Banking
DEVELOPING: Illegal Apps, fintechs Under Scrutiny
The way illegal lender-apps and financial technology companies (fintech) have been harassing debtors over loans has attracted the attention of the House of Representatives.
The House resolved at plenary on Thursday to look into the operations of such companies and apps, especially those seen to be breaching the rules of engagement in dealing with customers.
Consequently, the House mandated its Committee on Banking and Currency; Financial Crimes; and Telecommunications to “investigate the alleged sharp practices and abuses by FinTech and online mobile digital loan apps and companies in Nigeria and report within four weeks.”
The resolution followed the unanimous adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by a member of the House, Hon Ahmed Satomi, titled ‘Urgent Need to Investigate Sharp Practices by Unregulated Online Fintech Lending Companies and Abuse of Mobile Digital Loan Apps in Nigeria.’
In the motion, Hon Satomi decried the proliferation of online loan apps across Nigeria “by some fraudulent and unscrupulous profiteers affecting many low-income Nigerians, who are coerced to borrow and get trapped in the web of sham loan apps hosted on Google Play Store by individuals and companies to swindle the low-income earners.”
The lawmaker noted that the COVID-19 pandemic affected many economies, including Nigeria, as jobs were lost and incomes were affected due to the lockdowns, restrictions on movement and face-to-face interactions.
According to him, these factors sped up financial services digitalization, which has led to “the infiltration of some unscrupulous and unregulated financial service operators.”
In his words, “The House is disturbed that these predatory lending apps are disguised as platforms where unsuspecting members of the public are promised access to quick loans with no collateral except the provision of a Bank Verification Number.
“The House is also disturbed that such victims are expected to repay loans at astronomical interest rates within three to seven days, as against the 91 to 365 days claim on Google Play store, which has over 83.07 per cent market share in Nigeria.”
He expressed concern that most of these loan apps or companies and individuals operate with no regulation by the government, expired licenses and in some cases, no licensing.
He maintained that searches for the registration status of loan apps in Nigeria from the Corporate Affairs Commission disclosed that the founding directors of such apps or companies were foreign nationals without the required license to operate the volume of financial transactions and illegally operating in the country.
“The House is worried about the operations of Kash Kash, with a hosted operating account under the name Super Car Universal Limited with a certain commercial bank in Nigeria, where Kash Kash carries out activities of the loan app, such as the exorbitant interest rates they collected from customers and defamatory messages sent to contacts of their customers when they missed their repayment date.
“The House is also worried that such an account holder did not have the required license to operate as a money lender, which led the commercial bank to close the first account, but such operations were moved to another account named Speedy Choice which is still operational and managed by the same people who managed the previous account.
“The House is again worried that many of such online loan apps operating in Nigeria, disbursing loans to customers with no collateral and defaulters, are always sent threatening messages and that loan apps and other fintech products can be used for money laundering and other forms of illicit financial flows.
“The House is pained that these unregulated Nigerian fintech companies shame, threaten customers for late payment of loans.”
The lawmaker, therefore, urged the House to investigate the activities of these fintech companies including OKash, Opay, PayLater, PalmCredit, Branch, QuickCheck, Aella Credit, FairMoney, KiaKia, EasyCredit, NewCredit, Umba, Carbon, FirstNell, SoftNaira, SharpCash, Newcredit, Cash Mall, NairaLand, Naira9ja, New Credit Loan App, Future Cash, SharpCredit, MoneyHub, 9jaCash, Henloan, Get Loan, Plenty Cash, Fundy, iMoneyPlus, CashCredit, LifeLine, Lumos Loan, NairaPlus, Care Finance, Cashbean, CashMe, LoanMe, LifePurse iLoanPro, LairaPlus, OxLoan and NoNowMoney,” he pointed out.
Plans are in top gear for the 11th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the FBN Holdings Plc.
The management made this disclosure in a notice it filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) on Thursday, where it averred that it has not been served with any court order against the proposed AGM.
According to notice, which was signed by the acting Company Secretary, Adewale Arogundade, FBN Holding said, “The attention of FBN Holdings Plc (the Company) has been drawn to recent media reports purporting that the Company has received a Court Order stopping it from holding the Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for August 15, 2023.
“We confirm that this assertion is a false narrative as the Company has, as at the date hereof, not been served with any court order to stop the forthcoming AGM.
“Suffice to mention that the AGM is a statutory meeting of Shareholders that must be held in accordance with the law, further to which the Company will notify the regulators and the public as appropriate if there is any lawful order to restrain the Company from conducting same.
“We hereby assure our esteemed Shareholders that the AGM shall hold on August 15, 2023, as planned and we look forward to their attendance and active participation at the meeting.”
However, court orders published in national dailies showed that the Federal High Court in Lagos had issued an order against the financial institution, barring it from holding its 11th AGM.
The order was entered pursuant to a petition by Olusegun Onagoruwa, in suit No: FHC/L/CP/1271/2022. It was addressed to the bank and some other bank officials.
It read, “Take notice that unless you obey the directives in the judicial order contained in the order made on July 15, 2022, by the Federal High Court, Lagos, by refraining from proceeding with the 11th Annual General Meeting of FBN Holdings Limited proposed for August 15, 2023, from seeking approval to issue or raise share capital in any manner whatsoever, from appointing or confirming the appointment of new directors, or in any other manner taking any step towards implementing, actualising enforcing resolution of the 10th Annual General Meeting of FBN Holdings Plc held on June 20, 2022, or in any other manner overreaching, disobeying or undermining the said order of a court, you will be guilty of contempt of court and you will be liable to be committed to prison and to there imprisoned.”
Biztellers brought you a report that a segment of shareholders had staged a protest at the headquarters of the bank on Monday, calling for the AGM to be held, as well as soliciting regulatory interventions.
It is expected that at the AGM, FHN Holdings is poised to breathe life into plans to seek shareholders’ approval to raise N150bn fresh capital via a rights issue and elect new directors including billionaire, Femi Otedola and Samson Ariyibi among other resolutions.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has refuted claims of devaluing the.
Earlier reports suggested that the CBN had devalued the Naira, lowering its exchange rate from N631 to the dollar, compared to the previous day’s rate of N461.60 at the Importers and Exporters (I&E) window.
However, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) released a statement on Thursday through its Acting Head of Corporate Communications, Dr. Isa Abdulmumin, categorizing the report as false information.
In the statement titled ‘CBN Has Not Devalued The Naira’, he said the attention of the apex bank was drawn to the news report by an Abuja based newspaper edition of June 1, 2023, titled “CB Devalues Naira To 630/51”.
However, the CBN stated categorically that the news report was replete with outright FALSEHOODS and destabilizing innuendos, ‘reflecting potentially willful ignorance of the said medium as to the workings of the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market.’
“For the avoidance of doubt, the exchange rate at the Investors’ & Exporters (I&E) window traded this morning (June 1, 2023) at N465/USS1 and has been stable around this rate for a while.
“The public is hereby advised to ignore the news report by Daily Trust in its entirety, as it is speculative and calculated at causing panic in the market,” the CBN spokesman added.
He, therefore, advised media practitioners to verify their facts from the Central Bank of Nigeria before publishing in order not to misinform the public.
Biztellers had earlier reported that 139 micro financial institutions, made up of 132 microfinance banks, four primary mortgage banks, and three finance companies fell under the sledgehammer of regulatory authorities with their operating licenses withdrawn.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) made public the revocation in the official gazette of the Federal Government published on the apex bank’s website on Tuesday.
We now avail you of the names of the affected micro financial institutions, so that you can check if the one you have been doing business with is affected.
Governor, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, explained that the licenses were revoked in the exercise of the powers conferred on the apex bank under Section 12 of BOFIA 2020, Act No. 5.
Biztellers shares below the full list of the affected Microfinance Banks, finance companies and primary mortgage institutions:
S/No. Name Of Institution
1. ATLAS MICROFINANCE BANK
2. BLUEWHALES MICROFINANCE BANK
3. EVEREST MICROFINANCE BANK
4. IGANGAN MICROFINANCE BANK
5. MAINSAIL MICROFINANCE BANK
6. MERIT MICROFINANCE BANK
7. MINNA MICROFINANCE BANK
8. MUSHARAKA MICROFINANCE BANK
9. NOPOV MICROFINANCE BANK
10. OHON MICROFINANCE BANK
11. PREMIUM MICROFINANCE BANK
12. ROYAL MICROFINANCE BANK
13. STATESMAN MICROFINANCE BANK
14. SUISSE MICROFINANCE BANK
15. VIBRANT MICROFINANCE BANK
16. VIRTUE MICROFINANCE BANK
17. ZAMARE MICROFINANCE BANK
18. NORTH CAPITAL MICROFINANCE BANK
19. CHIDERA MICROFINANCE BANK
20. EXCELLENT MICROFINANCE BANK
21. NI’IMA MICROFINANCE BANK
22. COSMOPOLITAN MICROFINANCE BANK
23. PROGRESSIVE LINK MICROFINANCE BANK
24. TRUST ONE (FOMERLY DESMONARCHY)
25. EKUOMBE MICROFINANCE BANK
26. FIRST INDEX MICROFINANCE BANK
27. OLA MICROFINANCE BANK
28. ULI MICROFINANCE BANK
29. VERDANT MICROFINANCE BANK
30. AGULERI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
31. APEKS MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
32. FAHIMTA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
33. MANNY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
34. REALITY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
35. SURBPOLITAN MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
36. ONYX MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
37. OSINA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
38. OLOFIN-OWENA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
39. ZIKADO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
40. PRUDENTIAL CO-OPERATIVE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
41. PENIEL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
42. TARABA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
43. BRASS MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
44. MICHIKA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
45. NDIAGU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
46. NORTHBRIDGE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
47. FCT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
48. OMU-ARAN MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
49. CHERISH MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
50. BIPC MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
51. DANELS GLOBAL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
52. BANCORP MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
53. MANNA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
54. MONEYWISE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
55. MERCURY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
56. NEW AGE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
57. PEARL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
58. ZAWADI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
59. SEED CAPITAL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
60. EDUEK MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
61. EKSU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
62. DAKINGARI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
63. OGOJA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
64. NWABOSI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
65. NUTURE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
66. ACTIVE POINT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
67. AMOYE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
68. BOLUWADURO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
69. IYEDE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
70. MAYFAIR MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
71. CALABAR MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
72. IGHOMO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMTED
73. HACKMAN MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
74. IDESE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
75. BRIDGEWAY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
76. GRASSROOT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
77. SURELIFE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
78. TIJARAH MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
79. IC-GLOBAL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
80. EJIAMATU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
81. BRIYTH COVENANT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
82. NANKA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
83. CUB MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
84. BFL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
85. UMUNNE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
86. OROKE MICROFINANCE BANK
87. ALKALERI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
88. CROWNED EAGLE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
89. UNIFA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
90. DADINKOWA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
91. IFESOWAPO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
92. OAF MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
93. BAMA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
94. NGALA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
95. IWOAMA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
96. KADA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
97. KEFFI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
98. NUT-ENDWELL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
99. FIRST MULTIPLE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
100. SBDC MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
101. OROS CAPITAL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
102. OZIZZA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
103. PRIMERA CREDIT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
104. IFEANYICHUKWU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
105. IHIOMA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
106. JOSAD MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
107. AKPO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
108. AIYEPE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
109. ABC MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
110. STAR MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
111. PURPLE MONEY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
112. UTUH MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
113. STALLION MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
114. KJL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
115. CREDIT AFRIQUE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
116. COWRIES MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
117. LAWEBOD MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
118. MABINAS MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
119. BUSINESS SUPPORT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
120. OGBE-AHIARA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
121. OLOFIN MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
122. OBOSI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
123. FIYINFOLU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
124. BISHOPGATE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
125. AWKA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
126. ZIGATE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
127. ESAN MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
128. ENUGU-UKWU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
129. ECHO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
130. ALLY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
131. NETWORK MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
132. AWGBU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED
SCHEDULE II
LIST OF FINANCE COMPANIES LICENCES REVOKED
S/No. Name Of Institution
1. HHL Invest & Trust Limited
2. TFS Finance Limited
3. Treasures & Trust Limited
SCHEDULE III
LIST OF PRIMARY MORTGAGE BANKS LICENCES REVOKED
S/No. Name Of Institution
1. RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS
2. SAFETRUST MORTGAGE BANK
3. ADAMAWA SAVINGS & LOANS
4. KOGI SAVINGS & LOANS
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