E-Financial
Polaris Bank partners NYSC, NerdzFactory to Empower 5,000 Corps Members with Digital Skills
In line with its Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) drive, Polaris Bank in partnership with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and NerdzFactory has commenced a high-impact capacity-building workshop on digital skills for 5,000 National Youth Service Corps members across 12 states in Nigeria.
The Bank explained that her action is intended to equip young Nigerians with relevant work-ready digital skills which is focused on building the youth’s self-sustenance in innovation, creativity, digital skills, business acumen, and relevance in the 21st-century economy and workplace.
According to Polaris Bank’s Group Head, Product & Market Development, Mrs. Adebimpe Ihekuna, “This partnership is part of Polaris Bank’s commitment to Youth development and empowerment in Nigeria which aligns with the Bank’s strategic CSR pillars.”
According to her, “We see the need for a work-ready and digitally equipped youth which has informed Polaris Bank’s partnership with NerdzFactory to make a difference and provide 5,000 NYSC members with digital skills needed to start a successful career in paid employment or create their own businesses as entrepreneurs,”.
Additionally, Mrs. Ihekuna noted that “As an enterprise poised to meet the financial needs of Nigerian Youths in the digital age, especially in post-COVID-19 era with its attendant challenges, we want to equip as many young Nigerians as possible, with requisite digital skills to give them a good head-start and help them achieve economic stability.”
The high-impact training which will run across two quarters comprises courses such as: basic digital literacy; cyber security; data science; product design; software development (back end); product management; blockchain technology; mobile app development; 3D and virtual reality; and software development (front end).
Participating corps members from 12 states of the country including Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, Delta, Rivers, Enugu, and Imo will benefit from this initiative.
It would be recalled that Polaris Bank in conjunction with Digivate 360 ran similar digital training across eight (8) locations: Lagos, Enugu, Abuja, Kano, Ilorin, Port Harcourt, Abeokuta, and Benin in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
Polaris Bank is re-defining banking products and services that meet the needs of individuals and businesses. The bank was adjudged Digital Bank of the Year 2021 and 2022
E-Financial
Lagos State Appoints MoneyMaster as Payment Partner for “Ounje Eko” Programme
“Ounje Eko”, the food price discount initiative of the Lagos State Government, has appointed leading payment service bank, MoneyMaster Payment Service Bank Limited (MMPSB), as its collaborator in the bid to ensure ease of payments at the market.
MoneyMaster is one of the Central Bank of Nigeria-licensed Payment Service Banks (PSBs) to promote financial inclusion across Nigeria.
Under the partnership, MMPSB will apply its cutting-edge payment solution to engender easy payment and reconciliation in order to make the experiences of Lagosians who will be getting their food supplies from the markets pleasurable. Its payment solution is also all-encompassing and ensures real time value to payment destinations.
The mobile bank was appointed as the collection and payment partner for “Ounje Eko” Food Markets programme which is a government initiative serving the five divisions of Lagos State. Consequent on this, MoneyMaster Payment Service Bank will collect payments in 57 LCDAs in the state.
The partnership gives credence to the quality of payment solutions that MoneyMaster is reputed for in its services to its growing business clientele in private and public sectors.
E-Financial
CBN, EFCC Probe Banks, Firms over Alleged Forex Racketeering
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is investigating irregular foreign exchange transactions and forward contracts valued at approximately $2.4 billion.
The inquiry follows an extensive audit by Deloitte, which scrutinized $7 billion in dollar debts accumulated under the bank’s previous leadership.
In the aftermath of the 294th Monetary Policy Committee meeting in Abuja, Yemi Cardoso, governor of CBN, disclosed to journalists that the investigation, supported by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, among other security bodies, aims to clarify the legitimacy of these FX allocations identified as problematic by the audit.
“It was determined that a number of these transactions did not qualify…they were outright illegal. The law enforcement agencies are now looking into those transactions that as far as we are concerned, are not valid to be paid,” Cardoso detailed, emphasizing the unlawful nature of these forex deals.
The crux of the investigation lies in the audit findings that a significant portion of the scrutinized transactions lacked proper documentation and, in many instances, were deemed outright illegal.
However, the unfolding investigation has raised concerns within the organized private sector, with some entities contemplating legal action against commercial banks for unresolved forex bids.
Despite these tensions, Governor Cardoso reassures that the foreign exchange market remains open and transparent, inviting stakeholders to address their forex needs through the official channels.
Furthermore, Cardoso clarified the distribution of fertilizers to farmers as a one-off measure and not indicative of a shift back to direct interventions by the CBN, underscoring a commitment to strategic, regulatory governance rather than direct market involvement.
E-Financial
CBN Urges Banks to Expedite Action on Recapitalisation
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed deposit money banks in the country to expedite action to increase their capital base from the current ₦25bn.
Olayemi Cardoso, governor of CBN, stated this during the apex bank’s 294th meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on Tuesday in Abuja, when the MPC hiked the interest rate by 22.75% to 24.75%.
The apex bank chief said the MPC examined developments in the banking sector and expressed satisfaction that the industry remained stable. The committee, however, said to guard against risk, commercial banks in the country should accelerate their recapitalisation efforts.
Cardoso said, “The MPC also reviewed developments in the banking system and noted that the industry remains safe, sound, and stable. The committee thus called on the bank to sustain its surveillance and ensure compliance of banks with existing regulatory and macro-potential guidelines.
“The MPC also enjoined the banks to expedite actions on the recapitalisation of banks to strengthen the system against potential risks in an increasingly globalised world.”
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