Business

Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) Receives Top Accolades at Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Finance Achievement Awards

Published

1 year ago

June 7, 2024

Joel Ajayi

The award affirms AFC’s leadership in structuring and executing complex financial transactions that foster sustainable development across regions

Africa Finance Corporation (www.AfricaFC.org), the continent’s leading infrastructure solutions provider, received top accolades at the EMEA Finance Achievement Awards in London yesterday. AFC won “Most Innovative Bond” and the “Best Supranational Syndicated Loan,” a testament to the Corporation’s strong credit profile and solid track record in capital markets.

“The Most Innovative Bond” accolade in the Debt Capital Markets category recognised AFC’s pioneering JPY 75 billion Samurai Bond Guarantee to the Arab Republic of Egypt, showcasing commitment to innovative financial solutions that support member states’ access to international capital markets and contribute to infrastructure development. Egypt, which became a member state of AFC in 2021 and a shareholder last year, benefited from the landmark bond issuance backed by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, with AFC providing a full re-guarantee and SMBC Nikko acting as the Sole Lead Arranger.

The “Best Supranational Syndicated Loan” award celebrates AFC’s success in securing a S$625 million syndicated loan last year, welcoming new lenders from the Middle East and Asia. Initially planned at US$500 million, the transaction was upsized due to a remarkable oversubscription of 62%, reflecting strong investor demand for AFC’s credit. The award affirms AFC’s leadership in structuring and executing complex financial transactions that foster sustainable development across regions.

“These awards are a very welcome validation of AFC’s strong market access, the strength of our credit profile, and our well-established investor engagement program,” said Banji Fehintola, Senior Director of Treasury & Financial Institutions of AFC. “AFC will continue to play a central role in mobilising the capital urgently needed for critical infrastructure to drive industrialisation, transform economies and improve livelihoods in Africa.”

Now in its 16th edition, the EMEA Achievement Awards celebrate exceptional achievements by the banking and finance sectors across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). Award winners chosen by the EMEA Finance editorial team exemplify diligent and innovative work taking place across the EMEA region and driving capital market transactions.

The EMEA Finance Achievement Awards adds to a series of accolades for AFC’s Treasury & Funding teams this year, including “Sovereign, Supra & Agency Treasury & Funding Team of the Year” at the 2024 Bonds, Loans & ESG Capital Markets Africa Awards. The JPY 75 billion Samurai Bond Guarantee to Egypt also earned AFC the “Innovation of the Year (MENA)” award recently at the IJGlobal Awards Gala.

Share on Facebook

Business

TAJBank Emerges Nigeria’s Biggest Non-Interest Bank

Published

2 weeks ago

October 23, 2025

The Gleamer

Cyril Ogar

After five years of operations in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving non-interest banking (NIB) space, TAJBank Limited has become the biggest player in the NIB subsector based on its total assets and gross earnings values.

Disclosing this during his paper presentation on the key performance indices in the non-interest banking space over the past few years at a seminar organized by Leaders Corporate Services with the theme “Roles of Non-Interest Banks In SMEs’ Financing” for SME entrepreneurs yesterday in Abuja, an investment expert, Mr. Olabode Akeredolu-Ale, maintained that based on the non-interest banks’ approved financial statements for the half year 2025, TAJBank currently remained the biggest in terms of its total assets.

The expert, a chartered stockbroker, specifically confirmed that his recent investment researches on the NIBs and their financial performances showed that TAJBank, with its total assets rising to N1.017 trillion in half year 2025 up from N953.098 billion as of December 2024, which is about N53 billion higher than the nearest NIB’s assets, now ranked top in the banking subsector.

According to him, TAJBank’s gross earnings for H1 2025 also surged to N53.752 billion from N32.86 billion as of December 2024, representing a 64% growth, and higher than the nearest NIB’s gross earnings in the period under review.

This is even as he disclosed that on the NIBs’ earnings per share during the half year, TAJBank reported N61.36 kobo earnings per share, about 92% higher than the earnings per share of the next NIB during the period.

Akeredolu-Ale, who is also a chartered accountant, clarified: “The figures I am reeling out here on the NIBs are sourced from the banking and capital market regulatory institutions’ platforms, which anyone can access to verify.

“I am part of this event because of my research interest in non-interest banking and how the players in the subsector in Nigeria can help to leverage their competencies in innovation and ethical banking to support our MSMEs.

“Today, the MSMEs cannot access DMBs’ loans due to high lending rates and other inclement macroeconomic factors. This is where I think the NIBs have become very crucial to Nigeria’s economic growth.

“Overall, my findings on the NIBs indicated that they are all trying their best with non-interest loans to support entrepreneurs, particularly the MSMEs owners. I have advised those of them at this seminar to explore the cost-friendly financing options of the NIBs to grow their businesses by opening accounts with the NIBs”, the expert added.

Another speaker at the event, Benjamin Chukwudi, also commended the NIBs for their “catalytic roles in helping SMEs to access interest-free loans and providing them the needed financial management advisory, which have been helping them in sustaining their operations in the face of rising cost of doing business in the country.”

Share on Facebook