd at brief ceremony held in Abuja.

Olusegun Omosehin, commissioner for Insurance emphasized the Commission’s commitment to supporting the growth of insurance entities in the country, while ensuring strict compliance with regulatory requirements. He urged the companies to prioritize good corporate governance, stability, and timely claims settlement processes.

The Commissioner reiterated NAICOM’s dedication to removing unnecessary bottlenecks and improving the insurance industry’s overall performance. He expressed confidence that the merger would enhance the companies’ capabilities and contribute to the industry’s growth.

SanlamAllianz recently launched its operations in Nigeria, marking a significant step in the company’s Pan-African expansion.

The launch follows the merger of Sanlam and Allianz’s Nigerian operations, creating a new entity named SanlamAllianz Nigeria.

This joint venture aims to transform the Nigerian insurance landscape by offering enhanced customer experiences, innovative solutions, and improved financial inclusion.


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E-Financial

World Bank Approves Extra $65m for Nigeria’s SPESSE

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World Bank has approved an additional $65 million loan for Nigeria to support the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental, and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) project, increasing the total financing for the initiative to $145 million.

World Bank Approves Extra $65m for Nigeria’s SPESSE

The approval was granted on June 24, 2025, according to details posted on the World Bank’s website, which also indicates that the project’s status has moved to “active” following the approval.

The SPESSE project, initially launched with an $80 million loan approved in February 2020, aims to strengthen institutional capacity for managing procurement, environmental, and social standards in both the public and private sectors across Nigeria.

The World Bank described the project’s development objective as the establishment of sustainable capacity in these areas.

This latest approval is part of a broader wave of financing expected from the World Bank to Nigeria in 2025.

The bank is scheduled to approve loans totalling $1.61 billion over the coming months, supporting various development initiatives.

Among these is a $300 million loan for the ‘Solutions for the Internally Displaced and Host Communities Project,’ expected to be finalised by the end of July.

This project aims to improve access to basic services and economic opportunities for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in selected local government areas in northern Nigeria.

In September, the World Bank plans to approve four additional loans: a $10.5 million facility to support technical assistance for the Central Bank of Nigeria, a $300 million Health Security Program targeting Western and Central Africa (Nigeria – Phase IV), a $500 million project for building resilient digital infrastructure (BRIDGE), and a $500 million loan under the Nigeria Sustainable Agricultural Value-Chains for Growth project aimed at promoting sustainable growth and job creation within key agricultural sectors.

Earlier in March 2025, the bank approved three financing requests amounting to $1.13 billion.

These funds are directed towards projects focused on enhancing quality education, boosting household and community resilience, and improving nutrition.

Among the approved loans were $80 million for the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria 2.0 project, $552 million for the HOPE for Quality Basic Education for All programme, and $500 million for the Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus Programme.

In February, the Nigerian government announced expectations of new World Bank loans totalling $2.2 billion for six different projects in 2025. This follows a $1.5 billion loan disbursed in 2024 aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s economic stability and resource mobilisation efforts.


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