E-Financial
IFC Extends Financing to GTBank to Support SMB in Kenya
To help Kenyan businesses access more financing, including those with cash flows disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, IFC has extended a loan to Guaranty Trust Bank (Kenya) Ltd, a subsidiary of the Guaranty Trust Group, for on-lending to local businesses in the country.
GTBank Kenya will provide access to finance mainly to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the trade, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing sectors, among others, helping them retain and create jobs, and strengthen their operations.
IFC’s $15 million loan to GTBank Kenya is part of the $8 billion IFC Fast Track COVID-19 Facility launched in 2020. The facility is designed to support existing IFC clients in emerging markets affected by the economic fallout from COVID-19.
“The IFC loan will help the Bank meet the working capital and trade-related needs of businesses, especially SMEs that are part of our core clientele. These businesses were adversely affected by the pandemic and are now recovering and reviving as the economy opens up, therefore requiring the support of the Bank through access to credit,” said Olabayo Veracruz, Managing Director, GTBank Kenya.
“We hope to on-lend the facility to customers in the trade, FMCG, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical sectors primarily to fund working capital needs over the next year.”
“IFC is committed to supporting Kenya’s private sector, including strengthening its financial sector in order to help the country’s smaller businesses to access more financing. Our partnership with GTBank Kenya will deliver funds to businesses, allowing them to emerge stronger from the COVID-19 crisis,” said Amena Arif, IFC Country Manager for Kenya.
Pandemic-related disruptions caused Kenya’s real GDP to contract in 2020, with the country’s smaller businesses hit hard by supply chain disruptions and reduced economic activity. Although Kenya returned to pre-pandemic growth levels in 2021, 2022 is also proving challenging and smaller businesses still need added support to weather ongoing uncertainties.
IFC is committed to supporting Kenya’s long-term economic growth. IFC’s investment portfolio in Kenya stood at $940.1 million as of June 30, 2021 with most investments in the finance, manufacturing, agribusiness, and services sectors.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has unveiled a technology adoption assessment survey for registered capital market operators as part of efforts to deepen innovation and efficiency in the Nigerian capital market.
In a circular, the SEC stated that the exercise was designed to evaluate the level of adoption of advanced technologies among CMOs operating within the Nigerian capital market.
According to the notice, “The following technology adoption survey is designed by the Commission to assess the adoption of advanced technologies among registered Capital Market Operators.”
The SEC directed all registered operators to log into the e-portal at using their current access credentials to complete the survey. The exercise will run for two weeks, from 5 to 20 May 2025.
Speaking recently on the role of innovation in the capital market, Emomotimi Agama, director-general of the SEC, urged stakeholders to embrace technology as a catalyst for growth, improved transparency, operational efficiency, and market resilience.
He noted that the SEC recognises the emergence of new financial products and services driven by technological advancements, and remains committed to adapting its regulatory framework to meet the evolving needs of the market.
According to him, the commission’s approach to innovation is anchored on three pillars: investor safety, market deepening, and problem-solving aimed at building a robust and efficient capital market ecosystem.
Agama also highlighted the commission’s Regulatory Incubation Programme, which allows fintech startups to operate within a controlled environment for one year while appropriate rules are developed to govern their activities.
He said the programme is part of the SEC’s broader strategy to support innovation while safeguarding market integrity and investor interests.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) ,has confirmed that Nigeria has fully repaid about US$3.4 billion loan it got in April 2020 under the Rapid Financing Instrument to help alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the sharp fall in oil prices.
IMF said the loan has been repaid as of April 30, 2025 in a statement issued in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital on Thursday.
However, IMF said Nigeria is still expected to honour some additional payments in forms of Special Drawing Rights charges hat will amount to US$30 million annually.
“In line with the IMF’s Articles of Agreements, these charges, levied at the SDR interest rate, which is updated at the beginning of each week, apply to the difference between Nigeria’s SDR holdings (SDR 3,164 million) (US$4.3 billion) and its cumulative SDR allocation (SDR 4,027 million) (US$5.5 billion)
“The net payment of the charges stops when Nigeria’s SDR holdings reach the cumulative allocation amount,” IMF said in the statement. Online fitness
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has allotted N598.33 billion in Nigerian Treasury Bills across three different maturities, with the 365-day bill dominating the auction, accounting for 80 percent of total sales and subscriptions.
A total of N482.62 billion was sold in the 365-day tenor, highlighting strong investor interest in the longer-term security.
The 91-day bill saw the least demand, with subscriptions of N48.4 billion and actual sales amounting to just N38.4 billion. This latest issuance brings the total Treasury bill sales for the year to N7.248 trillion.
At the auction held on Wednesday, May 7, the CBN offered N550 billion across the three maturities, N50 billion for the 91-day, N100 billion for the 182-day, and N400 billion for the 364-day bills. Despite total subscriptions dipping to N1.08 trillion from N1.53 trillion recorded at the previous auction, the auction was still oversubscribed, reflecting continued high liquidity in the financial system.
This demand pressure kept yields largely stable. The 365-day bill saw a marginal increase in yield to 24.41 percent from 24.36 percent, while the 182-day and 91-day yields remained unchanged at 20.38 percent and 18.85 percent, respectively. Yields have maintained a consistent level over the last four auctions, indicating a stable interest rate environment despite fluctuations in demand.
As of May 6, 2025, system liquidity stood at N1.21 trillion. When combined with maturing bills worth N287.98 billion, the total available liquidity more than tripled the N550 billion offered at the auction, further underscoring the robust investor appetite for government securities amid high market liquidity.
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