capital market
Cornerstone Insurance records N17.53bn gross premium in 2020


By Kayode Tokede
Cornerstone Insurance Plc, on Tuesday said it recorded a Gross Premium Written of N 17.53 billion for the year ended Dec. 31, 2020.
Chairman of the company, Mr Segun Adebanji announced this at the 29th Annual General Meeting/30th anniversary of the insurer in Lagos.
Adebanji said the amount represented an increase of 34 per cent over the previous year, despite the challenging environment of the year under review.
“Premiums from life insurance grew from N3.84 billion in the previous year to N5.54 billion in 2020 and accounted for 31 per cent of the gross premium written.
“The largest contributors to general business gross premium written were oil, gas, aviation, engineering; while motor classes contributed N3.53 billion, N2.86 billion and N1.52 billion respectively,” he said.
According to him, the investment portfolios of the underwriter also yielded positive figures, driven mainly by the effect of changes in foreign exchange rates and also from sales of foreign currency denominated assets during the year.
The Chairman said investment and treasury activities contributed N3.73 billion to the overall revenue.
Adebanji said the gross claims ratio for the year under review stood at 41 per cent and had been relatively stable year-on-year since the company put in place stricter risk acceptance parameters.
“Even though the overall ratio of claims to revenue has remained relatively stable, the effects of the fourth quarter 2020 protests are clearly noticeable in our financial statements.
“As non-life gross claims incurred increased by 62 per cent when compared with the previous year, and gross claims from the fire class specifically rose by 85 per cent, from N816 million in 2019 to N1.51 billion,” he said.
Adebanji explained that personnel and other operating costs dropped by close to 7 per cent as the management executed remote working protocols and other measures to safeguard the welfare of staff.
He noted the insurance firm’s investment in a robust nationwide technology infrastructure over the years ensured that normal operations were carried out unabated.
“Consequently, our Group ended the year with a profit before tax of N1.76 billion. The global and domestic economic events of the year 2020 had significant repercussions for the financial services sub sector in Nigeria.
“The ramifications of the novel Coronavirus pandemic and ensuing governmental responses were felt across the globe.
“The impact of the economic situation and the pandemic on the insurance industry was multifaceted ,as the revenues and disposable incomes of corporate and individual customers alike were affected, so too were insurers’ premiums,” he said.
According to the Chairman, the board and management of the insurance company, however, acted proactively to minimise the effects on its financial performance.
Adebanji lauded the insurance company shareholders for their support and sustained interest in the growth of the company and the staff for their unrelenting efforts.
“While 2021 may not be a year for expansion, it is a year in which we are discovering new strengths and capabilities as the world embraces new ways of working and communicating through technology,” he said.
capital market
IATF2023 records $43.8bn closed deals


The African Export-Import Bank has disclosed that the third Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2023) held in Cairo from 9 to 15 November witnessed the conclusion of business deals and transactions valued at US$43.8 billion.
In the final tallies released in Cairo, the organisers of the continental event said that the amount represented the value of 426 deals concluded in 21 sectors covering 52 countries. At a press conference to announce the results, Executive Vice President (Intra-African Trade Bank) at Afreximbank, Mrs Kanayo Awani, also announced that 130 countries participated in the trade fair, which attracted 1,939 exhibitors and 28,282 participants who attended physically and through the IATF virtual platform.
One of the notable transactions included the Export Agriculture for Food Security Framework executed by several African countries (as Origin Countries) and ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms, Arise IIP (as Anchor Investor) to which Afreximbank committed US$2 billion to boost production, processing, and intra-African trade in agricultural products and to provide African farmers and agribusinesses with opportunities to access larger markets across the continent.
Mrs Awani also said that the IATF had successfully established itself as the premier trade and investment event in Africa, with the unique capacity to increase intra-African trade and investment, especially in the context of implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement.
“Building on the successes of IATF2018 and IATF2021, I am proud to say that the buzz and energy generated by IATF2023 will be felt across Africa and beyond for many years to come. Together, we have explored new possibilities and opened new doors for a brighter future for our continent,” she added.
IATF2023 kicked off on 9 November and included an official opening ceremony, a Presidential Summit which was addressed by President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi of the Arab Republic of Egypt, a Trade and Investment Forum, the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), an African Auto Forum, AU Youth Entrepreneurship Programme, a Sub-Sovereigns Conference, a Diaspora Summit, an African Industrialization Week and an African Tourism Sustainability and Investment Forum. A series of side events were also held as part of the trade fair.
The next edition of the IATF will be hosted in 2025 by Algeria.
capital market
Investors record positive gains, as NGXASI advance by 0.43%


Investors yesterday recorded positive gains on the Nigerian equities market following Monday’s losses.
According to data obtained from the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) website, the NGX Market CAP recorded a gain of N165.99 billion in Naira terms.
The NGX All-Share Index (NGXASI) also advanced by 0.43 percent, closing at 71,250.17 basis points, compared to the previous day’s loss of 0.66 percent, which closed at 70,946.83 basis points. With the growth, the NGXASI now stands at 39.02 percent.
The total volume traded also advanced by 20.93 percent to close at N433.57 million, valued at N11.11 billion and traded in 7,016 deals.
The Gate Index closed flat at 183.36, while the Toni index advanced by 0.27 percent to close at 375.28 basis points.
At the close of trading, the market recorded 40 gainers, 15 losers, and 64 unchanged. NSLTECH topped the gainers list, while ABBEYBDS topped the list of losers.
UACN was the most traded stock by volume with N61.71 million, while NIDF was the most traded stock by value with N2.22 billion units traded.
UACN also had the highest volume contribution with 14.23 percent, while UBA and GTCO followed closely.
According to the value chart, NIDF is at the top with a 20.0 percent contribution. AIRTELAFRI and MTNN followed closely behind.
capital market
SEC DG calls for multifaceted approach to enhance capital market growth


The Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mr. Lamido Yuguda has called for a multi-faceted approach to enhance the growth of Nigeria’s capital market.
The SEC DG made this known while addressing journalists at the 2023 conference of the Capital Market Correspondents Association of Nigeria (CAMCAN) held in Lagos at the weekend.
According to Yuguda who was represented by the Executive Commissioner Operations, SEC, Mr Dayo Obisan, “Effectively harnessing the capital market for national development entails a multi-faceted approach, these include deploying more infrastructure, fostering more public-private partnerships, establishing specialised entities like special purpose vehicles (SPVs), listing state-owned enterprises, issuing green bonds to support sustainable projects, and bolstering small and medium enterprises among others.”
According to him, the revised capital market master plan underscored SEC’s commitment to deepening and. repositioning the financial market as a key driver of sustainable economic growth.
“The master plan which represents collective aspirations of the capital market community is focused on driving initiatives geared towards growing and deepening the market with the ultimate goal of accelerating the emergence of our dear country in the top 20 economies by the year 2025,” Yuguda said.
The SEC DG added that synergy holds the potential of unleashing capital market prowess and paving the way for a prosperous future.
According to him, achieving the objective necessitates an increased utilisation of market mechanisms and instruments to raise funds and stimulate economic advancement.
He pointed out that the commission would continue to introduce new ideas and policies that would support the development and regulation of a capital market that is dynamic, fair, transparent, and efficient to contribute to the nation’s economic development, noting that investors protection plays a crucial role in the development and integrity of the capital market.
Also speaking at the event, the Deputy Director, SEC Lagos Zonal office, Mr John Briggs, urged the government to create infrastructure financing instruments that would facilitate easy servicing of obligations.
“We have encouraged a lot of infrastructure funds like sukuk, and green bonds and we are even talking about blue bonds to develop the market.”
“The capital market has created the conducive environment to ensure a transparent and dynamic market which would continue to attract investment,” he said.
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