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Post-Facebook IPO Market Frozen

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The IPO market is settling into a deep freeze following Facebook’s troubled initial public offering two weeks ago, CNN reports.

At least five companies have postponed their IPO plans in the past week. Among them: travel company Kayak.com, which planned to debut on the Nasdaq; Formula One, which was set to go public in Singapore; and London Jeweler Graff Diamonds, which had been planning a $1.5 billion IPO in Hong Kong.

“Facebook alone froze the pipeline. It was done so poorly by the underwriters, and there had been so much hype around this deal that it’s produced so much angst and fear about the IPO market,” said Scott Sweet, managing director of IPO Boutique.

Last week’s bloodbath on Wall Street following a dismal U.S. jobs report makes it even more unlikely that companies will want test the public market anytime soon.

Corsair Components and Tria Beauty, which were both expected to go public before Memorial Day, put their IPO plans on hold indefinitely.

Online firewall provider Palo Alto Networks, risk management software company Reval Holdings, craft retailer Michael’s and cloud computing firm ServiceNow were among some of the other highly anticipated IPOs that were expected to launch after Memorial Day. None of the firms were available for immediate comment.

First, there are worries that large and small investors who got burned by Facebook’s errant first-day of trading on Nasdaq won’t even consider buying into an IPO right now.

In the Facebook blamegame, lead underwriter Morgan Stanley has come under attack for overvaluing the stock, which is now trading nearly 29% below its IPO price.

New companies are now worried that underwriters may significantly underprice their shares to simply get investors interested in this environment, according to several experts.

“Underwriters are going to have to price the next IPO so reasonably to force it to work,” said Sweet.

Companies appear to be wary of becoming that market test case.

The sea change signals a retrenchment for a market that was finally starting to open up. The IPO market ground to a near halt in 2008 and 2009 with just eight venture capital-backed companies tapping the public markets in each year, raising $562 million and $904 million respectively, according to Dow Jones VentureSource.

By 2010, 47 venture-backed U.S. companies went public, raising $3.2 billion, and last year 45 companies went public, raising $5.3 billion.

The IPO market was on track to beat both prior years in 2012, with 28 companies filing by the time of Facebook’s May 18 IPO. So far, companies have raised $8.9 billion in 2012, thanks largely to Facebook.

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“FCCPC Approves Sale Of Chivita|Hollandia To UAC Nigeria PLC 

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UAC of Nigeria PLC (UAC) has announced the completion of it’s in a press release on October 3, 2025, that it has completed the acquisition of Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited), following approval from the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
Revealing this in a Press Release, at the Weekend, UAC said the transaction, first disclosed on July 30, 2025, involved the transfer of ownership of CHI Limited, a leading Nigerian food and beverage company best known for its market-dominant Chivita juice and Hollandia dairy brands, to UAC.
Commenting on the development, the Managing Director, CHI Limited, Eelco Weber, expressed optimism in the company’s future under UAC’s ownership.
“We are pleased to have received regulatory approval for this transaction. We look forward to a smooth transition and to seeing Chivita|Hollandia thrive under UAC’s ownership,” he said.
Group Managing Director of UAC, Fola Aiyesimoju, highlighted the strategic importance of the acquisition saying “We are excited to officially welcome the Chivita|Hollandia team and brands into the UAC family, and we are eager to work together to build on their strong legacy and market leadership”.
The acquisition is expected to strengthen UAC’s position in Nigeria’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, expanding its footprint into the growing juice and dairy markets.
UAC further said that the acquisition aligned with its growth agenda by adding two market-leading brands and a well-established distribution network to its por.
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PenCom Reintroduces Gratuity For Federal Civil Servants

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The National Pension Commission has said it has deployed a framework to restore gratuity for Federal Civil Service under the Contributory Pension Scheme.
Director-General of PenCom, Omolola Oloworaran, disclosed this at a Stakeholders’ Conference on the Workings of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) for Employees and Pensioners of Federal Government Treasury-Funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies, in Abuja, last Thursday.
Represented by the Acting Commissioner, Technical, PenCom, Hon. Hafiz Kawu Ibrahim, Oloworaran said, “Working with the office of the Head of the Civil Service, a framework has been developed to restore gratuity benefits for federal workers under CPS, in line with Section 4(4) of the PRA 2014.”
The PenCom DG added that “PenCom has enhanced pensions for over 241,000 retirees, representing 80% of those under Programmed Withdrawal. Monthly pensions rose from N12.157 billion to N14.837 billion, effective June 2025.
“Also, since July 2025, no retiree waits to access their pensions. Payments are now immediate, aligned with monthly salary releases from the Federal Ministry of Finance”.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, stated that the Commission would partner PenCom to examine the current rate of retirement benefits and recommend appropriate mechanisms for periodic reviews of retirement benefits.
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CAC, SMEDAN To Register 250,000 MSMEs Free ……..As CAC Forfeits ?3b In Fees Nationwide

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The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) have announced a joint initiative to register 250,000 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) free of charge across the country, with CAC foregoing about ?3 billion in registration fees
The initiative, announced during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abuja, at the Weekend, seeks to remove barriers such as high costs and bureaucratic challenges that have long kept many small businesses in the informal sector.
The Registrar-General, CAC, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN, explained that the scheme would eliminate the registration fee, helping entrepreneurs access official recognition and grow their businesses.
SMEDAN Director-General, Dr. Charles Odii, added that registration is just the first step, noting that registered businesses will benefit from continuous aftercare such as grants, training, and market access.
Together, the two agencies noted that CAC will forgo approximately ?3 billion in registration fees, while SMEDAN will provide continuous support to help these businesses thrive.
They added that this partnership supports the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope vision to boost Nigeria’s economy by empowering entrepreneurs.
CAC further disclosed measures to ease company registration with the steps as follows: 1. Visit the SMEDAN portal: http://portal.smedan.gov.ng., 2 Sign up and complete your registration on the portal., 3. When asked if you have a CAC number, select “No”., 4. Submit your details to complete the process., 5. Once registration is completed, you will be contacted with the next steps to finalise your free CAC registration.
It further clarified that MSMEs already on SMEDAN’s database without CAC registration automatically qualify for this free registration drive.
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