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MasterCard Launches Digital Financial Services Lab, $11m for R&D

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MasterCard has launched a new innovation lab with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop financial services that help people build better futures.

MasterCard said that across East Africa, millions of people living in or near poverty struggle to pay for their children’s school fees or necessary health care treatment when unforeseen events occur.

Trapped in a cash economy, they lack the financial services to guard against risk, invest in their future and build better lives.
 
In a global press conference, MasterCard announced the launch of MasterCard Labs for Financial Inclusion, a new initiative seeking to impact more than 100 million people globally by developing practical and cost-effective financial tools that expand access and help build stable futures over the long term.
 
Through an $11 million grant over three years from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the lab will generate new ideas with local entrepreneurs, governments and other stakeholders across East Africa, and rapidly move from concept to reality.
 
“Too many people lack access to the most basic financial services, leaving them trapped in a cash economy that imposes greater risks and costs on those least able to afford them,” said Ajay Banga, president and CEO at MasterCard.

“Through the investment made by the Gates Foundation, coupled with our strong innovation processes, MasterCard will create and scale financial services that open up a world of inclusion and help people build better, brighter futures,” Banga added.
 
The Gates Foundation works with the private sector, NGOs, governments and others to direct resources and expertise to address critical challenges that can’t be solved by market forces alone.

With this grant, the foundation seeks to extend financial services to those whose economic lives are inhibited and eclipsed by a combination of local factors and institution-wide exclusion.

The grant enables MasterCard to reach into these new markets that may otherwise be commercially unviable.
 
Globally, digital payment innovations let more people take advantage of formal financial services.

These tools are simple to use, efficient and have the potential to dramatically reduce costs.
 
Despite these innovations, there are still 2.5 billion adults around the world who are excluded from the formal financial system.

These people lack access to basic financial services and are forced to rely on cash, which creates instability and significant risks.
 
The new lab will be part of MasterCard Labs, MasterCard’s global Research and Development division that focuses on the evolution of technological and consumer trends and has created hundreds of prototypes over the last several years in a variety of areas from payment acceptance to authentication to Person-to-Person payments.

Leveraging the proven innovation process, the lab will generate financial inclusion solutions and fast-track the best ideas from concept through prototype, pilot and into commercialization faster than ever before.
 
The foundation will grant MasterCard $11 million over three years, to use for research and development—with MasterCard funding the lab going forward.

The agreement reserves an additional $8 million for ideas that evolve to the incubation stage, to give each startup the best possible chance of reaching commercialization at scale and becoming a vital part of a new economy.

MasterCard will manage the MasterCard Labs for Financial Inclusion in a manner that ensures global access.

This ensures that the results stemming from the lab have true benefits for poor people with the widest possible application and the capacity to extend solutions regionally and possibly globally.
 
The work done at the MasterCard Labs for Financial Inclusion will lead to new products and services for poor people that leverage existing and new infrastructures, including those that are not specific to MasterCard.

The lessons from the MasterCard Labs for Financial Inclusion will be distributed for the public good, and all products and services coming out of the Lab will make use of standards ensuring maximum flexibility to empower local financial service providers for the benefit of poor people in the developing world.
 
This initiative is one of several broad-based collaborations MasterCard has launched with public and private sector entities that are quickly bringing the benefits and security of electronic payments across Africa and around the globe.
 
MasterCard is a technology company in the global payments industry; operating the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories.

MasterCard’s products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. ‎


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E-Financial

DLM Trust Unveils DLM Single Asset Trust

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DLM Trust, a subsidiary of DLM Capital Group is thrilled the announce the launch of DLM Single Asset Trust, a variant of the Living Trust construct that allows for a groundbreaking solution for individuals or Corporations seeking to establish single asset trusts for the benefit of themselves and their chosen beneficiaries.

The DLM Single Asset Trust guarantees that people’s assets are protected and managed in accordance with their intentions by operating under the tenets of trust, security, and careful management.

The DLM SAT offers a novel approach to trust services by fusing state-of-the-art technology with knowledgeable advice to enable people and families to effortlessly manage their assets.

DLM SAT enables individuals, often referred to as Settlors or Corporations, to create a single asset trust that will serve both their own and their designated beneficiaries’ purposes.

The Trust Fund may be started using the Settlor’s assets/funds and then expanded with future contributions in accordance with the Settlor’s goals. Only authorised individuals, including the settlor, can access the trust because of its strong independent and confidentiality level.

DLM Trust Company, acting as the designated Trustee, holds the Fund in trust and manages it for the benefit of the Settlor and designated Beneficiaries.

In a statement, MD of DLM Trust, Lola Razaaq commented on the introduction of the DLM Single Asset Trust, stating that it is a means of establishing a timeline for legacy preservation.

“As a game-changer in the trust services industry, the DLM SAT is our newest offering, and we are thrilled to announce this important milestone for DLM Trust.”

The aim of our organisation is to equip people and families with the necessary resources and assistance to safeguard and maintain their heritage for future generations. “Furthermore, we are transforming the concept of future planning with DLM Single Asset Trust.” she said.

DLM Trust Company Limited is registered with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act to provide trust services to individuals, corporations, sub-sovereign entities.

As always, strategic thinking and innovation will be combined by DLM Trust Company to offer its clients best-in-class services. Since its founding, DLM Trust has worked on a variety of creative and unique transactions, including securitizations, private and public bonds.


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UBA Champions Youth Empowerment through Graduate Programme, Employs 398 Across Africa

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United Bank for Africa (UBA), Africa’s Global Bank held the second edition of its expanded Graduate Management Acceleration Programme (GMAP) class of 2024, where 398 young Africans were inducted into the UBA Tribe after a rigorous six-month hands-on-work and learning experience.

The event, which was held in a grand ceremony in Eko Hotel, Lagos on Thursday, was graced by esteemed guests, the UBA management, faculty members, mentors, and the graduating class.

The granduads are from six African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroun, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia.

Addressing the gathering, UBA’s Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, who congratulated all the graduates, expressed profound pride and admiration for their success having completed the intense capacity-building programme, combining learning with on-the-job training experience, garnered while rotating across several departments and units in the bank.

Elumelu took time to highlight the bank’s passion for youth empowerment in Africa, while bridging the unemployment gap, which according to him, remains one of the greatest challenges of the continent.

“For me these young UBA Graduates are a testament to who we are: a truly pan-African Group, that invests in African talent.This milestone is more than just numbers. It signifies UBA’s commitment to youth empowerment. Unemployment is the greatest challenge we face – a tragic and cruel betrayal of a generation. We know governments alone cannot create all the jobs we need – so it is up to us, the African private sector, to partner our government in improving lives and livelihoods. This is Africapitalism, and it is gratifying to see UBA play its part. UBA is dedicated to creating a positive impact, through the GMAP programme UBA is creating employment, boosting economic growth, and transforming lives across Africa,” Group Chairman said.

Continuing, he said, “At UBA, identifying these young ones, bringing them to the centre, training them, equipping them for the future and the task ahead, not just for a career in UBA, but wherever they end up remains our passion, because this is how we play our role as a Pan-African bank, in helping to empower the next generation, which is the African youth. We are helping to create employment and this for us is our driving force.”

Earlier in his speech, UBA’s Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba, commended the graduating class for their unwavering commitment and emphasized the program’s role in cultivating the next generation of UBA leaders.

“Your dedication, resilience, and unwavering commitment have been nothing short of inspiring. Each of you has demonstrated the qualities of a true UBA ambassador, and today, we celebrate not just your achievements but also the collective strength of our UBA family.

While recognizing the invaluable support extended by families and friends, the GMD said, “Let us take a moment to express our deepest appreciation for their steadfast support as the invaluable support of your families and friends throughout this journey. Their love, encouragement, and understanding have undoubtedly played a pivotal role in your success.”

UBA’s Group Head, Human Resources, Modupe Akindele, said the bank remains committed to nurturing talent and leadership within the organisation. She noted that the GMAP programme, which marked its second graduation will be a continuous initiative, as it culminates an intensive journey towards leadership excellence.

“Already, the programme has graduated over 1,100 graduates, that is about 700 in 2023 and now we have 398 graduates. The fact remains that at UBA, we believe in equal opportunity for all, regardless of age, tribe, gender, or background; and so, we will continue to pursue our dream to nurture these young ones to their full potential,” she added.

United Bank for Africa Plc is a leading Pan-African financial institution, offering banking services to more than twenty-five million customers, across over 1,000 business offices and customer touch points, in 20 African countries and across 4 continents.

With presence in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and France and more recently the United Arab Emirates, UBA is connecting people and businesses across Africa through retail; commercial and corporate banking; innovative cross-border payments and remittances; trade finance and ancillary banking services.


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Banks to Charge 0.375 Percent Stamp Duty on Loans

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Nigerian banks on Thursday announced that they will kick-start the implementation of the stamp duty charge of 0.375 per cent on loans backed by legal mortgages, shares, debentures or bonds.

Banks to Charge 0.375 Percent Stamp Duty on Loans

This is coming after the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) had directed banks to implement stamp duty on certain transactions that requires duty payments such as contracts and legal mortgages.

According to the FIRS, as the manner of business transactions continue to evolve and change pattern, the law on stamp duties will also change. It noted that the stamp duties has therefore undergone several amendments over the years up to the Finance Act 2019.

Stamp duty is essentially a duty chargeable on both physical and electronic instruments. The stamp duties Act defines duty to mean “any stamp duty for the time being chargeable under any act and also includes any fee chargeable hereunder”.

In several email notifications sent to its customers, banks revealed that they will start implementing the FIRS directive while adding that the charge will be applied to the value of the assets and remitted back to the revenue office.

Access Bank in an email notification titled to its customers, “Stamp Duty Automation Update”, said, “We will like to inform you that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has directed all Nigerian banks to implement stamp duty on certain transactions that require duty payments such as contracts and legal mortgages”.

The bank noted that in compliance to this directive, it have taken measures to streamline the process to make transactions more convenient for its customers.

“To this end, a stamp duty charge of 0.375 per cent will be applied to loans backed by legal mortgages, shares, debentures or bonds. The charge will be applied on the value of legal mortgages, shares, debentures or bonds and remitted to the FIRS”, the bank said.

Access Bank added that all previously approved loans will remain unchanged and should be repaid in full as per the agreed terms and conditions.

“We are committed to providing you with exceptional service”, it said.

It will be recalled that the Federal Government stated it is looking to expand net on transactions covered by the stamp duty charges from regular bank transfers.

 

 


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