FMDQ Exchange Admits Parthian Partners Limited ₦20 Billion Commercial Paper Program on its Platform

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The Nigerian Debt Capital Market (DCM) has continued to witness significant activity among corporates seeking a viable avenue to raise capital to meet their financing needs. To this end, FMDQ Securities Exchange Limited (FMDQ Exchange) is again pleased to announce and welcome the registration of the Parthian Partners Limited ₦20.00 billion Commercial Paper (CP) Programme to its platform.

The registration of this CP Programme strategically positions Parthian Partners Limited (Parthian Partners) to raise short-term finance from the DCM with speed at a time in the future when it determines suitable, through CP issues within the CP Programme limit.

FMDQ Hosts webinar on Leveraging the Nigerian Debt Capital Markets for Infrastructure Development
FMDQ | www.wordpress-1516176-5827464.cloudwaysapps.com

In support of the growth and revitalisation of the Nigerian economy, FMDQ championed the resuscitation of the CP market to provide corporate and commercial businesses with the opportunity to meet their short-term funding requirements, whilst building their profiles within the Nigerian DCM.

In addition to its commendable and efficient registration process, www.fmdqgroup.com, through its Quotation Service, will provide stakeholders and market participants with credible and real-time information as part of the Exchange’s commitment to facilitate transparency in the fixed income market space. 

Parthian Partners provides competitive wholesale brokerage services in the African OTC markets, and trades in Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) Bonds and Treasury Bills, State Government Bonds, Local Contractor Bonds, Corporate Bonds and Eurobonds, providing regular market updates and liaising with market participants and regulators in the African markets to provide independent research on the African fixed income market. 

FMDQ Group is Africa’s first vertically integrated financial market infrastructure (FMI) group providing a one-stop platform for the seamless and cost-efficient execution, risk management, clearing, settlement and depository services, as well as data and information services across the debt capital, foreign exchange and derivatives markets in Nigeria.

Ebola: Red Cross intensifies response amidst fears of regional spread

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Red Cross volunteers and staff Guinea, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone have stepped up surveillance and community sensitization efforts

February 23, 2021- Red Cross teams in Guinea and across West Africa are ramping up response efforts to contain a deadly Ebola outbreak.

Red Cross volunteers and staff Guinea, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone have stepped up surveillance and community sensitization efforts. To support these life-saving activities, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has issued an international emergency appeal for 8.5 million Swiss francs.

Ebola Red Cross intensifies response amidst fears of regional spread Brandspurng
Photo by Il Vagabiondo

Mohammed Mukhier, the IFRC’s Regional Director for Africa said:

“Ebola does not care about borders. Close social, cultural and economic ties between communities in Guinea and neighbouring countries create a very serious risk of the virus spreading to Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone, and potentially even further.

“That’s why we are launching an integrated cross-border operation aimed at rapidly confining the outbreak to its current location—and swiftly containing any eventual outbreak beyond Guinea.”

In Guinea, Red Cross teams in N’zérékoré were mobilized to conduct safe and dignified burials for two people who were killed by Ebola. They also disinfected a local hospital and started efforts to create broad community awareness about the return of the disease in the urban areas of N’Zérékoré and in Gouécké.

There are an estimated 1.3 million people living in the health zone affected by the outbreak. The Guinea Red Cross and IFRC plan aim to support about 420,000 of them with a range of services, including community sensitization, community-based surveillance, water, sanitation and hygiene, safe and dignified burials, infection prevention and control, as well as psychosocial support.

In surrounding countries, Red Cross actions will target an additional 6 million people. In Sierra Leone, a network of 200 Red Cross volunteers in Kambia and Kailahun are now on high alert and are conducting surveillance activities.

In addition, an alert was sent to the four other districts (Kono, Koinadugu, Western Area and Pujehun) bordering Guinea and Liberia, where an additional 100 volunteers are preparing social community awareness activities.

In Liberia, in areas along the borders with Guinea, Red Cross volunteers are on high alert and are currently conducting awareness in communities. The most at-risk areas include Bong, Lofa, Nimba, Cape Mount, and Gbarpolu counties. Liberia Red Cross will be sending Personal Protective Equipment to the region.

In Mali, Red Cross teams will provide services such as surveillance and community sensitization. The Senegalese Red Cross is beefing up surveillance efforts at border points while ramping up community awareness activities.

In addition to enacting community response, surveillance and sensitization activities, Red Cross teams are also concerned about the needs being created by localized efforts to limit movements in a bid to contain the outbreak.

As a result of these public health measures, people near the epicentre are already in need of water, sanitation and hygiene services as well as food assistance.

IFRC’s Mukhier said:

“This outbreak is likely to complicate an already challenging situation. COVID-related containment measures currently being implemented have exacerbated food insecurity in the region and this may lead to the reluctance of communities to respect new preventive measures that are being put in place to contain Ebola.”

Nestlé recognized as a Top Employer in Central and West Africa

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Nestlé is one of a select group of Top Employers across five continents who have been presented with the prestigious title this year

February 23, 2021 – People in Central and West Africa who are searching for the next step in their career can find inspiration in organizations with the exceptional work culture and people-first, HR best practices.

Nestlé Côte d’Ivoire, Nestlé Nigeria and their parent company, Nestlé Central and West Africa Region (CWA) Limited have been certified as top employers by the global authority on rewarding excellence in people practices, the Top Employers Institute.

Nestlé recognized as a Top Employer in Central and West Africa Brandspurng

The global certification program awards organizations based on the results of the institute’s rigorous HR Best Practices Survey, which covers topics such as people strategy, work environment, talent acquisition, learning, well-being, and diversity and inclusion.

Nestlé’s latest Top Employer awards in the region, come on top of the company’s inclusion in the 2021 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) for transparency in gender reporting and advancing women’s equality in the workplace.

This has not come without substantive work – Nestlé has attained this leadership position through a series of bold, industry-leading management decisions.

In 2019, the company announced the launch of a comprehensive global parental support policy.

In 2020, Nestlé CWAR appointed its first female factory manager in the region. The same year, the company also signed the ILO Global and Business and Disability Network Charter to ensure the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace.

Top employers in Africa

Nestlé is one of a select group of Top Employers across five continents who have been presented with the prestigious title this year.

Fridah Muchina, Regional Human Resources Director for Nestlé Central and West Africa Region, hailed the accolade as a testament to the company’s commitment to its employees across the region and said:

“This recognition is proof that we are delivering on the company’s global commitment to promote decent employment and foster a diverse and inclusive workplace. It confirms Nestlé’s dedication to facilitating a better world of work for our employees.”

Supporting our most important asset – our people

For employees like Linda Nkrumah, Material Requirement Planner in Supply Chain for Nestlé CWA, the company’s recognition as a Top Employer is truly motivating.

“Nestlé provides a conducive environment for work and this fosters work-life balance. As a first-time mother, I had the opportunity to work from home even after my maternity leave,” she explained.

“This helped me take care of my little one whilst working to fulfil production demands at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The on-site nursery also means that I can go to work knowing that my baby will be safe and well taken care of.”

Mauricio Alarcón, CEO for Nestlé Central and West Africa, emphasizes that employees remain at the heart of the company, saying:

“People are our greatest asset. Though 2020 was challenging, it was paramount for us as a company, to continue to invest not only in our employees’ professional development but also in their health and wellbeing. This way, we are all motivated to give our best in a safe, supportive, stimulating and rewarding environment”.

Employer of choice

Established 30 years ago, the Top Employers Institute created the Top Employers Certification Program so that participating companies and organizations can be validated, certified and recognized as an employer of choice.

David Plink, CEO of the Top Employers Institute, said:

“Despite the challenging year we have experienced, which has certainly made an impact on organizations around the globe, Nestlé in Central and West Africa has continued to demonstrate the power of putting their people first in the workplace.”

Nigeria’s Painful And Fragile Recovery

Last week, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released the GDP report for Q4-2020 reporting the country’s exit from its prior two-quarter slump, as real GDP growth printed at 0.1%.

Evidencing further recovery, the economy expanded 9.7% q/q in Q4-2020, reflecting the sustained momentum generated by relaxing of Covid-19 restrictions.

Despite the recovery, the fragility of the state of the economy was reflected in the fact that only 7 sectors (previously 9 sectors) expanded in Q4-2020 while 12 sectors (previously 10 sectors contracted.

Nigeria records first positive quarterly y/y growth since Q1-2020

Quarterly GDP growth rate

Nigeria’s Painful And Fragile Recovery Brandspurng
Sources: NBS, United Capital Research

Looking ahead, we remain optimistic on economic recovery for 2021, albeit we note the fragility of the recovery. Our optimism builds on the sustained pace of expansion in Non-oil GDP premised on the low base for 2020, particularly Q2-2021 and Q3-2021.

In addition, we expect a continued return to normality as people continue to regain confidence in conducting pre-pandemic activities. This will support expansion in Services GDP.

Nigeria’s Painful And Fragile Recovery Brandspurng
CMS, Lagos, Nigeria The golden hour on an evening on the bridge leading to Marina Lagos. | Photo by Obinna Okerekeocha

That said, we note that growth in Agriculture has been volatile in recent quarters, thus considering its huge contribution to the recent recovery, slower growth in the sector could be a potential trigger to derail the recovery

In the oil sector, we expect improved performance in FY2021 considering the low base for oil production in 2020.

While the country’s production continues to be capped under the OPEC+ quota, we expect a recovery in production as OPEC+ gradually returns production level back to pre-pandemic levels following recent price gains and positive sentiments from increased rate of vaccinations which could spur demand for travel and consequently oil.

Overall, we maintain our base case scenario GDP growth forecast of 1.7% for FY-2021 with a bull case forecast of 2.1% premised on faster than expected recovery in oil sector GDP.

How To Steal Your Competitor’s Customers: Case study Of Telegram Wooing WhatsApp Users

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Brands and Businesses are out to find ways in which they can grow and make more profits. There are so many ways but there is one which if rightly applied would cause grief to your competitors.

As a brand, the focus should be on the consumers and not the competition, however, that does not mean that you should neglect your competitors as that is tantamount to slow death or it can even be fast depending on the Dynamics of the category or industry you operate in.

How To Steal Your Competitor's Customers: Case study Of Telegram Wooing WhatsApp Users

As a brand that wants to stand for something and grow as fast as possible, you should pay attention to the culture around the category or industry you operate and the culture and the manner in which the consumers view your industry and the brands in it.

Whenever, there is an issue in your category, as a brand, you stepping and solving the Problem positions you to gain better trust and patronage from consumers. One of the Problems that has remained of concern to consumers is privacy.

People value their privacy especially when it comes to post and conversation that was not created for people eyes. Whatever your strategy is as a brand giving people a reason to choose you over others is what will attract customers to you.

Whatapp new policy has been seen to threaten the privacy of its customer and this has caused them to shift the date for policy implementation while explaining to customers what this new policy means. This new policy lack of comprehension has however allowed a gap in which the competitor Telegram exploited. The initial lack of trust was exploited to the advantage of Telegram.

Telegram applying the principles of cultural strategy attacked the gap created by the new policy to steal WhatsApp users through Communication and product feature designed to help people choose Telegram over WhatsApp. A feature was even created to help WhatsApp users interested in migrating, to do that easily as their files and conversation history can be imported.

This move by Telegram has attracted more than 25 million new users. This gap created was also exploited by Signal, another competitor as Elon Musk endorsed the app.

While many see Telegram as less secured in data protection compared to WhatsApp or Signal. This new policy seems to have changed things. Many see this more as not something new as our data was probably harvested previously without our consent which leads to even deeper concern by those who feel unhappy with the move made by the Facebook-owned company.

The need to focus on your customers is essential but understanding competition and how it affects your brand and business is crucial. Do not leave your money on the table for competitors to pick.

FAO Pledges To Scale Up Direct Use Of Digital Financial Transfers

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Director-General says joining the Better Than Cash Alliance is part of stimulating more innovation and financial inclusion for smallholders

22 February 2021, Rome – In another step towards creating a “digital FAO”, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is committing to increase by 50 percent its delivery of digital financial transfers and vouchers to beneficiaries.

As part of joining the Better Than Cash Alliance, FAO is also pledging to expand its use of digital payments in at least ten more of its Decentralized Offices.

FAO Pledges To Scale Up Direct Use Of Digital Financial Transfers
Identity verification for a benefits programme in Burkina Faso. | www.wordpress-1516176-5827464.cloudwaysapps.com

Director-General QU Dongyu set these ambitious targets, while officially joining the Better Than Cash Alliance. The Alliance is a United Nations-hosted partnership of governments, companies and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to digital payments in a way designed to generate savings and boost transparency and efficiency while also reducing poverty and driving inclusive growth.

“We must make sure that farmers and rural population are empowered to participate in and benefit from the digital world,” said the Director-General. “This partnership is a signal of our commitment to leave no one behind. Cash in the digitized form will open numerous doors for people engaged in small-scale agri-food activities and offer great benefits. It is a high road to resilience.”

“FAO’s announcement today is a landmark for the agriculture sector in emerging economies. FAO’s visionary leadership means that millions of small-holder farmers will now get the assistance they need more quickly, safely and transparently.

It also means those farmers – many of whom are women – will have access to a wider range of related services to improve their livelihoods”, said Dr. Ruth Goodwin-Groen, Managing Director of the Better Than Cash Alliance.

“We are delighted that FAO is joining other member UN agencies, including UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP, in their bold commitment to responsible digitization of financial transfers to those most in need. This is even more important now as the COVID-19 pandemic is increasing poverty and inequality.”

Under Director-General QU’s leadership, FAO is taking big steps to embrace and produce digital solutions, as they are destined to affect every actor in the global agri-food systems and can be designed to offer opportunities to address the challenges of poverty, hunger, inequality and climate change.

FAO already uses mobile money transfers. One example is in Somalia where its Mobile Money and Livelihood Assistance platform delivers cash directly to beneficiaries’ cell phones, allowing farming families to purchase goods and services they need most in their local markets.

Recipients are registered with the use of biometric data, which is evolving into a voice-recognition system, making this a safer, cheaper and better-targeted means of conveyance than physical delivery and distribution.

Joining the Better Than Cash Alliance represents a step-change in scaling up such efforts on all levels, and participating in an exchange on best practices in a fast-moving sector.

The new partnership holds significant promise, as FAO has already reached more than 19 million people in 58 countries with cash and voucher programmes. In 2019 alone, FAO transferred almost $50 million – a bit under half in digital form – to 2.8 million beneficiaries in 29 countries.

As FAO’s field activities – aiming to strengthen the resilience of rural livelihoods to shocks by supporting productive investment in agriculture – tend to engage vulnerable people living in rural dispersed and remote areas with limited infrastructure access, its digitalization experiences and needs will complement those of other Alliance members.

On the ground

Scaling up digitized financial transfers enables direct contact to beneficiaries, many of whom have no bank account, and avoids the need for physical cash distribution, which entailed transporting banknotes to hard-to-reach areas – especially amid conflicts or in the wake of natural disasters – and engaging agents to act as distributors.

Today, digital payment options continue to grow, accelerating our ability to reach the unbanked while mitigating financial risks.  Building broader digital networks allows broader participation, thus intensifying the pace of adoption and transformation of local economies.

“Cash injects value in local economies, and digital cash is likely to produce an even stronger effect through financial inclusion, by fostering greater access for the beneficiary to credits, loans and other financial instruments that have typically been scarce in rural economies and have curbed investment as a result,” says Étienne Juvanon du Vachat, from FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience specializing in cash and voucher design. “A mobile wallet opens the door to more services.”

Compared with traditional rural finance systems reliant on trust and authority, e-money can bolster programmes aimed at fostering opportunities for women and youth. At the same time, it is quite adaptable to diverse existing community savings and loans institutions such as tontines or hawala, he added.

FAO’s showcase project in Somalia proved invaluable when the COVID-19 emergency disrupted movement. Since March 2020, FAO has transferred the equivalent of $38.1 million to over 187 000 households, providing them with the means to acquire food and agricultural inputs to support local food security and supply.

In Mozambique, in 2020, FAO deployed an adapted version of the ecosystem initially developed in Somalia to move an existing voucher system onto a 100-percent digital foundation. Beneficiaries, in particular targeted women farmers, use the vouchers to access seeds and fertilizers.

Digitization adds incentives to suppliers to adapt to the technology, helping consolidate system-wide digital literacy and protect beneficiaries’ personally identifiable information, which in turn can enhance factors of production and marketing opportunities for broader communities.

The process can take time but adoption is rapid, and pandemic containment measures appear to have accelerated recognition of the merits of digitization.

“The greatest challenge in this effort is successfully bridging the last mile connecting FAO to the most vulnerable. There is no single widely accepted means of digital payments. However, we are on the cusp of significant change. Complexity will diminish and as it does, the impact will grow,” says William Marvin, Deputy Director of FAO’s Finance Division.

As Members pursue measures such as digitizing their social protection systems, synergies for FAO will grow, he says. “Sometimes digital payments work better in the developing world as they are leaping a whole generation. There’s a lot of potential for leveraging partnerships between the private and public sectors,” he adds.

Industry experts seek to decipher corporate social investment conundrum at Industry Evening Summit

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  • Awosika, Ogunkoya, Badejo-Okusaya, Eiremiokhae to be honoured with LIFETIME awards

The Industry Evening Summit, a flag platform to discuss the marketing and marketing communications industry in Nigeria, has concluded plans to host its second edition of the event to discuss the balance question in the management of corporate social investment by big corporations.

The event, which is scheduled to hold in Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja Lagos on April 2, 2021, is themed, “Addressing the Balance Question In The Management Of Corporate Social Investment Portfolio During Crisis”.

Industry experts seek to decipher corporate social investment conundrum at Industry Evening Summit Brandspurng

The present paper on the theme is the managing director of Frutta Juice & Service Limited, Dr. Onyekachi Onubogu. Onubogu is an accomplished Senior Business Leader/ Executive Board Member with over a 20-year track record of commercial and marketing success in multi-national companies across Africa.

Lines up to do justice to this thought-provoking topic are the vice president, Association of Sustainability Professionals of Nigeria, (ASPN), Mrs. Ini Abimbola, manager director of TruCSR/founder SERAS Africa, Mr. Ken Egbas, director, corporate affairs & sustainability development, Unilever Ghana & Nigeria, Mrs. Oluwasoromidayo George and regional executive head, marketing & corporate communication, Standard Bank Group, Mrs. Nkiru Olumide-Ojo.

Other panellists include executive head, corporate communication, Multichoice Nigeria, Ms. Caroline Oghuma, manager, communication & corporate affairs, Nestle Nigeria, Mrs. Victoria Uwadoka, managing director/CIO, G2M Creatives, Mr. Uduak J. Peters, chief brand & marketing officer, Union Bank Plc, Mrs. Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, Head, Events & Sponsorship, Access Bank Plc, Mrs. Ogechi Kasie-Nwachukwu and group head, strategic brand management & communication, Polaris Bank, Mr. Nduneche Ezurike.

The chairman for the event is the Lagos State Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Hon. Gbenga Omotoso while the moderator of the session is the PR Lead, 9mobile, Ms. Chineze Amanfo.

Speaking on the theme of the event, the convener, Goddie Ofose said that the theme could not have come at a better time as the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the big corporate plans for their corporate social responsibility initiatives.

“Last year, organisations Nigeria as well as elsewhere abandoned their CSR plans and kept donating to the government at all levels to fight the pandemic. This singular development caused several companies to halt the CSR activities for the year,” Ofose said.

Therefore, we are trying to find a balance between CSI and CSR, the convener revealed. “We believe that with the calibre of professionals we have selected to discuss the topic, the solution would be found.”

Also part of the event of the evening is the conferment of LIFETIME awards on four distinguished professionals within the integrated marketing communication firmament in Nigeria.

The four individual are

  • Mr. Jimi Awosika, executive vice-chairman, Troyka Holdings owners of Insight Redefini, Halogen Security and Optimum Exposure,
  • Yomi Badejo-Okusaya, chairman, CMC BCW,
  • Tolu Ogunkoya, regional managing director, West & Central Africa, mediaReach OMD and
  • Dr. Felix King Eiremiokhae, group managing director/CEO, Oracle Agency Group.

Other distinguished individuals and organisations that have performed creditably well in 2020 despite pandemic would also be recognised and honour at the event.

The 2021 summit is sponsored by MultiChoice Nigeria and will be hybrid while covid-19 protocol would be duly observed throughout the session.

Citibank Officially Launches Citi Plus®

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Citibank announced today the official launch of Citi Plus®, a digital value proposition offering financial education and a novel banking experience to level-up digital natives through mobile banking.

Citi Plus® clients can obtain personalized wealth management information and knowledge kits to accumulate their wealth and earn more through accomplishing fun tasks.

Having its pilot launch in early December 2020, Citi Plus® accumulated nearly 5,000 registrants, who are interested in the new service, in the first three weeks.

Citibank Officially Launches Citi Plus® Brandspurng

Citibank Hong Kong has shown strong determination in the development of digital banking in recent years. Citi Plus® is our latest initiative to bring digital natives a banking experience they admire,” said Mr Lawrence Lam, Consumer Business Manager of Citibank Hong Kong.

Millennials were invited to participate in research and the co-creation process, through which we could better address target clients’ pain points, and help them grow their wealth via the new service.

Citibank Officially Launches Citi Plus® Brandspurng

Citi Plus® offers a range of investment products to clients including stocks, money market funds as well as an array of mutual funds primarily from Aberdeen Standard Investments, Allianz Global Investors and Franklin Templeton.

One of the key features of Citi Plus® is a series of financial wellness modules specially designed to educate clients and guide their thinking when it comes to making decisions about managing money, building wealth and achieving financial goals.

These engaging modules enhance wealth inclusion, allow clients to build healthy financial habits and achieve targets responsibly.

  • Wealth Smart: A financial literacy guide covering a series of easy-to-follow courses and quizzes, with bite-sized content that helps clients level-up and approach investments with greater confidence. Clients can learn at their own pace, whilst keeping themselves abreast of the times and acquiring financial knowledge.
  • Wealth Digest: A personalized series of news, articles and insights on wealth that are updated continually to help clients make informed investment decisions.
  • Money GoalA personal goal tracking tool that helps clients define financial objectives and track their progress towards these targets.

Alongside this step-by-step guidance providing clients with financial knowledge and resources, Citi Plus® also offers innovative features that engage clients and help them level-up along their financial journey.

  • Deposit: “Citi Interest Booster” enables clients to earn additional bonus interest (up to 1.8% p.a.) on savings by completing simple missions. Beginning with a base interest rate of 0.3% p.a., clients can complete “missions” — such as maintaining balance, funding-in, spending with Citi Plus® cards, investment and currency exchange — to boost interest rates up to 1.8% p.a.
  • The investment: Citi Plus® offers a reliable investment platform that allows clients not only to trade stocks but also to invest in mutual funds. With progressive self-learning resources and low investment thresholds, clients have the flexibility to choose their investment options.

o   “Flexi Wealth” allows clients to start investing in money market funds with as little as HK$1, and to conduct transactions at their convenience, without any transaction charges or monthly service fees.

o   Our suggested mutual fund portfolios based on clients’ financial goals and risk profiles will also be offered, featuring mutual funds primarily from Aberdeen Standard Investments, Allianz Global Investors and Franklin Templeton at a minimum of HK$100, thus giving clients a hassle-free investment experience.

  • Spending: Citi Plus® Debit Mastercard® and Citi Plus® Credit Card bring clients a world of privileged shopping rewards while spending with these cards also boosts their saving interest rate by 0.3% p.a.

o   Spending with Citi Plus® Debit Mastercard® offers up to 1% cashback, and with Citibank Global Wallet, clients can exchange foreign currencies at preferred rates, and then spend with the debit card for online/ in-store shopping and withdraw cash overseas directly with foreign currency accounts. Citi does not charge any handling fees for cash withdrawals made with the card at any overseas ATMs (including Citi and Mastercard® ATMs).

o   Citi Plus® Credit Card is tailor-made for Citi Plus® clients and has no annual fee. Payments for online shopping and fitness memberships can earn up to 3X reward points, while clients can also instantly offset spending anytime with Citi Pay with Points and get free purchase protection insurance.

  • One App to do it all: Citi Mobile® App enables clients to transfer funds, invest, spend, and more at their fingertips. In-app messaging is also available 24/7 to offer customer support promptly.

Toyota Financial Services Offers Payment Relief to Customers Affected by Texas Storms

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February 22, 2021 –Toyota Financial Services (TFS) announced it is offering payment relief options to its customers affected by the winter storms that struck Texas earlier this month. This broad outreach includes any Toyota Financial Services (TFS) or Lexus Financial Services (LFS) customer in the designated disaster areas.

Toyota Financial Services cares about the safety and well-being of its customers and wants to help those impacted by this natural disaster. Impacted lease and finance customers residing in the affected areas may be eligible to take advantage of several payment relief options, some of which include:

  • extensions and lease deferred payments;
  • redirecting billing statements; and
  • arranging a phone or online payments.

Toyota Financial Services Offers Payment Relief to Customers Affected by Texas Storms Brandspurng

Customers who would like to discuss their account options are encouraged to contact TFS or LFS.

Toyota Financial Services customers may call 800-874-8822 or contact TFS via email using the Mail Center function after logging into ToyotaFinancial.com.

Lexus Financial Services customers may call 800-874-7050 or contact LFS via email using the Mail Center function after logging into LexusFinancial.com.

We extend our heartfelt thoughts to those affected by these storms.

The 2021 Toyota Camry - BRANDSPUR

Toyota Financial Services (TFS) is the finance and insurance brand for Toyota in the United States, offering retail auto financing and leasing through Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC) and Toyota Lease Trust.

TFS also offers vehicle and payment protection products through Toyota Motor Insurance Services (TMIS). The company services Lexus dealers and customers using the Lexus Financial Services brand.

As of March 31, 2020, TFS employed approximately 3,300 team members nationwide and had assets totalling nearly $126 billion.

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Equities Market Tank Further…ASI Opened the week with an 8bps Loss

The bears maintain dominance in the local equities market as the benchmark All Share Index (ASI) went down by 8bps today to close at 40,154.09. Market capitalization also shed N17.18bn settling at N21.01tn.

Consequently, the year-to-date performance compressed further to -0.29%.

The mixed sentiment was witnessed across the major sectors under coverage with 3 of the 5 sectors under coverage closing negative. Insurance, Consumer goods and oil & gas indices went down by 0.13%, 0.08% and 0.55% on the back of selloffs in LASACO(-9.52%, UNILEVER(-2.51%) and WAPCO(-8.00%).

Naira Gains against the USD at the Bureau De Change, Parallel (“black”) Markets Brandspurng
Afolabi Sotunde Illustration Naira

Banking and oil & gas indices however advanced by 0.08% and 0.19% following gains in the shares of STANBIC(+3.36%) and OANDO(+0.98%).

Investors’ sentiment measured by market breadth printed at 0.8x indicating a negative sentiment with 30 stocks advancing while 39 stocks declined.

Market activity level was mixed with the volume of transaction contracting by 5.99% while value advanced by 23.01%. Investors traded a total of 289 million units of shares valued at N3.57bn in 4,953 deals.

Equities Market Tank Further...ASI Opened the week with an 8bps Loss Brandspurng

Fixed Income Market

The bond market traded on a negative note with yield advancing across long dated instrument. Yield on the FGN-MAR-2035 and APR-2037advanced by 38bps and 82bps to closed at 11.33% and 11.37% respectively.

Treasury bills market traded on a quiet note as yield remain stable across different tenors. Yield on the 92-day and 364-day maturities stabilized at 0.76% and 2.07% respectively.

Market Snapshot

  • Equities Market Tank Further…ASI Opened the week with an 8bps Loss
  • The bond market traded on a quiet note as yield went up across tenors
  • U.S. Stocks traded southward amid Inflation Angst
  • Brent crude climbs as Goldman Sachs projects further oil price Gains
  • Naira was stable against the USD at the parallel market to close at N480/$