The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced a significant reduction in the time it takes for companies to obtain approval for offers, bringing the timeframe from over a year down to just two weeks.
Confirming the change in a statement released on Monday, the SEC stated that approvals would now be granted within two weeks once all necessary documents are complete, aiming to enhance the efficiency of the capital market and better support the development of Nigeria’s economy.
The commission noted that issuers are no longer experiencing delays in their applications due to various mechanisms adopted to ensure swift processing and timely approvals.
“The capital market is the lifeblood of any economy and is regulated by time. One of the first things we tackled was to reduce the time to market. I can proudly say that we have reduced the time to market from over a year to fourteen days,” the SEC stated.
Banking capitalizationÂ
The commission highlighted the success of the recent banking recapitalization exercise, during which banks raised over N2.2 trillion from the capital market using the electronic offering platform.
“All of these transactions have been fully subscribed, and we have encouraged the use of technology. The e-offering platform means you do not have to use paper anymore to apply in this market. We hope to get better by the day,” the SEC added.
The SEC emphasized the importance of technology in modernizing the capital market. “Technology is the in-thing, and the ISA 2007 has provided for that. The NGX has an e-IPO system that has proven to be very effective. All of the offers that came within this period were approved within 14 days as promised. In this year, we will make more use of technology in the work that we do,” the SEC said.
What you should knowÂ
- The commission reiterated its commitment to protecting investors and developing the market.
- In September, the SEC explained that it had granted approval in principle to two crypto exchanges to provide Nigerian youths with opportunities for capital market participation.
- Dr. Emomotimi Agama, Director General of SEC, stated that the decision to approve the crypto exchanges was driven by the need to create an inclusive financial ecosystem that leverages the growing interest in digital assets among Nigeria’s younger population.
Aside from the goal of attracting Nigerian youths to participate in the capital market, the SEC DG said the decision was also influenced by global trends.
