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Saving Tips on New Car Insurance

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Buying a new car is a pleasant experience and every one’s delight. However one could be in for a surprise if you learn about the shocking premiums you would be paying on a new car. New car insurance can vary widely from one body style to another. For example, you may know that sports cars cost more to insure than others in family category.. That general rule of thumb does not just apply to traditional sports cars; it also applies to the two-door versions of popular family sedans such as the coupe version of the Honda Accord. That’s because people who drive these cars statistically tend to drive more aggressively than their sedan counterparts, making them a greater risk and causing their insurance rates to rise. Interestingly, convertibles tend to have lower insurance rates unlike the hardtop counterparts.
Interestingly also, since bigger cars are safer, you might think that larger vehicles are cheaper to insure. This is not always the case. The largest cars can inflict more damage on smaller cars in a collision, which may result in costlier repairs thus leading to higher insurance rates. Like body style, the car’s engine and transmission often can affect the insurance rate. Generally, the greater the horsepower, the higher the cost of new car insurance, even when you are considering the same car with a variety of engines. When it comes to transmissions, cars with manual transmissions are generally more costly to insure than those with automatic transmissions. An exception to this rule is the pickup, which often has a manual transmission because of its use as a work or tow truck. The reason for the higher rates again relates to the typical driver. Those behind the wheel of cars with higher horsepower and manual transmissions tend to drive more aggressively and become involved in more collisions. While body style, engine size and transmission type are all major factors in the way that rates are computed for new car insurance, rates can vary for similar, competing vehicles primarily due to their safety ratings and their likelihood of being stolen. To drive home this point, a comparism of similarly equipped versions of the 2010 Honda Civic and the 2010 Nissan Altima showed that the Civic cost less to insure on average over a five-year span. It is advisable to seek expert opinion when making a choice.If your new car insurance is not providing you with all these benefits then take time to ensure you are getting the best rates. You and your family deserve to have insurance you can depend on to be there when you need it and without any hassle. You have enough to worry about, especially in these days of economic stress .Let your new car insurance be one thing you can depend on. When one is unfortunate to be involved in a car accident the last thing you need is the added stress of an insurance company that is difficult to reach or delays in processing your claims. Too many people are paying too much for their new car insurance without being aware of the better options alternative insurance companies are offering. When you are purchasing new car insurance are you being offered GAP insurance in case your car ever becomes totaled? Without this important aspect of new car insurance you could be responsible for a large sum of money when you least expect it. Some insurance companies will charge more for your new car insurance policy simply because of the age of your vehicle, but a fair company will take into consideration your good driving record and discount your rate accordingly. Make sure you have the insurance you need at the best price here.

Prompt Claims Payment: Crucial to Survival of Underwriting Firms – Experts
To be able to rise up to prompt payment, insurers have been further charged to shorn in- fighting and sharp practices, by charging adequate premium that could carry the volume of expected claims. Analysts believe that insurance firms must adhere to this by making sure that risks brought before them are properly assessed before premiums are charged. Corroborating this position, Mr. Raymond Odamo, managing director, Afromart Group said insurers should publicise claims payment as a way of enhancing the egative image of the industry and boosting public confidence. He commended some of the insurance companies who inspite of the perceived secrecy in claims payment, have been publicizing claims paid out to clients. "One of the major challenges facing the local insurance industry, besides the negative image problem and poor awareness among the insuring public, is the correct assessment of risks. Once risks are correctly assessed, it becomes easy to charge the right technical price. Industry experts believe that much as insurance is based on the understanding that claims are paid from a pool of premiums from similar risks, it is logical that when losses occur, the pricing of the risks will go up at renewal.
The practice over time has been accusations and counter accusation between underwriters and reinsurers on one hand and between insurers and the insuring public on the other. Rather than point fingers at each other, he stressed that it is time for insurers to check their rates and make them commensurate with the exposures they cover while also paying the claims when the need arises.. Besides, he said it should be noted that reinsurers basically provide capital to insurance companies and this costs money, stressing that that when the cost of capital increases, cost of reinsurance also increases. Considering the relationship of adequate premium with prompt claims payment he enjoined stakeholders to always include underwriters, intermediaries and the regulators in every facet of insurance business. While emphasizing that responsible underwriting and professional claims handling can only serve to improve the image of the industry in the eyes of the buying public, he called on the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), to adopt a policy of compulsory claims payment declaration as a tool to boosting public confidence.
It would be recalled that Sovereign Trust Insurance (STI) in its traditional style of letting the public know its claims payment profile, recently released its claims paid out last year. According to a breakdown of claims paid by the company from January-September 2009, the underwriting firm has settled claims totaling N425, 458,581.89 in the last nine months.
A rundown of the figures showed that a total of N138 million was paid in the first quarter, N173 million in the second quarter while N114 million went into claims settlement in the third quarter.
Claims paid under Motor Insurance amounted to N220, 843,530.59 (representing 52% of the total figure), according to the Head of Claims Department in the organization, Emmanuel Anikibe, Fire and General Perils Insurance accounted for N48, 605,626.69 while a total of N110, 181,338.39 was settled as Claims under General Insurance within the Nine Months period under consideration. Other figures provided are Marine Insurance N13, 463,627.23, Engineering Insurance N17, 650,878.03 and Energy Insurance N14, 713,580.96.
While commenting, the Managing Director of the Organization, Mr. Wale Onaolapo stated that Claims payment is key and paramount to the survival and reputation building of any underwriting firm in the country.

In his words “whenever the need arises to pay claims as at when due, we do not see it as doing our customers a favour or doing anything out of the ordinary; we are only fulfilling the promises we made at the point of picking up the business.” “We are obligated to settle claims as at when due and we will do all in our capacity to ensure that we do not disappoint when it matters most” The whole essence of insurance is premised on restoring to former status even after the mishap. I enjoin Nigerians both individuals and corporate organisations to see insurance an integral part of our lives just as we live with risk on a daily basis.
Stating further, Onaolapo said “we are forever committed to our vision of being a leading brand providing insurance services of global standards hence professionalism, integrity and sound corporate governance are values we hold in high esteem and abide by in the day to day running of the organization.
STI has over the years, demonstrated commitment to optimally maintaining a leading position in the industry in Nigeria. According to recent ratings, the underwriting firm has shown a great deal of consistency with a lot of potentials for growth in the years to come. In terms of peer to peer performance the company is also doing very well when compared to other Insurers in terms of capital, assets, gross premium income, investment income and net premium income .Odamo urged NAICOM to emulate the on-going reforms in the banking sector by totally overhauling the insurance industry and shed it of all its negative attachments.

 


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Moniepoint Marks 10 Years of Transforming Nigerian Businesses

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Moniepoint Inc., Nigeria’s definitive platform for small businesses and Africa’s all-in-one financial ecosystem, today released its 2025 Year in Review, marking a decade of “financial happiness” and a transformative year of growth.

Moniepoint Marks 10 Years of Transforming Nigerian Businesses

Moniepoint

Highlighting its role as the backbone of Nigeria’s entrepreneurial economy with over 6 million active businesses, the company revealed that its microfinance bank has now disbursed over ₦1 trillion in credit to thousands of businesses from provision stores and supermarkets to building materials sellers.

It is worthy to note that on average these businesses experienced growth by more than 36% after accessing credit, signposting its primacy as a transformational growth level and instrument of deepening shared prosperity.

Moniepoint uses alternative data points that include transaction histories, business patterns and payment behaviours in a bid to accommodate what traditional credit scoring misses to drive financial inclusion and access to credit.

The company’s 2025 performance reinforces its role as a critical financial infrastructure which not only supports the Nigerian economy, but also impacts everyday lives, creating immense value.

Founded in 2015 by Tosin Eniolorunda and Felix Ike, Moniepoint Inc (formerly known as TeamApt Inc) has established itself as the leading financial platform for Nigeria’s vast network of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), offering an integrated suite of services, including digital payments, business bank accounts, credit, foreign exchange (FX), and management tools.

During the year, as Nigeria’s largest merchant acquirer, now powering 8 out of every 10 in-person payments made across the country, Moniepoint MFB, the banking and payments subsidiary, processed ₦412 trillion in transaction value handling more than 14 billion transactions. This clearly suggests that Moniepoint is well-positioned to play a greater role in Nigeria’s steady march towards a trillion dollar economy by 2030.

“Our journey has been one of intentional evolution,” said Tosin Eniolorunda, Group CEO and Founder of Moniepoint Inc. “What started as a passion to solve overlooked problems has evolved into a platform powering the dreams of millions.

“As 83% of employment in Africa exists in the informal economy, our mission to create financial happiness is an operational mandate that guides our product development, our market expansion, and our capital allocation decisions.”

Beaming with enthusiasm, Eniolorunda continues, “Yet for all we have accomplished, we approach our second decade with the clarity that our work remains unfinished.

“As we enter this next chapter, we do so with strengthened conviction in our strategy, deepened partnerships with world-class institutional investors, and an organisation scaled to deliver on Africa’s entrepreneurial potential.

“The infrastructure we have built over the past decade provides the foundation. The journey is far from over, but our resolve has never been stronger. To our partners, our customers, and our team: thank you for a decade of impact. We are just getting started.”

In 2025, Moniepoint Inc. reached a series of critical inflexion points, highlighted by the successful completion of its Series C funding round, which raised over $200 million in equity financing from leading institutional investors, including Development Partners International, Google’s Africa Investment Fund, Visa, the International Finance Corporation, and Verod Capital.

The year also marked the launch of MonieWorld in the United Kingdom, extending Moniepoint’s platform to serve the African diaspora by strengthening key remittance corridors and laying the foundation for the delivery of comprehensive cross-border financial services.

Moniepoint MFB re-launched its savings product in a firm demonstration of the company’s commitment toward its’ oft stated mantra of providing financial happiness. Data reveals in terms of savings behavioral patterns, the majority of users choose to save on a daily basis, with focus across business operations (24%), rent (16.5%), and education (10%) representing top savings priorities.

The launch of Moniebook and the acquisition of a national Microfinance Bank license for Moniepoint MFB further expand the company’s regulated capabilities and product depth.

TeamApt Ltd, the switching and processing subsidiary of Moniepoint Inc., also achieved major regulatory and operational milestones in 2025 that have solidified its position in the global payments landscape. After a rigorous certification process, the company successfully secured licenses from Mastercard and Visa to act as a processor and acquirer for these global card schemes..

This strategic move allows TeamApt to support international card payments directly and offer these critical switching services to other businesses across the continent.

Monnify, the web payment gateway processed N25 trillion in the period under review, demonstrating remarkable resilience and industry confidence firmly positioning it for more business-to-business transactions.

Moniepoint’s impact extended beyond banking into critical social interventions even as the company partnered with the Federal Government to support the Rice Intervention Programme, reaching nearly 850,000 beneficiaries, and worked with the Kaduna State Government in grants disbursement to vulnerable citizens.

Through these initiatives, Moniepoint continues to build the infrastructure required to unlock Africa’s entrepreneurial potential, positioning itself as a trusted partner for the delivery of large-scale economic empowerment programmes.

As Moniepoint Inc. enters its second decade, its well chronicled decade-long evolution from a backend technology provider to a household name, directly complements the Nigerian government’s vision of a more inclusive, data-driven, and productive financial landscape. To read more about the 2025 Year in Review Report:, visit http://2025.moniepoint.com


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MTN Group Names Shoyinka Shodunke IT Core Design Executive Ahead of March 2026

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MTN Group has announced the appointment of Shoyinka Shodunke as Executive: IT Core Design and Delivery, effective 1 March 2026.

MTN Group Names Shoyinka Shodunke IT Core Design Executive Ahead of March 2026

Shoyinka Shodunke

Shoyinka brings more than 29 years of experience in technology leadership, digital transformation and innovation across Africa’s telecommunications sector.

His career spans several senior roles, including Director of Technology at Vodafone Ghana, Chief Technology and Information Officer (CTIO) at MTN Cameroon, Chief Information Officer (CIO) at MTN Zambia, and General Manager: Architecture for the MTN Shared Services Hub in Southeast Africa.

He currently serves concurrently as CIO for MTN Nigeria and MTN South Africa, where he has led large-scale digital initiatives impacting more than 80 million subscribers and overseen a technology ecosystem comprising over 350 professionals.

Shoyinka is recognised for a leadership approach anchored in adaptive intelligence, resilient system design and collaborative value creation.

His work has focused on leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance human creativity, strengthen system resilience and drive innovation at scale.

In 2025, he was named MTN Group CIO of the Year for his role in advancing one of Africa’s most ambitious digital transformations, supporting MTN’s evolution from a traditional telecommunications operator into an AI-enabled technology organisation.

He also received the Tech Champion in Telecoms and CIO of the Year awards at the CIO and C-Suite Awards Africa.

His academic background includes an Advanced Management Programme (AMP) at Harvard Business School, an MBA from the University of Northampton, a Postgraduate Diploma in Global Management from the University of Salford Manchester, and a Bachelor of Technology in Mathematics and Statistics from the Federal University of Technology in Nigeria.

In his new role, Shoyinka will lead the development and execution of standardised and AI-enhanced IT architectures across MTN’s footprint.

His responsibilities will include integrating AI-driven automation, predictive analytics and digital transformation initiatives to improve customer experience, operational efficiency and service agility, while accelerating innovation cycles and time-to-market.


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Kaspersky Reveals How Digitalisation is Influencing Family Life

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Kaspersky’s latest global research shows that mostly all people currently interact with their family members digitally: 86% of all participants communicate with family via messaging apps, 58% have regular video calls, and 44% have even established joint streaming service accounts.

While digitalisation offers unprecedented convenience and flexibility in family communication, Kaspersky experts warn that this increased online connectivity demands a heightened awareness of digital safety practices and the protection of devices.

Communication in the digital sphere has become an integral part of everyday life. Thanks to video calls and instant messaging, we can maintain connections with our loved ones, no matter where we are.

Digitalisation has reshaped not only how we communicate, but also how we spend our free time together. Kaspersky has conducted a survey* to reveal the common patterns of modern family life in the digital age and discover the cybersecurity challenges that lurk beneath our screen interactions.

Cyber safety during family communication

According to the survey, regular messaging via WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Viber and other messenger apps were top of users’ choices when communicating with their families.

People in the 35-54 age group were the most likely to engage this way, with 89% of respondents choosing this option. Video calls were a much less popular option among respondents as a way of keeping in touch with relatives, with only 58% choosing this digital solution.

Another popular way of staying connected online for many families is exchanging posts and memes on social media and messengers (53%). The 18-34 age group leads this trend with a 58% participation rate, showcasing how humor and shared cultural references are becoming essential family bonding mechanisms.

The older generation (above 55 years old) is in general less digitally engaged than other ages, though the share of those who chat with their families in messengers is on par with the average (85%). 42% of this age group even exchange memes and posts via social media.

Despite the fact that older people are more active in the digital sphere, they may still not be ready to face cyber threats and scams. Users should therefore educate their older relatives on how to stay safe online and use gadgets securely.

Even for advanced users, communication online carries potential cyber security risks. From phishing attempts disguised as legitimate messages to sophisticated social engineering attacks, the digital battlefield operates within our most personal communication channels.

To ensure the complex protection for your messengers it’s highly recommended to enable two-factor authentication where possible, use unique, complex passwords for each account, remain skeptical of unexpected links or attachments, use a reliable security solution with anti-phishing protection for messengers and follow security tips from Kaspersky experts.

Family accounts – convenience or risk?

The survey shows that in their free time 70% of families choose to watch movies together, with 44% having family streaming accounts. Online games do not have such popularity as a family pastime, with only 35% of general respondents opting for them.

While sharing streaming subscriptions and gaming accounts may seem like a cost-effective solution, it opens the door to a host of digital vulnerabilities that can compromise your family’s security and privacy, especially when an account is used by different family members under the same login and password. Such accounts create a perfect storm for security breaches.

If one family member’s device is compromised, hackers gain access to the entire account. Additionally, password reuse across multiple platforms means that a single breach could expose your financial information, email accounts, and other sensitive data. To manage all passwords securely, it’s highly recommended to use a password manager for all family members.

“As our family life moves more and more online, it opens up amazing ways to stay close and create memories – but it also brings new risks, like scams and hacking. Kids and older relatives can be especially at risk, so looking out for each other online is really important.

“Protecting your digital privacy and using cybersecurity measures is an important way to care for your loved ones and keep your family safe”, comments Marina Titova, Vice President for Consumer Business at Kaspersky.


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