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CBN Recapitalisation: Two national banks enter secret merger talks to beat deadline

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Be The First Person To See The Full Video Here, Before It’s Deleted In All Social Media Platforms. ..Breaking News: Two Siblings C4ught H4ving $3x, See Full Video Here.As the recapitalisation deadline set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approaches, two national banks are reportedly said to have begun merger talks to meet the regulatory deadline and remain competitive.

More and more banks are facing intense heat, with six banks having about N965 billion funding gap, a prior report by Legit.ng disclosed.

Already, five banks have scaled the recapitalisation hurdle and will proceed with their operations.

The banks are listed as Access Bank, Zenith Bank, Lotus Bank, Ecobank, and Stanbic IBTC Bank.

However, The Sun has quoted sources as sating that two banks, which both hold a national banking licence, have been discreet about the merger talks since the beginning of the second quarter.

The report disclosed that the move would create a stronger mid-tier institution to meet CBN’s new minimum capital of N200 billion for national banks, representing a significant leap from the previous ceiling of N25 billion.

The CBN order gave the banks a 24-month window to recapitalise, with analysts saying that several banks were likely to merge and others were set to have their licences downgraded.

The recapitalisation is part of CBN’s larger effort to build a more resilient and globally competitive banking industry to finance Nigeria $1 trillion GDP target by 2030.

However, several smaller banks are facing challenges in meeting the new threshold and face mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Osas Igho, a financial analyst, has stated that the Nigerian banking industry would be revolutionised at the end of the CBN’s exercise.

“At the end of the day, we will have a strong, robust, and globally competitive banking industry.

However, as the deadline nears and more banks are battling to raise the required capital, there may be more mergers and acquisitions. It is too early to tell which banks will merge or be acquired,” he said.

While some tier-1 and tier-2 banks are said to have hit the target, several small players remain far off target.

According to reports, the two banks, which are in secret merger talks, are reluctant to pursue public offers due to high regulatory costs, tough Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosure rules and investor apathy.

The institutions are said to be assessing synergies, board structure, and shareholder alignment before any formal disclosure.Be The First Person To See The Full Video Here, Before It’s Deleted In All Social Media Platforms. ..Breaking News: Two Siblings C4ught H4ving $3x, See Full Video Here.

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National Pension Commission (PenCom) changes price disclosure rule

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National Pension Commission (PenCom) has directed Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to discontinue the publication of daily unit prices for Retirement Savings Account (RSA) and Retiree Funds on their websites, replacing the requirement with a six-month disclosure of returns based on a three-year rolling average.

The directive was contained in a circular issued by the commission.

Under the new guideline, PFAs must stop implementing Section 2.0 (iv) of the Commission’s March 23, 2013 circular, which required them to display daily unit prices for the last seven days.

Instead, they are to publish on their websites the last six months’ rate of return — calculated as a 36-month compounded rolling average in line with the Circular for the Calculation and Reporting of Rate of Returns by Licensed Pension Fund Operators (LPFOs).

According to the commission, the rate of return must be clearly displayed on the homepage of each PFA’s website.

For instance, the six-month disclosure covering April to September 2025 would reflect the 36-month compounded returns ending in each of those months.

This has however raised transparency concerns in the pension industry.

The 2013 circular on Minimum Information to be displayed on PFA Websites formed part of PenCom’s transparency framework for the Contributory Pension Scheme.

The latest addendum modifies that requirement but does not remove PFAs’ obligation to disclose performance information.

Industry watchers say the development may reignite debate over the balance between long-term investment reporting and real-time transparency in Nigeria’s pension industry.

All enquiries on the addendum, the Commission said, should be directed to its Surveillance Department.

An industry analyst who does not want her name mentioned said the move could reduce contributors’ access to real-time performance data.

She said: “Daily unit prices allowed RSA holders to independently track short-term movements and detect fluctuations in fund valuation.

“With only a three-year rolling average now required, contributors will no longer see recent performance in isolation”, she noted.

The analyst added that while pension funds are long-term vehicles, removing daily disclosure raises concerns about information asymmetry.

“PFAs will still compute daily valuations internally. The issue is whether contributors should be denied access to data that already exists,” the analyst said.

However, another pension expert defended the directive, noting that pensions are structured for long-term accumulation and should be assessed over extended periods.

“A 36-month rolling average smooth’s out short-term volatility and provides a more accurate reflection of sustained performance,” the expert said, warning that excessive focus on daily fluctuations could encourage reactionary fund switching.

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Dollar rises in black market on Monday, traders quote new exchange rate

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Dollar edges higher against the naira in black market trading Dollar edges higher against the naira in black market trading

The United States dollar at the parallel market increased in value on Monday, Febuary 23 with traders quote at N1,375/$ as the new selling exchange rate.

The new rate is a slight depreciation for the naira when compared to N1,343 a dollar market closed on Friday, February 20, 2026.

Abdulahhi, a forex dealer, told Legit.ng that the new exchange rate follows renew demand in the market.

“I am currently selling dollars at N1,375/$1 and buying at N1,355/$1. The pound is trading at N1,845 to sell and N1,805 to buy, while the euro is also moving steadily in the market.

“It seems this week the dollar will return to over N1,400. I have been getting a lot of request.”

The fall of the naira comes as BDC operators continue to face difficulties in accessing dollars from commercial banks.

BDCs can get dollar

The apex bank had previously issued a circular allowing licensed BDCs to access foreign exchange through authorised dealers at the prevailing market rate.

Under the directive, each BDC is permitted to purchase up to $150,000 weekly, subject to Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements and due diligence checks, Punch reports.

Leadership reported that despite a policy announcement, some operators disclosed that no transactions have been completed under the new arrangement.

A BDC operator, who requested anonymity, said the directive remains largely unimplemented. According to him, the circular provides that disbursements will be made through settlement accounts, a provision that has raised operational concerns.

He questioned the feasibility of seamless, real-time transfers between domiciliary accounts across different banks, noting that such infrastructure may not yet be fully in place.

The operator added that while commercial banks appear supportive of the policy, many are still developing internal processes to align with the CBN’s directive.

He explained that BDCs are required to submit bid orders through their banks, which would then access the market on their behalf.

Naira in the official market

Meanwhile, in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM), the naira closed against the US dollar on Friday, February 20 at N1,346.32/$1 from N1,341.35/$1 a day earlier.

At the GTBank FX desk, the naira weakened by N7 against the dollar to quote N1,356/$1.

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