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Insurance Professionals Urge Operators to Embrace Digitisation

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The Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria has urged insurance operators to evolve, embrace change and digitise their processes to enable them to meet customers’ needs and expectations.

This was part of the communiqué issued at the end of its 2021 Insurance Professionals Forum in Abeokuta, Ogun State, with the theme ‘The insurance industry in the digital age’.

The professionals urged the regulator to encourage, support and facilitate the digitalisation change in the insurance industry and provide guidance for other stakeholders.

They said, “There is a need for data analytics to promote digitisation; there is an urgent need for the adoption of digital sales agents.

“There is a need to promote ethical standards within the industry so as to earn public trust in services provided by operators; and to take advantage of the existing payment system in Nigeria with a view to promoting multiple premium payment methods such as USSD and mobile app.”

The CIIN highlighted the need for professionals to secure the insurance industry space with digitalisation.

It recognised the need for professionals to learn and acquire new soft skills required to achieve digital operations.

The institute stressed the need to assess or evaluate the impact of digitisation on the operations of the insurance industry and take collaborative efforts to manage the risks exposures

Speaking at the conference, the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr Sunday Thomas, said, “The insurance industry is currently lagging behind and needs to reassess its business model, re-evaluate its strategy and make the digital agenda a high priority.

“If this is not done, it will be difficult to deliver on customers’ expectations and new entrants, insurtech companies and leading digital competitors, will take advantage of this weakness. It is time for insurers to evolve and do the needful.”

He said this would require a different set of skills, culture and operating model.

According to him, the only explorable option for the industry is to maximise its positioning in the digital age as waiting is not an option.

He said that an insurance company in Columbus, Ohio, US, had embraced the use of AI, cloud computing, machine learning to enable everyone with smartphone get a motor rate based primarily on their driving behaviour, rather than relying on historically based demographic data to determine rates.

Thomas said, “The commission is desirous of a fully digitised industry. More so, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption and the use of digital technologies in the Nigerian insurance sector.

“To this extent, on September 1, 2021, the NAICOM Portal was successfully launched. In order to ensure effective and efficient utilisation of the portal, the commission directed all operators to integrate, connect and upload five years historical data of all policies issued from January 1, 2016 to NAICOM Portal on or before March 1, 2021.”


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E-Financial

Ecobank Nigeria to Fully Repay $300m Eurobond Ahead of Schedule

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Ecobank Nigeria has moved to retire the remaining part of its $300 million Eurobond before maturity. The bank has launched a tender offer for holders of its 7.125% senior notes due February 2026.

The bank announced the offer on Friday, 28 November 2025, inviting investors to tender their holdings ahead of schedule. Of the original $300 million issuance, $150 million remains outstanding.

Under the terms, investors whose notes are accepted for repurchase will receive $1,000 for every $1,000 in principal, plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including, the settlement date. The transaction is expected to be completed on or before 31 December 2025.

Ecobank said the early repayment move is part of a broader strategy to optimise its balance sheet and strengthen capital planning flexibility. The lender added that the tender offer gives investors an opportunity to exit the instrument ahead of the original February 2026 maturity.

In a statement, the bank said the initiative underscores its “commitment to transparent engagement with funding partners and investors,” stressing that the offer supports its long-term goal of maintaining a well-structured debt profile.

Participation in the programme is voluntary, and investors will make decisions based on their individual considerations, the bank added.

Ecobank emphasised that the announcement is for information only and does not constitute an offer to buy or sell securities. Eligible noteholders are expected to rely on the formal tender documents when deciding whether to take part.

 


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Reps Give Banks Four-Day Ultimatum on Tax Deductions, Charges

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The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating deductions of taxes and sundry charges from the earnings of civil and public servants has given commercial banks a four-day deadline to submit all requested documents.

Reps Give Banks Four-Day Ultimatum on Tax Deductions, Charges

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The committee, chaired by Hon. Kelechi Nwogwu, issued the ultimatum at the commencement of its investigation, following a motion earlier moved by the House Chief Whip, Hon. Usman Bello Kumo, on alleged deductions from civil servants’ salaries.

Nwogwu insisted that Chief Executive Officers of affected financial institutions must appear in person before the panel, rejecting representatives sent by GT Bank, Zenith Bank, Access Bank and other banks.

He explained that the panel was mandated to ensure that all deductions of charges by banks on customers’ accounts were fair and properly applied.

The committee disclosed that invitations had also been extended to the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and all commercial banks operating in Nigeria.

“You cannot appear here without an identity. We are here on the mandate of the people who elected us into parliament. We have resolved to meet next week on Wednesday.

“You must submit all requested documents by Monday, May 1,” Nwogwu said.

He warned that any bank that failed to comply with the deadline would face sanctions, adding that the committee would put the CEOs on oath during the next sitting.

The investigation continues next week.


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SEC Urges IST to Freeze all CBEX Bank Accounts in Nigeria

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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has asked the Investments and Securities Tribunal (IST) to order the freezing of all bank accounts belonging to Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) and other defendants held in commercial banks and financial institutions across Nigeria.

The request was made in Suit No. IST/OA/02/2025: Securities and Exchange Commission & Anor v. Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) & 25 Others, the first case before the 6th Tribunal presided over by Hon. Aminu Jinaidu, Chairman of the IST.

SEC also urged the Tribunal to seize houses and other assets allegedly acquired by the defendants using proceeds obtained from the public through the CBEX investment scheme, which it said falsely operated as a digital assets platform and capital-market operator.

The Commission argued that CBEX, which is not registered with SEC, unlawfully promised investors a 100 percent return on investment within 30 days—conduct it said is in violation of Section 3(b) of the Investments and Securities Act, 2025.

SEC further disclosed that the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong had, on April 23, 2024, issued an advisory warning against CBEX, describing it as a suspicious virtual-asset entity. According to the advisory, CBEX adopted a name resembling that of a Chinese property-rights trading organisation to give investors false assurance, despite having no connection with the legitimate entity.

At Tuesday’s sitting, the Tribunal ordered that hearing notices be served on the defendants through national newspapers, as CBEX failed to appear and was not represented in court.

CBEX launched in Nigeria in July 2024, operating through a website and mobile app. It claimed to use advanced artificial intelligence to generate unusually high profits from cryptocurrency trading, promising returns of up to 100 percent within a 40- to 45-day lock-in period. The scheme later collapsed and was exposed as a Ponzi operation that reportedly defrauded investors of more than N1.3 trillion (about $800 million).

Hon. Jinaidu also presided over several other matters on the tribunal’s docket, including Benue Investments Property Co. Ltd & Anor v. Securities and Exchange Commission & 6 Others; Maven Asset Management Ltd v. Securities and Exchange Commission; John Makinde Onade & Anor v. First Registrars & Investors Services Ltd & Anor; and Securities and Exchange Commission & Anor v. Tourist Company of Nigeria PLC & 6 Ors. All the cases were adjourned to January 27, 2026.

 


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