E-Financial
IFC Commits $200m to Invest in Emerging Markets
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has committed up to $200 million to the IFC Financial Institutions Growth Fund (FIG Fund).
The FIG Fund’s mandate is to make equity investments alongside IFC in growing emerging market financial institutions, supporting private sector development by increasing much needed access to finance for small and medium enterprises in those markets.
IFC will commit $150 million to the first close, which together with other investors will bring the first close of the fund to approximately $345 million.
In addition, three of the investors have additional commitments totaling approximately $105 million for subsequent closings of the fund. IFC is joined by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of China, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, and the Hungarian Export-Import Bank, Plc.
The fund will provide a platform for mobilization of private capital into emerging markets, enhancing and expanding IFC’s reach and development impact.
As a result of the growing economies, there is a larger need for equity capital by financial institutions in emerging markets.
However, most institutions face significant challenges raising capital due to perceptions of system risk, funding constraints and changing regulatory environments.
In order to address this gap in funding, there is an increasing opportunity for alternative vehicles like private equity funds to mobilize resources into sustainable businesses in emerging markets.
Equity investments in quality financial institutions can also help further strengthen local financial systems against the risk of future potential crises.
In parallel, equity these investments provide the potential for attractive financial returns as a result of strong economic growth, a dynamic and growing middle class and increasing financial services penetration in these countries.
“Global and local financial institutions increasingly need more capital to keep up with the rapid growth of economies in emerging markets, and to finance expansion opportunities to remain competitive,” said Jin-Yong Cai, IFC EVP and CEO.
“This fund will support these institutions with core capital, helping promote economic growth and development while aiming to achieve strong returns.”
The fund will provide investors with access to IFC’s pipeline of investment opportunities and will develop a diversified portfolio of financial institutions in emerging markets.
IFC’s committed portfolio in financial institutions totaled more than $24 billion as of the end of FY2014, enabling it to increase access to finance for small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs.
Nigerian banks have resumed processing international tuition payments from Naira accounts through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Form A portal.
Form A is an application form designed by the Central Bank of Nigeria to pay for service transactions (invisible trade).
The form allows customers to purchase foreign exchange at the CBN or interbank rate to make payments for eligible services as predetermined by the foreign exchange manual.
This development comes a month after commercial banks announced the resumption of international transactions on their naira cards.
In an email to customers, Guaranty Trust Bank Limited (GTBank) and Lotus Bank announced that the service is now available for applicants paying undergraduate and postgraduate tuition fees abroad.
“Pay international tuition fees directly from your Naira account,” the notice from GTBank read.
To access the service, customers are required to register and submit their applications via the Trade System Portal at www.tradesystem.gov.ng.
GTBank explained: “Select the ‘Form A’ application for Educational Fees. Choose GTBank as the processing bank, attach required documents, and submit the application.”
Similarly, Lotus Bank stated, “Register on the Trade System Portal. Select Form ‘A’ application for Educational Fees. Choose Lotus Bank as the processing bank, attach required documents, and submit the application.”
In a similar notice, Lotus Bank also informed customers of processing international fees using its facility.
“Register on the Trade System Portal (www.tradesystem.gov.ng). Select Form ‘A’ application for Educational Fees. Choose Lotus Bank as the processing bank, attach required documents, and submit the application,” the bank said.
In 2022, Nigerian banks said international school fees and upkeep requests via Form A will be processed within 120 days due to forex scarcity at the time.
Safaricom, M-PESA and PayPal have announced a strategic collaboration to enable account linking and seamless fund transfers across their networks.
This collaboration aims to empower more than 35 million M-PESA customers and two million businesses and micro traders in Kenya to access PayPal’s global network.
By first linking their PayPal and M-PESA wallets, users can easily transfer funds from their PayPal accounts into their M-PESA wallets, and vice versa. This service is designed to enhance the experience for customers and businesses transacting between the two platforms.
The solution is currently available to Safaricom M-PESA customers in Kenya, with plans to roll out the service to the other M-PESA markets in the future.
“As globalization and digitization continue to reshape how people and businesses connect, our partnership with PayPal is a bold step forward in enabling seamless, worry-free, safe, secure, and inclusive digital payments.
“This collaboration empowers over thirty-five million customers and two million businesses and micro-entrepreneurs across Kenya to participate in the global digital economy by conveniently sending and receiving payments across more than 200 markets. It’s part of our commitment to unlocking opportunities and transforming lives through the power of M-PESA,” said Esther Waititu, Chief Financial Services Officer, Safaricom PLC.
“Building seamless connections between the global economy and local financial ecosystems is crucial to expanding digital financial inclusion,” said Otto Williams, Regional Head and General Manager for the Middle East and Africa, PayPal. “We are thrilled to enable millions of M-PESA’s customers across Africa connect more easily to PayPal’s international customer base.”
For 18 years, M-PESA has driven financial inclusion and bridged the digital divide. With M-PESA Kadogo, introduced in 2016, Safaricom waived fees for transactions of Kshs 100 and below, making digital payments more accessible. Now, through Ziidi MMF, customers can invest from as little as Kshs 100, promoting a culture of saving and financial wellness.
The partnership will tap into the emergence and growing popularity of the gig economy that has seen a rise among Africans accepting online jobs for clients across the world.
It equally marks a growing trend of interoperability between fintech providers with a goal of providing customers with a digital financial ecosystem that meets their needs by combining different capabilities.
PayPal is a leading global payment processor with more than 400 million active PayPal accounts operating across 200 markets, while M-PESA is Africa’s leading mobile money service connecting more than 50 million customers across Africa, 2 million businesses and micro traders, with more than $1.1 billion transacted daily.
Federal government has mandated banks and financial institutions to begin reporting monthly transactions exceeding N25 million for individuals and N100 million for firms to the tax authorities.
Under the new provisions of the Nigerian Tax Act, financial institutions are required to submit quarterly returns to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The agency will be renamed to the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) from January 2026, when the new tax system will take effect.
“Every person who has an obligation to deduct and remit tax under this Act or any other Returns for tax legislation shall render monthly returns to the appropriate tax authority, as specified deduction of tax in the regulation issued for that purpose,” the Act reads.
“Without prejudice to section 142 of this Act, every bank, insurance company, stock-broking firm, or any other financial institution, shall prepare, with or without demand be delivered by the relevant tax authority, quarterly returns to the relevant tax authority specifying the names and addresses of new customers;Nigerian fashion trends
“…and existing customers in the case of (i) an individual, all transactions where the cumulative transactions in a month amount to N25,000,000 or more, or (ii) a body corporate, all transactions where the cumulative transactions in a month amount to N100,000,000 or more.”
Prior to the new tax law, banks were mandated to report deposits of N5 million — a measure intended to curb illicit financial flows, according to TheCable
Experts said the shift is part of efforts to tighten anti-money laundering reporting in the financial sector.
In 2023, Nigeria was listed on the grey list by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) over deficiencies in tackling money laundering and terrorism financing.
Since then, the country has been making efforts to exit the grey list, which subjects it to increased monitoring by the FATF.
In November 2024, Hafsat Bakari, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), said Nigeria has achieved upgrades in five key recommendations from the FATF.
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