E-Financial
Seedstars Launches Platform to Develop Emerging, Diverse VC Managers
Seedstars officially launches Seedstars Capital, its investment platform for emerging venture capital (VC) fund managers with the support of xMultiplied, a Swiss based investment holding company.
The platform partners with emerging and diverse managers with local expertise and unique strategies and provides the necessary resources to launch new funds and develop their investment firms.
At the same time, it becomes the catalyst for investments into these early-stage firms by providing investors a diversified allocation solution to the asset class within emerging markets.
Seedstars is fully committed to the achievement of the UN’s SDGs and integrates ESG and impact considerations into its manager selection process to drive positive changes.
With the platform, Seedstars expects to drive over $500m of new funding into emerging and diverse managers, who will create more than 10,000 new jobs and generate over $20bn of additional GDP across emerging markets in the next 10 years.
Despite the exponential growth of the VC industry across emerging markets in recent years, most early-stage VC funds raised are small in size (i.e. below $50m AUM) and raised by an increasing number of new and diverse teams with limited track record and resources, which reduces the amount of capital limited partners can deploy to these skillful and highly talented managers.
Seedstars seeks to bridge those market inefficiencies by working alongside new and diverse managers in the development of their strategies, providing the resources of its large community of limited partners, mentors, experts, physical locations and the tech and administrative infrastructure.
By bringing these teams and assets together, Seedstars is building a global platform of high-performing and impactful strategies across emerging markets.
Benjamin Langer, Partner of Seedstars Capital comments, “We believe the venture capital industry needs to be more open and inclusive and we find highly talented managers across emerging markets.
“Unfortunately, most lack the scale and resources to attract institutional limited partners and depend on local funding to deploy their strategies and create the impact they long for.
“For limited partners,, the growing number of new managers makes it difficult to identify the best performing and most impactful strategies.
“By pooling their assets and bringing them under our community, we can accelerate the growth of rising managers while offering limited partners the visibility and investment vehicles they need to increase their allocation to the asset class.”
Vivek Chandaria, Managing Partner at xMultiplied shares, “We partnered with Seedstars given our common vision of creating wealth with positive impact across emerging markets. Providing outstanding new and diverse managers the possibility to execute on their strategies will fuel economic growth while achieving market investment returns”.
The first fund launched by the platform is Seedstars International Ventures, an industry agnostic pre-seed & seed stage emerging & frontier market fund. Recently, the fund announced its first close, which garnered support and commitments from notable limited partners such as IFC, Visa Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and Symbiotics.
The platform also works with Seedstars Africa Ventures, a regional-focused fund to back companies in the African continent. The fund has partnered with French private equity and asset manager LBO France to address the investment gap existing in the region.
Moreover, Seedstars is currently working towards launching funds focused on EdTech, supply chain, ClimateTech and other impact sectors with outstanding rising managers in emerging markets to be announced soon.
Seedstars is set to collaborate with a number of additional sector specific technology funds, active from Pre-Seed to Series A, in emerging and frontier markets.
Ecobank Nigeria has announced the successful repayment of the outstanding principal and accrued interest on its original $300 million Eurobond due February 16, 2026, marking a significant milestone in its liability management strategy and overall balance sheet strengthening efforts.
Following the full repayment of the Eurobond obligations, the Bank stated that it will now focus its funding initiatives primarily on the domestic capital markets. T
his strategic shift reflects growing confidence in Nigeria’s local debt market and aligns with Ecobank Nigeria’s long-term objective of optimising funding costs while deepening its participation in the domestic financial ecosystem.
“Going forward, Ecobank Nigeria will prioritise domestic credit ratings and local debt issuance to achieve its funding objectives,” stated Ogorchukwu Okwechime, Financial Controller, Ecobank Nigeria, in Lagos.
He added that the successful repayment reinforces the Bank’s commitment to maintaining a resilient balance sheet and sustaining investor confidence.
The tender offer was conducted with Renaissance Capital Africa (Renaissance Securities Nigeria Limited) acting as financial adviser and dealer manager, while Sodali & Co Limited served as tender agent.
The notes were originally issued by EBN Finance Company B.V., with limited recourse to the issuer, for the sole purpose of financing the purchase of the US$300 million 7.125 per cent Senior Note due 2026 issued by Ecobank Nigeria.
The transaction underscores Ecobank Nigeria’s proactive approach to liability management, prudent capital planning, and strategic alignment with evolving market conditions.
It further positions the Bank to leverage domestic funding opportunities while maintaining financial flexibility and operational stability.
Bank of Industry (BOI) has received approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to operate a Non-Interest Banking (NIB) Window.
Theodora Amechi, bank’s divisional head, Public Relations, said the regulatory nod allows BOI to launch non-interest banking operations, targeting underserved business segments with tailored financial solutions to support Nigeria’s industrial development.
BOI stated that NIB operations will promote inclusive growth, attract ethical funding, bolster the real economy, and finance customer assets and raw materials using approved non-interest products.
“This approval authorises BOI to commence Non-Interest Banking operations, positioning the bank to further advance Nigeria’s sustainable and inclusive industrial development through tailored financial solutions for underserved and high-impact business segments.
“The Non-interest Banking operations will enable BOI to drive inclusive growth, mobilise new ethical funding, expand support for the real economy, and align its financing activities with social and developmental objectives.
According to the bank, under this framework, BOI will be able to finance customers’ assets and raw materials using approved Non-Interest Banking products.
Announcing this milestone, Dr Olasupo Olusi, MD/CEO, Bank of Industry, said, “This licence marks a pivotal moment in the Bank’s journey of transforming Nigeria’s industrial sector. With this licence, we can reach a new category of borrowers who, before now, could not be served.”
He said the approval underscores the CBN’s confidence in the Bank’s commitment to responsible financing, adding that it will allow the bank to scale its operations, introduce innovative financing solutions, and deepen support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), as well as other underserved segments critical to Nigeria’s sustainable economic growth.
“BOI’s decision to commence Non-Interest Banking operations is aimed at expanding access to ethical funding for businesses—particularly those that have traditionally avoided conventional interest-based financing.
This initiative opens new opportunities for ethically motivated and faith-sensitive enterprises, as well as segments of the economy that face challenges accessing traditional credit.
It enables such businesses to access much-needed financing and participate confidently in the formal financial system in a manner consistent with their values and business realities.
Bank of Industry (BOI) is Nigeria’s foremost Development Finance Institution, committed to driving industrial growth and inclusive economic development,” Olusi said.
Established in 1959 as the Investment Company of Nigeria (ICON) and reconstituted as Nigerian Industrial Development Bank (NIDB) under World Bank guidance in 1964.
The Bank assumed its current form in 2001 following the merger of the Nigerian Bank for Commerce and Industry (NBCI) and the National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND).
The Bank’s primary mandate is to provide financial assistance for the establishment and expansion of large, medium, small-scale, and micro projects.
Zenith Bank Plc has cautioned the public against fraudulent videos circulating online falsely claiming that Group Chairman Dr. Jim Ovia endorses an investment scheme called “Wealth Bridge.”
Jim Ovia
In a disclaimer issued Tuesday by its management, the bank described the videos—circulated via the “Greece Island” Facebook handle—as entirely fake, doctored content bearing no connection to Dr. Ovia, the bank, or its affiliates.
The materials falsely promise up to N2 million in weekly returns for a N380,000 investment, while baselessly alleging Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) endorsement and redirecting viewers to a sham “Arise News” webpage with a signup portal.
“Our attention has been drawn to a doctored video and still pictures currently circulating on social media, purporting to depict the Group Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc (‘the Bank’) as endorsing an investment scheme called ‘Wealth Bridge’ on the ‘Greece Island’ Facebook handle and soliciting members of the public to engage in a business relationship with the so-called entity,” the statement read.
“This claim is entirely false and has no connection whatsoever to the Group Chairman, the Bank or any of its affiliate companies.”
Zenith Bank stressed that Dr. Ovia and the institution have no knowledge of or partnership with “Wealth Bridge,” “delicious sitee,” “AfriQuantumX,” “Stock market analyst 1,” or related entities. The public was warned that dealing with these schemes carries full personal risk.
Ravenewsonline urges vigilance against rising impersonation scams targeting financial institutions.
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