E-Financial
InfraCredit Secures UK-funded Debt Issuance Guarantee
InfraCredit, has announced the credit enhancement of Darway Coast Nigeria Limited’s green debt issue, under a co-financing arrangement with the £10 million Climate Finance Blending Facility funded by the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), an initial transaction under InfraCredit’s Clean Energy Funding Programme.
The Programme seeks to aggregate, de-risk and unlock domestic institutional investments to support eligible clean energy projects in Nigeria to contribute towards meeting the country’s universal electrification goal by 2030 and the SDG 7 target of ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all, whilst putting the country on a path to achieve net zero emissions by 2060.
Speaking on the transaction, Mr. Henry Ureh, the Managing Director of Darway Coast Nigeria Limited, in a statement said, “For mini-grid developers, access to long term affordable local currency finance is critical for sustainability and scale, which is why we are extremely excited about the possibility of participating in such a milestone transaction.
“That mini-grid developers like us can now access patient green capital in naira from domestic institutional investors, to construct off-grid infrastructure for renewable energy access to unelectrified rural communities in Nigeria for productive use, is unprecedented.”
Also, the CEO of InfraCredit, Chinua Azubike, in a statement said, “According to Nigeria’s Integrated Energy Planning Tool, it is estimated that up to $16.4 billion of funding will be required to finance off-grid infrastructure for solar mini-grids and stand-alone solar systems that will electrify 621,000 unserved communities not connected to the grid, which represents 98% of the identified settlements without energy access.
“However, Nigerian domestic institutional investors assets under management in local currency, is estimated at over $35 billion, but less than one per cent is currently invested as domestic credit to the private sector due to perceived risks and limited quality projects.”
The UK Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Ben Llewellyn-Jones said, “We are very pleased that this innovative UK-funded blended finance facility, managed by InfraCredit, has supported the first green-certified local currency debt issue for off-grid solar in Nigeria.
Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has said that it has obtained Winding up Orders for 96 out of 183 microfinance and primary mortgage banks whose licenses were revoked by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in May 2023.
Bello Hassa, managing director, NDIC, stated this at a sensitisation seminar for Judges of the Federal High Court in Lagos organised by the NDIC, to enlighten the judiciary on the intricacies of the banking industry.
Hassan said, “As at date, the Corporation had obtained Winding up Orders for 96 out of 183 Micro Finance and Primary Mortgage Banks whose licenses were revoked by the CBN in May 2023, in less than one Year of revocation.”
He added that the NDIC was committed to fulfilling its mandate of protecting depositors through bank supervision, failure resolution and liquidation so as to boost confidence in the financial system.
Speaking on the role that the judiciary plays in the fulfillment of the mandate, Hassan said, “We recognise the judiciary as one of our critical stakeholders. With this, when cases are brought before them, they can receive accelerated hearing and proclamation of Justice.”
Citing some of the achievements from previous editions of the seminar, Hassan said that instances where liquidation-related litigations experienced delays were reduced.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has withdrawn its earlier circular directing financial institutions to implement the national 0.5 per cent cyber security levy after the policy was largely resisted.
The withdrawal of the circular was announced via a statement signed by Haruna Mustafa, director, Financial Policy and Regulation, Department and Chibuzo Efobi, director, Payment System Management Department.
The apex bank confirmed the suspension in a circular issued on May 17, 2024 with reference number PSMD/DIR/PUB/LAB/017/005 addressed to commercial banks, mobile money operators, and other financial institutions.
In an earlier circular issued on May 6, 2024 with reference PSMD/DIR/PUB/LAB/017/004, the bank mandated financial institutions to charge a 0.5 per cent levy on all electronic transactions.
President Bola Tinubu last week ordered the suspension of the National Cybersecurity levy.
The Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) has called for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) guidance and collaboration in harmonising the peer-to-peer forex sector in the country.
At an official courtesy visit to the newly appointed SEC Director-General, Dr. Timi Agama, the President of Association of Bureau de Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Aminu Gwadabe, who congratulated the SEC D-G on his appointment, observed that SEC regulates the sector that continues to threaten the existence of BDCs in Nigeria through online virtual transactions platforms which give access to millions of Nigerians to trade in foreign exchange without trace and accountability.
He also explained that ABCON has invested in requisite technology to ensure the continued existence of the business and the preservation of the integrity of the sub-sector, stressing that the future of BDC’s business was digital currency. The ABCON boss said that the meeting with the SEC DG and his executive board was a follow up to an earlier online virtual consultation.
Gwadabe explained that ABCON, the umbrella body for all licensed retail foreign exchange dealers, was established in 1991 to liaise with regulators, relevant stakeholders and security agencies for a transparent retail end forex market.
Gwadabe said: “As at today, there are over 34 million Nigerians dealing in digital currency and the number is rising by about nine percent with a huge market of $9 billion annually. There are thousands of multichannel virtual currency FX platforms and none is indigenous to Nigeria, adding that P2P represents individual-to-individual transaction.
“To automate the entire foreign exchange retail market, ABCON has partnered with the Commodities Exchange Board in building the platform knowing that they have sources of foreign exchange. ABCON is willing to work with SEC towards achieving full automation of the retail end of the foreign exchange market in Nigeria.
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