E-Financial
Heritage Bank Drives Sustainable Banking Practices, Feeds 500 Underprivileged Children
As part of its sustainability drive in the corporate social responsibility space, Heritage Bank Plc has reiterated its commitment to improving the welfare and economic development of communities by feeding over 500 underprivileged children.
The support is in collaboration with Adyva Foods’ project tagged, “Feed a Kid,” which was in commemoration of Children’s Day celebration.
Statistics show that an average Nigerian lives on less than a dollar per day and this makes it difficult for a lot of families to feed properly. An estimated 2 million children in Nigeria suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM). In an analysis of 91 countries, including Nigeria, the UNICEF report finds that half of children aged 6-23 months globally are not being fed the minimum recommended number of meals a day. Two-thirds do not consume the minimum number of food groups they need to thrive.
Against this backdrop, Ozena Utulu, the Ag. Group Head, Corporate Communications of the Bank, said the commitment so far which is in line with the Sustainable Banking Practices, was to help mitigate hunger by providing to the less privileged and reduce the adverse effect of the food insecurity in the country.
According to her, we have continued to put sustainability at the heart of our decision-making for the sake of humanity and the bank’s own bottom line because a healthy planet is the backbone of nearly every industry on Earth.
“Heritage Bank’s partnership in this event offers us an opportunity to fulfil our quota in adherence to the sustainable banking practices that ensures that banks and related institutions have the interest of their stakeholders at the core of their strategies,” Utulu stated.
She also advised parents to explore the advantages and utilize the huge benefits the bank’s BUD account hold for their children.
“Access to cash backed loan by parent/guardian/sponsor for school fees/education loan. You can access up to 70per cent of your balance held with the Bank as cash backed loan. The customer must have run the BUD account for a minimum of 6 months to access the cash backed loan. Ease of saving through standing order instructions. Access to exclusive events. Free participation in the BUD MINI career mentoring and coaching sessions once a year. Opportunity to act as a Heritage Bank Executive Committee member for one day,” Utulu explained.
The CEO, Adyva Foods, Anyagwa Adanma said that the idea of the partnership was to feed over 500 less privileged kids with cooked food and provide them with goody bags containing stationery, educational materials to mention but a few.
She added, “I will advise parents to ensure they educate their children and teach them the savings culture and Financial literacy for future benefits.”
Also speaking at the event, Nkechi Toluwani, a partner with Adyva’s “Feed a Kid” project stated, “Heritage Bank is a supportive bank and the incentive behind feed a kid is huge, therefore, for Heritage Bank to partner with Adyva Foods to feed kids shows how compassionate, kind, and responsible the bank is to people’s welfare.”
Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) admitted 3.156 billion additional ordinary shares of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc to its Daily Official List on January 12, following the bank’s successful rights issue at N50 per 50k share, deepening market liquidity and elevating capital base beyond CBN’s N500 billion international authorisation threshold.
UBA Group Managing Director/CEO Oliver Alawuba
UBA Group Managing Director/CEO Oliver Alawuba hailed the listing as evidence of strong investor trust in the bank’s strategy, noting the N158 billion raise – building on N239 billion from a 2024 public offer – now totals N513 billion to fuel Pan-African expansion across 20 countries plus the UK, US, France and UAE.
The listing, confirmed by NGX’s Head of Issuer Regulation Godstime Iwenkehai, allocates one new share for every 13 held, supporting UBA’s service to 45 million customers and 25,000 employees through retail, commercial and tech-driven banking.
Alawuba pledged the fresh capital would enhance stakeholder value and global reach.
Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) has joined the trillion-naira exclusive club of firms, marking its first entry in its two decades of being listed on the Nigerian Exchange.
The Pan-African lender saw its valuation surge more than the N1 trillion mark on Monday, January 5, 2026. As of the close of trade on Monday, January 12, the stock had gained 7.4 percent, with its share price hitting N45. ETI has accrued 23 percent over the past four-week period alone, making it the 40th best on NGX.
“Ecobank Transnational Inc. is currently the 23rd most valuable stock on the NGX with a market capitalisation of N 1.07 trillion, which makes up about 1.02 percent of the Nigerian Stock Exchange equity market,” according to African Stock Exchange data, a market analytics platform.
This historic feat follows the early repayment of $245 million of Ecobank’s $300 million Eurobond issuance to bondholders who validly tendered their notes ahead of the February 2026 maturity date.
This must have led to an improved confidence in the bank’s operation, which gained 61 percent a year ago despite the sell-off that rattled the bank’s stock in 2025.
More Nigerian lenders are seeing their market capitalisation cross the N1 trillion mark, suggesting renewed investor confidence in the sector that’s undergoing a recapitalisation exercise.
GTCO remains the most capitalised, with its valuation reaching N3.62 trillion as of January 12, followed by Zenith Bank, First Bank of Nigeria, United Bank for Africa, Access Bank, and Stanbic IBTC with N2.75 trillion, N2.16 trillion, N1.94 trillion, N1.23 trillion, and N1.7 trillion, respectively. By crossing N1 trillion, Ecobank now sits among the country’s biggest lenders within the trillion-naira club.
Fidelity Bank, on April 4, 2025, saw its market value shoot above N1 trillion, making it the first tier-2 bank to cross the threshold. However, it slipped below the mark on May 20 following a Supreme Court ruling that pressured its share price. The bank’s valuation currently stands at N957 billion.
The membership of the exclusive club of listed companies with at least N1 trillion valuation has increased to 24, compared to 17 a year earlier, according to data from the Nigerian Exchange Limited.
The top five members include BUA Foods with a market cap of N14.38 trillion, MTN Nigerian Communications with N12.70 trillion, Dangote Cement with N10.71 trillion, Airtel Africa with N8.53 trillion, and BUA Cement with N6.2 trillion.
Wema Bank Plc has launched the upgraded version of its flagship digital banking platform, ALAT by Wema. Designed as the next phase in digital banking, the upgraded version of ALAT delivers a smarter, faster, and more intuitive experience, reinforcing Wema Bank’s leadership in technology-driven financial services.
Tagged ALAT: The Evolution, the upgraded version represents a significant advancement in how customers interact with their bank.
It enables seamless banking through intelligent features such as voice banking (called SAW), which allows customers to carry out banking activities using natural voice commands, reducing friction and improving accessibility.
It also introduces Tap and Pay for quick, secure, and convenient contactless transactions, alongside uptime prediction that enhances transparency, reliability, and confidence around service availability.
Together, these innovations are designed to simplify everyday banking while anticipating customer needs in real time, reinforcing Wema Bank’s commitment to trust, efficiency, and customer-centric digital experiences.
While announcing the upgraded version of the ALAT Banking app, Moruf Oseni, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Wema Bank, said, “ALAT: The Evolution is more than an upgrade. It is a clear demonstration of our commitment to redefining digital banking in Africa.
“By understanding the future of banking and listening closely to our customers, we have upgraded ALAT by Wema to a digital banking platform that is smart, intelligent and dependable. This evolution reinforces our promise to deliver innovation that genuinely enhances how people live, work, and transact everyday.”
He added that migrating to the upgraded app is seamless. “Existing customers can simply visit the Google Play Store or Apple App Store to update their existing ALAT app and sign-in with their existing login details (All their account information and transaction history remain intact on their profile and they will also gain access to new features that make banking faster, more intuitive, and more reliable).
For new customers, all they have to do is visit the Google Play Store or Apple App Store to download ALAT by Wema app and click the Get Started icon to onboard seamlessly.
Speaking on the technology in the upgraded ALAT by Wema, Olusegun Adeniyi, Chief Digital Officer at Wema Bank, explained, “With ALAT: The Evolution, we set out to enhance not just functionality but the overall banking experience.
“By integrating voice banking, contactless payments, and predictive reliability, we are delivering a platform that is built on powerful technology and responds intelligently to customer needs. This upgrade reflects our long-term digital vision to create a digital bank that is adaptive, intuitive, and consistently available.”
Built on speed, intelligence, and user-centric design, ALAT: The Evolution redefines everyday banking through intuitive features such as voice-enabled transactions, contactless payments, and predictive service reliability. Designed to anticipate customer needs in real time, the platform delivers a smarter, more seamless, and dependable digital banking experience that reflects Wema Bank’s vision for the future of finance.
With the upgraded version of ALAT, Wema Bank continues to strengthen its position as a digital-first institution, delivering innovative solutions that empower individuals and businesses to bank with confidence in an increasingly digital economy.
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