E-Financial
CBN Renews Hope on Funding of Legitimate Forex Demand

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reassured stakeholders in the foreign exchange market that it will continue to fund legitimate demand for foreign currencies at its official window.
The apex bank gave the assurance, while briefing journalists at the end of the Bankers Committee meeting, in Lagos.
Hafeez Omar, managing director of Citi Bank, who made the disclosure on behalf of the Committee, as part of the far reaching decisions of the meeting, pointed out that CBN Governor assured the market that all genuine demand for forex would be met.
He also reiterated that the state of the reserves remained resilient, while the central bank wants to assure all stakeholders that there is no reason to panic in the market.
Mrs. Tokunbo Martins, director of Banking Supervision, also allayed fears on the state of the nation’s economy and that despite all the headwinds- global and domestic, the banking industry remained safe, sound and resilient.
According to her, the banking sector has shown resilience in terms of capital adequacy level, liquidity, profitability and asset quality.
She pointed out that industry-wide, all the banks on average were above the regulatory minimum, hence could be declared safe, sound and resilient.
She also assured that banks have no much concerns over its exposures in oil sector, as there have been rebounds in the oil sector for the past two weeks, noting that the capital level of Nigerian banks is enough to accommodate the vagaries.
Ladi Balogun, managing director of First City Monument Bank, however, highlighted the positive trend in the nation’s non-oil revenue growth in recent times.
According to him, while it has been widely reported that there is drop in the fiscal revenue, it was also noted that there was over N75 billion recorded in non-oil revenue in the same period, with expectations this year that it would increase to over N150 billion.
“The good news about that is that while there might be some structural challenges historically, the trend is very positive in terms of diversification of the economy and certainly, the banking industry will continue to play its role in supporting that diversification, with the variety of things going on in the Small and Medium Enterprises’ space, agriculture and others.
“So, we feel that these challenges are temporary and with what we have seen in non-oil revenue and the support that the banking industry is committed to giving to the real sector, we would surely come out stronger,” he said.
E-Financial
Kuda Microfinance Bank Releases ‘My Year on Kuda’ 2025 Financial Recap

Kuda Microfinance Bank has unveiled the 2025 edition of “My Year on Kuda,” its annual recap providing customers with personalised insights into their spending, saving, and money management habits from the previous year.

Kuda Microfinance Bank
The tool analyses transaction data across categories like transfers, card payments, online purchases, and bills, revealing patterns such as highest-spending months, biggest payments, saving frequency, and savings from Kuda’s 25 free monthly transfers. Customers can compare 2025 activity against 2024, including income versus expenditure.
In an era of inflation and economic uncertainty, the recap promotes financial literacy by highlighting responsible borrowing via Kuda Overdraft usage, including access frequency, amounts borrowed, and repayment patterns.
Customer-shared screenshots on X reflect national trends: Nigeria recorded over 2.2 billion electronic transactions worth ₦285 trillion in Q1 2025, up 20 percent year-on-year, with POS terminals driving the shift to cashless commerce.
Kuda Group CEO Babs Ogundeyi, in the recap’s opening video, urged users: “Before you carry on with January, this is the perfect time to see everything you did with your money on Kuda last year and learn something.”
The feature underscores Kuda’s focus on actionable insights to help Nigerians navigate evolving personal finance amid shifting earning and spending behaviours.
E-Financial
Wema Bank Launches SAW AI Voice Assistant for Seamless Banking on ALAT 2.0

Wema Bank has introduced SAW, a new AI voice assistant integrated into the ALAT 2.0 app, allowing customers to manage finances through natural voice commands similar to Siri, Bixby, or Alexa.

Wema Bank
SAW understands everyday language and delivers instant responses tailored to banking needs, such as checking account balances, transferring money, reviewing transactions, and accessing support.
This feature brings conversational banking to Nigerian users, eliminating complexity and enhancing accessibility.
The bank positions SAW as a pioneer in AI-powered financial services, aligning with global trends where millions interact daily with voice assistants for tasks like setting reminders or playing music.
ALAT 2.0 represents the next evolution in digital banking, making services more efficient, personal, and human-like for everyday Nigerians.
E-Financial
Ecobank Offsets Repayment of $300m Eurobond Notes

Ecobank Nigeria Limited has fully repaid bondholders who validly tendered their notes ahead of the February 2026 maturity date.

The bank announced the successful completion of its tender offer, under which it prepaid approximately $245 million of its $300 million Eurobond, representing more than 80 per cent of the total issuance.
According to a statement, the transaction relates to the 7.125 per cent Senior Note Participation Notes due February 2026.
Ecobank Nigeria Limited said it launched a tender offer to eligible noteholders in respect of the outstanding $150 million on the bond on November 27, 2025, providing them with an opportunity to redeem their holdings ahead of the original maturity date of 16 February 2026.
It stated that the early and late tender participation deadlines were 11 December 2025 and 29 December 2025, respectively.
According to the bank, holders of notes validly tendered and accepted received a cash consideration of $1,000 per $1,000 in principal amount, in addition to accrued interest from the last interest payment date up to, but excluding, the final settlement date of 31 December 2025.
Following completion of the offer, the bank said the outstanding principal amount of the notes has been reduced to approximately $55.092 million.
The bank also stated that the initiative reflects Ecobank Nigeria’s proactive approach to liability management and prudent balance sheet optimisation.
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 $300 million 7.125 per cent Senior Note due 2026 issued by Ecobank Nigeria Limited.
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