Author: Julius Alagbe
Julius Alagbe
Julius Alagbe is a senior financial journalist and Editor at MarketForces Africa with nearly two decades of experience in finance, accounting, and economics reporting.He is one of Nigeria's most prolific financial market reporters, covering capital markets, monetary policy, corporate earnings, banking, telecoms, and macroeconomic developments across Africa.Julius has built a strong footprint reporting on Nigeria's leading corporates and financial services sector, including coverage of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Central Bank of Nigeria monetary operations, MTN Nigeria, GTCO, and major investment banking transactions.He regularly monitors the CBN’s open market operations, interbank FX markets, and equity market movements, providing readers with real-time intelligence on Nigeria’s financial landscape.His reporting draws on direct access to institutional research from firms including Moody’s Ratings, CardinalStone Securities, Fitch, and other leading African investment houses.Julius brings analytical depth and editorial rigour to every story, making complex financial data accessible to professionals, investors, and policymakers across Africa.Julius Alagbe is based in Lagos, Nigeria.
AIICO Delivers 182% Return to Investors, Targets N20bn Profit AIICO Insurance Plc bolstered its shareholders wealth as market value surged by about 182% over positive price movement – while the company forecasted about N20bn profit for 2025. The price surge is a reflecting of AIICO Insurance shareholders confidence, and expectation that the company’s earnings stream will remain rock solid. The insurance operator’s share price increased by 5.5% to close at N4.03 on Friday amidst huge trading volume. AIICO Insurance Plc’s 36.605 billion shares outstanding on the Nigerian Exchange were valued at N147.519 billion. Investors maintain positive sentiment as the insurance…
Innovative Payment Solutions in Online Gaming The online gaming industry is evolving with the integration of advanced payment solutions. Digital payment methods like cryptocurrencies and eWallets are gaining popularity, transforming the betting and casino sectors by offering enhanced security, convenience, and efficiency for users worldwide. The rise of platforms like bonuses.com highlights how digital payment methods have revolutionized the landscape of online gaming, providing gamers with secure and efficient options. Traditional payment methods often face challenges such as security risks and transaction delays, prompting the rise of innovative solutions like cryptocurrencies and eWallets. These advancements offer players anonymity and protection…
How MTN Nigeria Survives the Tide, Boosts Shareholders’ Value by 110% Telecommunication company MTN Nigeria Plc has always been an investors’ toast until something unanticipated happened after late ex-president Muhammad Buhari transferred the baton of authority two years ago. The reformist came to the market and shook the very existence of companies in the private sector field, a development MTN Nigeria did not escape. On assuming the highest office in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu began a reform that shook the very fabric of the Nigerian economy. Fuel subsidy was removed, and MTN Nigeria began to pay more to power its…
Bonds Yield Falls by 24bps, Market Reacts to Spot Rates Cut The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) bonds yield fell by 24 basis points (bps) in the secondary market last week as investors reacted to the Debt Office primary market auction result. The outcome of the main auction triggered robust demand in the secondary market, leading to notable yield contractions, particularly across the mid- to long-tenor segment of the curve. The bullish momentum carried into midweek as yields adjusted lower, but sentiment turned mixed later in the week, AIICO Capital Limited said in a note. At the same time, analysts…
CBN Allots N98bn OMO Bills to Investors Out of N3.32trn Bids The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) raised N98 billion from open market operation on Friday, where the authority offered N600 billion worth of bills to banks and foreign portfolio investors. Demand was significantly higher than the offer, reflecting the excess liquidity level in the banking system at the time and expanding offshore investors’ appetite for the naira assets. The CBN floated Nigerian OMO bills across three maturities: 88 days, 102 days to maturity and also floated 123-day-to-maturity papers for investors’ subscriptions. The auction was well received after weeks of…
Nigeria’s Gross External Reserves Increase to $42.407 bln Up by about $5.2 billion since July, Nigeria’s gross external reserves increased to $42.407 billion on October 2, from $42.353 billion on Sept. 30, the Central Bank confirmed in its latest update. The nation’s foreign reserves maintained an uptrend despite a series of FX intervention sales conducted by the Apex Bank to enhance the naira’s spot rate at the official currency market. Analysts said multiple developments, especially higher FX receipts from hydrocarbon revenue, exporters’ inflows and other remittances from international market is helping accretion. MarketForces Africa gathered that Dangote Refinery export revenue…
Keir Starmer UK Prime Minister to Visit India Next Week United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Keir Starmer will make his first official visit to India from October 8 to 9 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Saturday. On October 9 in Mumbai, the two Prime Ministers will take stock of progress in diverse aspects of the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in line with ‘Vision 2035’, a focussed and time bound 10-year Roadmap of programmes and initiatives in key pillars of trade and investment, technology and innovation, defence and security, climate and…
Mayor of Atlanta Applauds Fidelity FNITCC Conference Tier-one lender, Fidelity Bank Plc, has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Nigerian businesses in scaling up and competing effectively on the global stage. This commitment was underscored at the 2025 Fidelity Nigeria International Trade & Creative Connect (FNITCC), held over the weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. Reflecting on FNITCC’s evolution over the past four years, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, described the initiative as a strategic expression of the bank’s vision to empower homegrown businesses for global competitiveness. “FNITCC is a vision that has come a long…
CBN Reforms to Stabilise Economy, Restore Investor Confidence- Cardoso Olayemi Cardoso, says the bank’s reforms are aimed at stabilising the economy, restoring confidence and bringing inflation down to single digits in the medium term. Cardoso said this while taking questions during a fireside chat at his inaugural lecture series at the Lagos Business School (LBS). The lecture had the theme “Next Generation Leadership in Monetary Policy and Nation Building” and marked the launch of the CBN Governor’s Lecture Series. The lecture had in attendance students from various tertiary institutions, members of academia, bankers and industry experts. Cardoso explained the challenges…
Euro Rally as Markets Weigh ECB, Federal Reserve Policy Gap FX market – The euro traded just above $1.17, staying close to last month’s four-year high of $1.192, as markets weighed the widening policy gap between the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Federal Reserve (Fed). The ECB, and US Federal Reserve interest rate policy choice impacted Euro, and US dollar trading direction amidst fluctuating economic data. The euro area economy continued its expansionary trend at the end of the third quarter, with the pace of growth even ticking slightly higher to its strongest since May 2024. The upturn was…