E-Financial
Elumelu Advocates Collaborations to Boost Africa’s Fortunes
Tony O. Elumelu, group chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has said that the Corona virus pandemic has presented a perfect opportunity for foreign investors to invest in Africa, owing to the huge opportunities that are inherent in the African economy.
“This is the time to invest. Africa is a land of opportunities; There is huge population and there is now the realisation by African leaders who are creating an enabling environment to encourage these investments,” Elumelu said on Thursday, while speaking at a virtual session organised by the TIME100TALKS on the theme, ‘Empowering Entrepreneurs’.
Bill Gates, Founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and United States Senator, Tammy Duckworth were other thought leaders who also spoke in sessions at the event.
While pointing out that the African continent is well positioned to emerge into a strong digital economy, Elumelu said, there is now more macro-economic stability than ever before, especially given that the young African is energetic, restless and has the ambition to succeed, in the face of difficult circumstances.
“Challenges exist in Africa, but we have huge returns on investments. There is huge population and there is realisation by African leaders who are now creating an enabling environment to encourage investments into Africa. There is no better time to make the multi-million dollar bet I made in Africa, than the times we live in now,” he said in a chat with Kimberly Dozier, a Time Correspondent who moderated the session.
Speaking on the effect that the pandemic has had on the operations of UBA in the last few months, Elumelu noted that there has been a rapid increase in technological embrace and called for the strengthening of infrastructure, networks and digital platforms to support the growth.
“In banking business this whole digital transformation is heightened further by COVID-19, right now, you have less than 15% of our over 20million bank customers that are transacting in the bank. Most of them now transact online, which is 85% of over 20million customers. That is significant. Before COVID, it was about 65%. UBA is seeing an explosion in its digital platforms. Thankfully, the bank invested significantly in technology, and now, they are investing even more so that they can serve their customers better. So, the digital connectivity technical infrastructure should be strengthened in such a way as to aid this explosion we are seeing,” Elumelu said.
He also spoke on how the Tony Elumelu Foundation, which he founded, has been supporting the growth of its entrepreneurs especially in the tough business climate presented by the ravaging coronavirus pandemic.
“Through the TEF virtual platform called the TEFConnect, we are able to engage our entrepreneurs on a day-to-day basis; get resource speakers from all over the world and ourselves, to talk to them and to train them and let them know how to manage difficult moments like this. And I can say that at-least 72% of our 9,500 beneficiaries are hanging in there, expanding their businesses. You know most SMEs typically die after their first year, but we are seeing a different trend, where beneficiaries of our programme in different countries are contributing towards fighting the virus in their different countries. We are seeing the creation of jobs, the one million jobs we set out to achieve,” he noted.
The TEFConnect Community is a meeting ground where entrepreneurship ecosystem players share information and ask questions on their business activity. Currently one million entrepreneurs are on TEFConnect
Elumelu seized the opportunity to call on all bodies and key sectors such as the private sector, public sector, development agencies like the African Development Bank and other institutions to work together to make a difference, adding that “What the world needs today and Africans, in particular, is hope and that to me is what will make the difference but that hope has to be backed by tangibility, some substance so that we can make it work.”
In his submission, Bill Gates sought for collaboration between the private and public sector to end the pandemic, adding “Every country has to think through the right policies to stop the spread, there is need to speed up the process of getting new drugs and vaccines, we need a global response.”
Senator Duckworth who also emphasised the need for funding for teaching and appreciation for teachers, advocated for more teamwork at all levels to fight the pandemic, said, “What the country needs is a team that will step forward to deal with the crisis. It is very significant for me to be on a national stage for other Asian Americans, because we often are the forgotten minority in this country.”
TIME100 Talks, an initiative of TIME magazine, is a new live event series that convenes leaders from every field to spotlight solutions to urgent global problems and encourage cross-disciplinary action.
The third edition of the annual cybercrime exposure and prevention event, The Hackers Secret Conference 2025 (THSC2025) is slated to be held on Friday, July 25, 2025.
The event, which aims to bring stakeholders together to keep them abreast of prevailing criminal activities in cyberspace and the required preventive measures, will host key industry players and speakers from different ICT platforms to real out intriguing information that will aid crime fighting in this cyber era.
The event, which is organized annually by IIMONEX ICT LTD, a prominent ICT firm in Nigeria, will be held at the Prestigious Sheba Event Centre at number 20, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria at 9 am.
Keynote speaker expected at the event is Dr. Harrison Nnaji (Ph’D), Group CISO, First Bank.
Other guests expected at the event are Obiora Awogu, CISO, MTN PSB, Prayer Ufot, Cybersecurity, Data Protection Expert and AI Generalist; Adesola Oguntimehin, Founder, Cyber Patron Network, Delight Hamilton, Information Security Officer, Piggyvest and
Chief Executive Officer of iiMONEX, Mr. Udoh Michael Essiet describes the event as a cyber defence conference that brings together Cyber Experts, thought leaders, cyber security students, technology companies and technology vendors to discuss the latest cyber threats and how to defend against them.
According to him, “This year’s edition we are focusing on skills acquisition, we want to create opportunities for cyber security beginners, intermediate and advanced level professionals to network with industry leaders and kick start their career as cyber security Analyst and ethical hackers.
“We also want to create a live penetration testing session during THSC2025, Participants will watch ethical hackers break down attacks and provide expert solutions.
“In this year’s edition, we also invite Software Brands to authorize our ethical hackers to test their digital products live to gain users trust and Brand exposure.”
The THSC initiator however urged industry players to braze up for the event and throw their weights behind it for an effective impact on the industry and across the globe.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a strong advisory, warning the Nigerian public against participating in the presale or promotion of a new cryptocurrency known as Punisher Coin, or $PUN, citing regulatory breaches and a high risk of investor fraud.
In a public notice released on Sunday, the capital market regulator described the ongoing presale of Punisher Coin as “unauthorized and illegal,” warning that the asset and its promoters are not registered to operate within Nigeria’s capital market ecosystem.
“The attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission has been drawn to several online publications blatantly advertising the unauthorized presale of a cryptocurrency termed Punisher Coin, also known as $PUN,” the SEC stated, citing a report in the Daily Trust e-paper which claimed the coin could rival established tokens like Avalanche and Chainlink.
The Commission categorically disassociated itself from the coin and emphasized that neither it nor its promoters have received regulatory approval.
“Punisher Coin aka $PUN and its promoters are not registered by the Commission to promote, launch, sell, trade, or solicit investments from the Nigerian public,” the statement read.
According to preliminary findings, the SEC said Punisher Coin qualifies as a “meme coin”—a type of digital asset typically lacking intrinsic value, utility, or a defined project roadmap. These coins are often driven by social media hype and influencer promotion, which the Commission warned makes them especially vulnerable to manipulation and sudden collapse.
“Further investigation has revealed that Punisher Coin or $PUN is a meme coin. Meme coins generally have no use case or intrinsic value. Their price movements are usually driven by social media buzz and influencer promotion, which are prone to manipulation and abrupt collapses,” the SEC added.
The Commission cautioned that such tokens are commonly used in “pump-and-dump” schemes, where promoters artificially inflate a coin’s value through hype before selling off their holdings at a profit—leaving unsuspecting investors with worthless tokens.
“In light of these findings, any person who invests in such a scheme does so at his or her own risk,” the SEC warned.
Reaffirming its investor protection mandate, the Commission urged Nigerians to verify the legitimacy of any crypto asset offering, as well as the registration status of promoters and platforms, via its official fintech verification portal: SEC Fintech Verification Portal
This latest warning reflects the SEC’s growing concern over the proliferation of unregistered digital asset schemes targeting Nigerian investors amid a global cryptocurrency boom.
Gambaryan, Binance Executive Leaves Company after 8-Month Detention in Nigeria
Tigran Gambaryan, Binance executive, is leaving the exchange after four years of service, eight months of which were marked by detention in Nigeria for money laundering allegations.
Tigran Gambaryan, Binance executive Pix created by photogrid
Gambaryan, praises Changpeng Zhao’s commitment to building a stronger compliance framework.
Having been cleared of all charges, Gambaryan’s departure from Binance marks the end of a tumultuous chapter for both him and the company.
Earlier yesterday, Tigran Gambryan shared an X post, announcing his departure from Binance. He wrote, “Today is my last day at Binance, marking the end of a chapter I’m deeply proud of.”
In a heartfelt farewell, Gambaryan reflected on his four-year tenure at Binance, where he built and led the company’s global investigations function.
Addressing founder Changpeng Zhao, he praised his commitment to building a stronger compliance framework. He noted,
“[CZ] was committed to bringing in experienced leadership to help the company engage more constructively with law enforcement. His support for our mission never wavered, and I’ll always be grateful for the trust he placed in me and the team.”
Further, he highlighted the team’s notable achievements during his tenure. Notably, the team handled over 57,000 law enforcement requests and provided critical support in cases involving financial crimes. He has also led the training of thousands of officials worldwide.
To exemplify, he highlighted cases like assisting the Royal Thai Police.
The team helped them in taking down a massive $270 million crypto fraud scheme targeting citizens in Thailand and the US. He also pointed to the collaboration with Nigeria’s EFCC to recover over $400,000 in illicit funds and provide advanced training to their agents.
Notably, his departure comes following Coinbase’s recent data breach.
The incident exposed personal details of prominent figures like Sequoia Capital’s Managing Partner, Roelof Botha.
Tigran Gambaryan was the Head of Financial Crime Compliance at Binance, who served the exchange for four years.
During a business trip to Nigeria, Gambryan was arrested along with another Binance executive over money laundering allegations.
During his nearly eight-month detention, Gambaryan reportedly endured harsh conditions that took a toll on his health.
Though Gambaryan suffered from malaria and pneumonia, he reportedly received inadequate medical care.
In addition, in a September 2, 2024, court hearing, Gambaryan was subjected to ‘inhumane treatment’ by Nigerian authorities, as evidenced by a video.
However, following consistent requests from his family and influential figures, Gambaryan was finally released and cleared of all charges in October 2024.
It is noteworthy that the Nigerian government sued Binance when the exchange was facing a lawsuit from the US SEC.
While Nigeria is still pursuing the case, the SEC recently dismissed its lawsuit against the exchange.
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