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Reps Ask CBN to Halt MFBs Recapitalisation

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The House of Representatives wants the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to suspend the recapitalisation of microfinance banks (MFBs) in the country.

Reps Ask CBN to Halt MFBs Recapitalisation

The lawmakers of the lower chamber of the National Assembly, while deliberating on the matter on Wednesday, warned that if the policy is allowed to take effect as planned for April 2021, it could further sink the nation’s economy.

They argued that out of the 874 licensed microfinance banks in Nigeria, only 262 of them have met the new minimum capital base requirement, indicating that 612 MFBs, which is equivalent to 70 per cent of the entire Nigerian MFBs, would go out of business.

The green chamber of the parliament submitted that this could throw about 44,800 employees of the companies into the already oversaturated labour market, which will then aggravate unemployment, compound the challenges of insecurity, youth restiveness, poverty, apathy and hopelessness across the country.

During the plenary today, the lawmakers said the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the country’s economy last year, which pushed Nigeria into a recession and it would be unwise to allow the recapitalisation programme to further compound the woes of the nation.

They argued that at this moment, economic thinkers advocate for the injection of more liquidity into the economy to stimulate economic activities, encourage spending and prevent job losses as well as support indigenous businesses.

As a result, the House advised the CBN to “suspend the planned recapitalisation program until the economy stabilizes and considered safe for a new deadline to be fixed.”

It then mandated its “Committee on Banking and Currency to interface with the CBN to find a workable solution to the challenges associated with the recapitalisation of the MFBs in Nigeria and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.”

CBN had in October 2018 reviewed the minimum share capital requirement of the three categories of microfinance banks in the country, with unit MFBs required to raise their capital base from N20 million to N200 million, state MFBs from N100 million to N1 billion and national MFBs from N2 billion to N5 billion.

On March 18, 2019, the banking sector watchdog further reviewed the minimum capital requirements for the MFBs, allowing for instalment payment and categorization of unit MFBs into tiers 1 and 2, thus following the new capital requirement guideline, tier 1 MFBs (urban) were to pay N200 million as a minimum capital requirement while tier 2 (rural) were to pay N50 million as against the initial N20 million requirement in 2018.

In 2020, due to the impact of the COVID–19 pandemic on the economy, the CBN, therefore, revised the timeline for compliance with the minimum capital requirement for the MFBs by one year, which will be due by April 30, 2021.

 


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E-Financial

Lagos State Appoints MoneyMaster as Payment Partner for “Ounje Eko” Programme

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“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.

 


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E-Financial

CBN, EFCC Probe Banks, Firms over Alleged Forex Racketeering

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Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is investigating irregular foreign exchange transactions and forward contracts valued at approximately $2.4 billion.

CBN, EFCC Probe Banks, Firms over Alleged Forex Racketeering

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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CBN Urges Banks to Expedite Action on Recapitalisation

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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.

CBN Urges Banks to Expedite Action on Recapitalisation

Olayemi Cardoso, governor of CBN

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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