Business
2009 Balance Sheets Show Losses For More Banks
In what could be said to be a dismal performance from the banking sector, investigations have revealed that most of the banks have posted losses in their 2009 balance sheet.
Reasons for these losses, it has be identified is not because there were no improvements in fundamental performances like increase in gross earnings or deposits, but because they are now forced to keep the records straight in the spirit of full disclosures and transparency.
Consequently their bottom line have caved in, making most of the banks to announce huge losses. Even those that did not make losses have their profit seriously reduced.
For instance, Access Bank has made loan provisioning to the tune of N30.89 billion while Citibank provided for N320 million. Other include Diamond Bank which provided for N24.6 billion, Ecobank N33.39 billion, while FCMB provided N21 billion.
Also Fidelity made provision for N1.9 billon, First Bank (N29.50 billon), GTB (N24.96 billion) Stanbic IBTC (5.90 billion) Skye Bank (N32 billion), Sterling Bank (10.80 billion), UBA (N41.64 billion) and Zenith (N24.14 billion).
Apparently because of these provisioning, Intercontinental Bank, Oceanic Bank, Afribank and Union Bank recorded losses of N328.4 billion respectively.
Also, Bank PHB, Spring Bank and Finbank made losses of N438.65 billion, N23.30 billion and N200.68 billion each.
The latest victim to the recent banking reform is Wema Bank, where in spite of 82 per cent growth in gross earnings, the bank posted a loss in its nine months financials.
It said recently that the previous challenges faced by the bank had no doubt impacted adversely on its businesses as shown by the weak financial performance reported in its published accounts. It disclosed further that a major challenge for the bank was the quantum of non-performing loans and advances to the sum of N116.355 billion, which have been provisioned in the accounts and led to erosion of its capital base.
Segun Oloketuji, the bank’s group managing director, revealed that despite the bank’s gross earning growth of N23.683 billion, which is about 82 per cent against to previous year, the increase could not be reflected on the bank’s nine months balance sheet.
Oloketuyi however, attributed this dismal performance to the previous challenges faced by the bank, said a major challenge for the bank was the level of non-performing loans and advances.
The group managing director recalled in a statement that the issues that the bank faced in the last two years had necessitated in the intervention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to appoint an interim management board to oversee the operations of the bank, and that after 18 months the interim board would hand over responsibility for the management of the bank to current management team.
“The release of these results mark a fulfillment of the new management’s commitment to transparency adherence to regulations and sound corporate governance practices.
“However, in this challenge lies our greatest opportunity to recapitalise the bank through the bold initiatives that the board and management have taken to recover these non-performing loans. We are pleased by the result achieved so far.
A significant amount of recoveries have been made post September 30, 2009 balance sheet date.
Information Technology
Digitisation Policy, Impactful On Nigeria – NITDA
Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has said the digitisation policy drive of the Federal Government as contained in the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) is impacting positively in corporate governance, Business-to-Business (B2B), Business-to-Customer (B2C), and Business-to-Government (B2G) relationships.
A statement issued yesterday by the Head of Corporate Affairs and External Relations of NITDA, Hajia Hadiza Umar, said Inuwa stated this while delivering a good will message at the Validation Workshop for the National e-Commerce Policy and Strategy by the National Advisory Committee, on Electronic Commerce and Digital Economy (NACEDE), which took place in Abuja.
He said the Digital Economic sector, which is a super-set of e-commerce, remains key to Nigeria’s economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 era, deploying new technological innovations, such as e-commerce platforms, including social media-enabled trading handles, and ensuring rapid uptake of e-commerce for economic growth and competitiveness.
“Nigeria is experiencing the positive impact of e-commerce activities due to the growing increase in access to the Internet and related IT tools and services.
“The contribution of the telecommunications sector to the National Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was an average15 per cent in July 2022 and experienced 44.5 per cent broadband penetration with active internet subscriptions that peaked at 151 million,” Inuwa said.
The DG, who was represented by Engineer Salisu Kaka, Acting Director, Digital Economy and Development Department, further said, “We have approximately 2000 digital innovation companies with 384 products in Nigeria.
“These Startups have raised over $2 billion in venture capital funding in 2021 alone. With an estimated 89,000 developers representing 12% of the African developers’ population, Nigeria’s e-commerce market size is about $17 billion. There is annual spending of about $12 billion in 2022, and this is projected to reach $75 billion by 2025.
“Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) appear to be the major beneficiaries of the concept of e-commerce as it enables MSMEs to operate in the global marketplace.
“MSMEs can now participate in regional businesses and enjoy social, economic, and cultural networks seamlessly across international boundaries.
“Global corporations now operate with much consistency while MSMEs experience enhanced participation in international value chains, increased market access and reach, improved internal and external market efficiency, and lower transaction costs,” he noted.
He also said there is a need to maintain the tide and optimize the benefit of technology and e-commerce, which have necessitated Nigeria to have a robust national e-commerce policy and strategy.
“Additionally, Nigeria is a signatory to bilateral, regional, continental, and global treaties on trade and trade-related activities. Having a national policy that recognized these treaties is necessary for the mutual benefit of member nations.
Information Technology
Kaspersky Identifies New Malware Campaign Targeting iOS Devices
Kaspersky, a global cybersecurity company, says it has uncovered an ongoing mobile Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) campaign targeting iOS devices with an unknown malware.
The cyber security firm made this known in its latest report on Friday.
It said that the APT which was tagged as ‘Operation Triangulation’, distributes zero-click exploits via iMessage to run malware gaining complete control over the device and user data, with the final goal to spy on users.
It said that Kaspersky experts uncovered the new mobile APT campaign while monitoring the network traffic of its corporate Wi-Fi network using the Kaspersky Unified Monitoring and Analysis Platform (KUMA).
It noted that upon further analysis, company researchers discovered that the threat actor had been targeting iOS devices of dozens of company employees.
According to the company, the investigation of the attack technique is still ongoing, but so far Kaspersky researchers were able to identify the general infection sequence.
“The victim receives message via iMessage with an attachment containing a zero-click exploit.
“Without any further interaction, the message triggers a vulnerability that leads to code execution for privilege escalation and provides full control over the infected device.
“Once the attacker successfully establishes its presence in the device, the message automatically deletes itself,” it said.
According to the report, the spyware quietly transmits private information to remote servers.
“This includes microphone recordings, photos from instant messengers, geolocation and data about a number of other activities of the owner of the infected device,” it said.
The report stated that during the analysis, it was confirmed that there was no impact on the company’s products, technologies and services, and no Kaspersky customer user data or critical company processes were affected.
It noted that the attackers could only access data stored on the infected devices.
Igor Kuznetsov, Head of Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa Unit at Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team, said: “When it comes to cyber security, even the most secure operating systems can be compromised.
“As APT actors are constantly evolving their tactics and searching for new weaknesses to exploit, businesses must prioritise security of their systems,” he said.
Kuznetsov said this involved prioritising employee education, awareness and providing them with the latest threat intelligence and tools to effectively recognise and defend against potential threats.
He said the company’s investigation of the triangulation operation continues, adding that further details on it would be shared as there could be other targets of this spy operation.
Information Technology
Immigration Seeks Hitch-Free E-Passport System In PH
The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Rivers State Command, has re-emphasised its earlier stand on the provision of seamless e-passort for applicants.
A top official in the NIS, who pleaded anonymity, disclosed this in an exclusive chat with The Tide in Port Harcourt during the week.
Warning against any attempt to put the agency in bad light, saying such will be resisted by the system, the source said there was no need for panic, especially at this festive season, adding that it has a sound digital system to address their needs.
He called on both officers and men of the command to up their game to enable them meet up with the endless demands of their teeming clients
According to him, the Passport personnel have all it takes to deliver tasks on schedule with zero complain.
“Passport system is digitalized. We can meet up with the demands of the people. Our challenge is that people are always in a hurry to collect or do thier new passports”, he said.
He further called on members of the public to learn how to make do with the direct information obtained from the command on passport issues instead of feeding themselves with rumors.
By: King Onunwor
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