Business Archives

FirstHoldCo sustains growth momentum as gross earnings rise 17% to N2.6trn

Nov 5, 2025 topnews

By Chima Nwokoji FirstHoldCo Plc has sustained its growth momentum across core business segments, reporting a 17.1 percent year-on-year increase in gross earnings to ₦2.64 trillion for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, compared to ₦2.25 trillion in the corresponding period of 2024. According to the unaudited results released by the Group, interest income rose sharply by 40.4 per cent to ₦2.29 trillion from ₦1.63 trillion in September 2024, reflecting improved asset yields and loan book expansion. Net interest income also climbed 71.7 per cent year-on-year to ₦1.5 trillion,…

From Market Stall to Millionaire: How Fidelity Bank GAIM 6 Transformed My Life – Fufu Seller

Nov 4, 2025 topnews

Let’s start this interview with a general introduction of yourself. Tell us about yourself as a customer of Fidelity Bank? My name is Mrs. Francesca Ogbonnaya and I am from Delta State while my husband is from Ebonyi State, South – East Nigeria. I was born here in Kano State, which means I have been in the state for so long. I am a trader and as you can see, my business inside the market is trading. I sell fufu to different customers who buy and then resell in their…

Sterling HoldCo Reinforces Strong Earnings Momentum with 127% Profit Growth …Positions for Sustained Value Creation in Q4 and Beyond

Nov 3, 2025Nov 3, 2025 topnews

Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc (“Sterling HoldCo” or “the Group”) has announced its unaudited financial results for the nine-month-period ended September 30, 2025, posting an impressive 127% year-on-year growth in profit after tax (PAT) to ₦62.3 billion. The performance is testament to the Group’s robust earnings capacity, operational efficiency, and disciplined execution. The Group’s gross earnings rose by 44.1% to ₦341.7 billion (September 2024: ₦237.2 billion), driven by solid performances in both interest and non-interest income lines. Interest income grew by 38.7% to ₦262.4 billion, supported by an expanded earning…

FirstBank Partners with Verve to Issue Free Verve Debit Cards in Nationwide Flash Promo, Extends Good Life Promo

Nov 2, 2025Nov 5, 2025 topnews

First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank), Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider, has announced the launch of the Verve Flash Promo, a special initiative rewarding customers with free Verve cards. The campaign, which commenced on 6 October 2025, and will run until 30 January 2026, is exclusively targeted at FirstBank customers whose ATM cards have expired. The free cards will be issued daily to 131 customers on a first-come, first-served basis across the Bank’s branches, nationwide. FirstBank’s unwavering commitment to convenience, accessibility, and customer satisfaction. Speaking on the…

Bank MD gets 5 year jail term for stealing N32m from own bank

Oct 30, 2025 topnews

Justice Benjamin Lawan Manji of the Adamawa State High Court, has convicted and sentenced the Managing Director of Bonghe Micro Finance Bank, Grace Andreas Karka, to five years imprisonment for illegal transfer of money from her bank. According to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission’s statement obtained on Thursday, Karka was prosecuted on two-count charges bordering on criminal conspiracy and cheating to the tune of N32,000,000( Thirty Two Million Naira) by the Gombe Zonal Directorate of the EFCC. The charge reads, “that you Grace Andreas Karka and prince Moses Batalu…

ntel CEO Optimistic About Nigeria’s Market Rebound, Targets Innovation Gaps

Oct 30, 2025Oct 30, 2025 topnews

Mr. Soji Maurice-Diya, Chief Executive Officer of NatCom Development & Investment Limited (trading as ntel), says the company remains bullish about its market comeback in Q1 2026, unveiling a renewed strategy to fill what he describes as “innovation gaps” in Nigeria’s telecoms ecosystem. Speaking during the Technology Times Thought Leadership Series, a quarterly platform powered by Digital Transformation Media Limited (DTML), publishers of Technology Times and eGovernance Nigeria Magazine, the ntel CEO shared his company’s renewed vision to re-enter Nigeria’s highly competitive telecoms market through an infrastructure-light model anchored on innovation,…

Banks Take Over Nestoil in $1bn Debt Receivership

Oct 29, 2025 topnews

Police have sealed off the corporate headquarters of Nestoil Limited in Victoria Island, Lagos, after a consortium of lenders placed the oil and gas company under receivership over a reported $1 billion debt. A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, presided over by Justice D. I. Dipeolu, issued a Mareva injunction on October 22, 2025, authorising First Trustees and its subsidiary, FBNQuest Merchant Bank, to take over the company’s assets pending the determination of the substantive suit. The order was granted against Nestoil Limited, its affiliate Neconde Energy Limited, and…

Fidelity Bank Commends Air Peace for Successful Inaugural Heathrow Flight

Oct 28, 2025 topnews

Leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, has commended Air Peace for its historic inaugural direct flight from Abuja to London Heathrow, describing the milestone as a bold testament to Nigerian excellence in global aviation. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe,OON in a statement issued following the launch, praised Air Peace for its resilience and vision. The MD noted that the airline’s expansion into the prestigious Heathrow route reflects the strength of indigenous enterprise and the growing confidence in Nigeria’s aviation sector. “We…

BOI, MAN, NECA Chiefs to Lead Talks on Tackling Nigeria’s Low Productivity at WES 2025

Oct 27, 2025 topnews

As nominations close for WES 2025 Awards for Outstanding Economic Impacts Top industry leaders and policymakers are set to converge at the WorldStage Economic Summit (WES) 2025 to address one of Nigeria’s most persistent challenges — low productivity. The summit, themed “Tackling the Issue of Low Productivity in Nigeria,” will hold on Friday, November 21, 2025, at The Event Centre, Nigerian Exchange Limited, 2/4 Customs Street, Lagos, starting at 10 a.m. According to the organisers, World Stage Limited, a research- and technology-driven firm focused on Africa’s economic advancement, confirmed that…

FirstBank Sparks Global Kindness with 2025 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Week

Oct 27, 2025 topnews

FirstBank, the premier bank in West Africa and a leading financial inclusion service provider, is proud to announce the commencement of its 2025 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CR&S) Week, scheduled to hold from 27 October – 1 November 2025. Now in its ninth year, the annual event is a reflection of the Bank’s commitment to community empowerment, environmental stewardship, and the advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through the ‘Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness’ (SPARK) initiative, FirstBank continues to build on its legacy of sowing seeds…