Business News
LASACO shareholders approve additional N10 billion ordinary shares
LASACO Assurance Plc to N10 billion capital injection
During an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting of LASACO Assurance Plc, shareholders of the company have approved the decision of the board of directors of the company to raise an additional N10 billion ordinary shares.
In a bid to position LASACO as a major tier one company under the tier-based minimum solvency capital requirements of the National Insurance Commission, stakeholders of the company have resolved to fork up LASACO’s capital base.
The N10 billion will be of 50 kobo ordinary shares each at 50 kobo per share, wither by way of public offer, special placement or rights issue and/or up to 10 million preference shares of 1,000 each at N5000 per share.
A statement by the company also has it that its shareholders resolved that the authorised share capital of the company be and is hereby increased from 10 billion to 20 billion by the creation and addition of 10 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each. “Such new shares to rank pari passu in all respects with the existing ordinary shares in the capital of the company.” The statement added.
Part of the company’s resolution was that “the board of directors be and are hereby authorised to exercise all the powers of the company to modify and/or conclude the terms of the public offer, special placement or rights issue, seek approvals from the relevant regulatory authorities, appoint professional parties and advisers, and finalise and execute all agreements or documents.
The board was authorised to do all such acts and deeds which it, in its absolute discretion, might deem necessary and expedient for the purpose of the public offer, special placement or rights issue or preference shares “without being required to seek further consent or approval of members of the company or otherwise to the end and intent that they shall be deemed to have given approval thereto expressly by the authority of the resolution.”
The company is currently trading at N0.3 on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). Results for the half year ended June 2018 show gross premium written increased from N4.7 billion in 2017 to N6.3 billion in 2018. Profit before tax increased from N483 million in 2017 to N527 million in 2018. Profit after tax, however, declined from N387 million in 2017 to N382 million in 2018.
Business News
Just In: PPPRA reduces petrol price to N121.50 per litre
“After a review of prevailing market fundamentals in the month of May and considering marketers realistic operating costs as much as practicable, we wish to advise of a new PMS guiding pump price…”
The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) has announced a new retail price band for oil marketers.
In a circular dated May 31st, as seen by Nairametrics, the downstream regulator said oil marketers are now expected to sell petrol within the price range of N121.50 and N123.50. Part of the circular said:
“Please recall the recently approved pricing regime which became effective March 19, 2020, and the provision for the establishment of a monthly price band within which petroleum marketers are expected to sell PMS at the retail stations.
“After a review of prevailing market fundamentals in the month of May and considering marketers realistic operating costs as much as practicable, we wish to advise of a new PMS guiding pump price with the corresponding ex-depot price for the month of June 2020, as follows; price band N121.50 – N123.50 per liter.”
Details later…
Business News
Hedge funds, institutional investors rush to own stakes in Bitcoin
Hedge funds are firms that offer alternative investments to a specific type of investors (high net worth individuals), in a bid to protect their investment portfolios from market uncertainty, while generating positive returns regardless of market sentiments.
With global economic uncertainty gradually becoming a daily norm, institutional and hedge funds around the world have been rushing to have a stake in crypto assets which all have been outperforming other financial assets in 2020).
Just recently, a popular hedge fund based in New York –Grayscale Investments –caught the investment world by surprise by buying up Bitcoin (BTC) at a great rate in recent months.
Lennard Neo, the head of research at Stack Funds, told Cointelegraph that institutional investors have been seeking for other options, not just to provide returns, but also to hedge their existing portfolio from downside risks. Neo said:
“Similar to Grayscale, Stack has seen an uptick in investors’ interest — almost double that figures of pre-crash in March — in Bitcoin. I would not say they are ‘gobbling up BTC’ blindly but cautiously seeking traditional structured solutions that they are familiar with before making an investment.”
(READ MORE:The Empirical Truth about an average Nigerian’s price point)
In addition, Paul Cappelli, a portfolio manager at Galaxy Fund Management, explained in detail the reasons for this demand. According to him, “we’re seeing increased interest from multiple levels of investors’ wealth channels, independent RIAs, and institutions.
“The recent BTC halving came at an interesting time amid the COVID-19 outbreak and the growing unease about quantitative easing. He noted: “It clearly demonstrated BTC’s scarcity and future supply reduction as concerns deepened around unprecedented stimulus by the Fed with the CARES Act.”
Also, Michael Sonnenshein, the Managing Director of Grayscale Investments, explained briefly why his firm uses Bitcoin as an option in hedging its firm’s portfolio position.
“All three are facing issues this time around. Bitcoin has emerged as an alternative hedge, operating independently of the dramatic monetary policies enacted by central banks,” he said.
What you need to know about Hedge Funds
They are firms that offer alternative investments to a specific type of investors (high net worth individuals), in a bid to protect their investment portfolios from market uncertainty, while generating positive returns regardless of market sentiments.
Business News
Measures introduced by Nigeria to ensure transparent use of the $3.4 billion IMF loan
Most of the critics of the government’s borrowing pattern have often expressed serious doubt about the judicious use of these funds, as they believe most of them might end up being embezzled.
Following the approval and disbursement of $3.4 billion Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) to Nigeria, which is the largest COVID-19 emergency financing package so far released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the multilateral financial institution now expects transparent and accountable use of the funds.
The IMF’s financial assistance to Nigeria is meant to support the healthcare sector, stabilise the economy, and protect jobs and businesses that have been severely impacted by the pandemic.
The Bretton wood institution has been disbursing funds to work closely with member countries to ensure transparent and judicious use of the financial support, while making sure they are used for the intended purpose.
The IMF’s mission chief for Nigeria, Amine Mati, during a conversation, pointed out the measures to be taken by Nigeria in order to enhance transparency and governance in the use of the $3.4 billion IMF emergency financing.
(READ MORE: Infrastructural financing in Nigeria: Why bonds are better than loans)
According to the IMF chief, the Nigerian Government had committed to undertake an independent audit of crisis mitigation spending and related procurement processes, as well as to publish procurement plans and notices for all emergency response activities which include the names of companies that were awarded the contracts and the beneficial owners.
Mr. Mati also disclosed that special budget lines are to be created to record all crisis emergency response measures, which are published daily on Nigeria’s treasury online portal. These measures will not only ensure that financial assistance received as part of the COVID-19 response is used for its intended purposes, but will also significantly strengthen the oversight of the entire budget used for the government’s crisis response.
What are the measures taken by #Nigeria to enhance transparency and governance in the use of the $3.4 billion IMF emergency financing? https://t.co/0zqIbYHz5U #IMFAfrica pic.twitter.com/RjGR1o59Cd
— IMF (@IMFNews) May 31, 2020
Implementing these measures will help to drastically reduce the governance and transparency challenges as well as corruption vulnerabilities of a country like Nigeria. Most of the critics of the government’s borrowing pattern have often expressed serious doubt about the judicious use of these funds, as they believe most of them might end up being embezzled.
