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Ecobank Nigeria to Disburse Conditional Cash Transfer Via Mobile Money

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Ecobank Nigeria, Pan-African financial institution, has been appointed to assist The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) scheme aimed at assisting indigent and less-privileged families with monthly social subventions.

The 12 months cycle programme, which is part of Nigeria’s determination to achieve the MDGs desirable objectives before the 2015 deadline would have funds disbursed to over 56, 000 households in 600 communities in the first phase.

The bank has already deployed agent points in 600 communities/local government areas across the 24 states while product education as well as customer support services to the beneficiaries is already in progress.

24 states in Africa’s second largest economy will benefit from the scheme. The states selected for this phase are Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Kwara, Niger, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Yobe and FCT, Abuja.

Nigeria provides N187.5 million ($1.2 million) for each of these states, while the states provide a matching grant of equal amount.

“The countdown strategy as a catalytic policy of attaining the MDGs in the country, is closely linked with the government’s transformation agenda; the motive force for socio-economic transformation with the focus of making Nigeria one of the leading economies in the world by year 2020,” a statement released by Ecobank stated.

Speaking on the partnership over the weekend, Jibril Aku, Ecobank’s managing director, said the bank already had N6.2 billion ($38.3 million) in its coffers ready for disbursement through the Ecobank Mobile Money platform.

N5, 000 ($31) would be disbursed monthly for 12 months into the beneficiaries’ wallet while bulk-sum of N100,000 ($618) would be paid to each beneficiary at the end of the program as an exit strategy, Aku said.


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E-Financial

Lagos State Appoints MoneyMaster as Payment Partner for “Ounje Eko” Programme

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“Ounje Eko”, the food price discount initiative of the Lagos State Government, has appointed leading payment service bank, MoneyMaster Payment Service Bank Limited (MMPSB), as its collaborator in the bid to ensure ease of payments at the market.

MoneyMaster is one of the Central Bank of Nigeria-licensed Payment Service Banks (PSBs) to promote financial inclusion across Nigeria.

Under the partnership, MMPSB will apply its cutting-edge payment solution to engender easy payment and reconciliation in order to make   the experiences of Lagosians who will be getting their food supplies from the markets pleasurable. Its payment solution is also all-encompassing and ensures real time value to payment destinations.

The mobile bank was appointed as the collection and payment partner for “Ounje Eko” Food Markets programme which is a government initiative serving the five divisions of Lagos State. Consequent on this, MoneyMaster Payment Service Bank will collect payments in 57 LCDAs in the state.

The partnership gives credence to the quality of payment solutions that MoneyMaster is reputed for in its services to its growing business clientele in private and public sectors.

 


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E-Financial

CBN, EFCC Probe Banks, Firms over Alleged Forex Racketeering

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Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is investigating irregular foreign exchange transactions and forward contracts valued at approximately $2.4 billion.

CBN, EFCC Probe Banks, Firms over Alleged Forex Racketeering

The  inquiry follows an extensive audit by Deloitte, which scrutinized $7 billion in dollar debts accumulated under the bank’s previous leadership.

In the aftermath of the 294th Monetary Policy Committee meeting in Abuja, Yemi Cardoso, governor of CBN,  disclosed to journalists that the investigation, supported by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, among other security bodies, aims to clarify the legitimacy of these FX allocations identified as problematic by the audit.

“It was determined that a number of these transactions did not qualify…they were outright illegal. The law enforcement agencies are now looking into those transactions that as far as we are concerned, are not valid to be paid,” Cardoso detailed, emphasizing the unlawful nature of these forex deals.

The crux of the investigation lies in the audit findings that a significant portion of the scrutinized transactions lacked proper documentation and, in many instances, were deemed outright illegal.

However, the unfolding investigation has raised concerns within the organized private sector, with some entities contemplating legal action against commercial banks for unresolved forex bids.

Despite these tensions, Governor Cardoso reassures that the foreign exchange market remains open and transparent, inviting stakeholders to address their forex needs through the official channels.

Furthermore, Cardoso clarified the distribution of fertilizers to farmers as a one-off measure and not indicative of a shift back to direct interventions by the CBN, underscoring a commitment to strategic, regulatory governance rather than direct market involvement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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CBN Urges Banks to Expedite Action on Recapitalisation

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Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed deposit money banks in the country to expedite action to increase their capital base from the current ₦25bn.

CBN Urges Banks to Expedite Action on Recapitalisation

Olayemi Cardoso, governor of CBN

Olayemi Cardoso, governor of CBN, stated this during the apex bank’s 294th meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on Tuesday in Abuja, when the MPC hiked the interest rate by 22.75% to 24.75%.

The apex bank chief said the MPC examined developments in the banking sector and expressed satisfaction that the industry remained stable. The committee, however, said to guard against risk, commercial banks in the country should accelerate their recapitalisation efforts.

Cardoso said, “The MPC also reviewed developments in the banking system and noted that the industry remains safe, sound, and stable. The committee thus called on the bank to sustain its surveillance and ensure compliance of banks with existing regulatory and macro-potential guidelines.

“The MPC also enjoined the banks to expedite actions on the recapitalisation of banks to strengthen the system against potential risks in an increasingly globalised world.”

 

 

 

 


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