Economy
91% of corporate loans performing, says CBN
About 91 per cent of loans obtained from banks by companies are performing, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said.
In its latest credit conditions survey released at the weekend, the CBN indicated that about nine per cent of corporate loans are non-performing, four notches above the apex bank’s regulatory guidance of five per cent.
According to the report, corporate loan default stood at nine per cent in fourth quarter 2024. It stood at 6.2 per cent in third quarter, 2.8 per cent in second quarter and 4.5 per cent in the first quarter of last year.
The CBN outlined the factors contributing to corporate credit demand to include commercial real estate, balance sheet restructuring, inventory finance, capital investments, merger and acquisition.
The apex bank said there were increased credit availability for corporate borrowers, while secured lending to households dropped.
“The demand for credit across all lending types increased in fourth quarter of last year. The factors influencing the increase for secured and unsecured household loans were consumer loans from households and credit cards lending from households respectively while inventory finance was the major factor that influenced the change in demand for corporate lending,” CBN stated.
The apex bank also noted that the demand for credit increased for all lending types during the period.
However, demand for mortgage and re-mortgage from households decreased.
“The demand for credit across all lending types increased in fourth quarter of last year when compared to the previous quarter. The overall spreads on secured and unsecured lending rates to households relative to Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) widened.
“For corporate lending, all lending type spreads on loan relative to MPR also widened, except Other Financial Corporations (OFCs) which narrowed in the current quarter,” the report stated.
The Credit Conditions Survey (CCS) reports on secured and unsecured lending to Households, Private Non-Financial Corporations (PNFCs), Small Businesses and Other Financial Corporations (OFCs). The survey was based on lenders responses, to questions from the statistics department of the CBN.
To determine the aggregate results, each lender was assigned a score based on lender’s response. Lenders who report that credit conditions have changed “a lot” are assigned twice the score of those who report that conditions have changed “a little”. These scores were then weighted by lenders credit market shares.
The results were analyzed by calculating net percentage balances, such as the difference between the weighted balances of lenders reporting that demand was higher versus those reporting that demand was lower. The net percentage balances are scaled within the range plus or minus 100.
The naira depreciated to N1, 615 per dollar in the parallel market from N1,610 per dollar on Monday.
Likewise, the Naira depreciated to N1,602 per dollar in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM).
Data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, showed that the indicative exchange rate for the naira rose to N1,602 per dollar from N1,596 per dollar on Monday, indicating N6 depreciation for the naira.
Consequently, the margin between the parallel market and NFEM rate narrowed to N13 per dollar from N14 per dollar on Monday.
The Nigerian stock market opened the week on a bullish note on Monday, gaining N228 billion on the Nigerian Exchange Ltd.
Market capitalisation rose by N228 billion or 0.34 per cent and closed at N66.693 trillion compared to Friday’s figure of N66.465 trillion.
Similarly, the All-Share Index (ASI) climbed by 363.57 points or 0.34 per cent, reaching 106,116.18 from 105,752.61 recorded earlier.
The Nigerian stock market opened the week on a bullish note on Monday, gaining N228 billion on the Nigerian Exchange Ltd.
Market capitalisation rose by N228 billion or 0.34 per cent and closed at N66.693 trillion compared to Friday’s figure of N66.465 trillion.
Similarly, the All-Share Index (ASI) climbed by 363.57 points or 0.34 per cent, reaching 106,116.18 from 105,752.61 recorded earlier.
The positive trend was driven by strong buying interest in medium and large-cap stocks including International Breweries, Legend Internet Plc, Cadbury Nigeria, Fidson and more.
In spite of the upward trend, the market breadth closed positively, with 47 gainers and 16 losers.
International Breweries led the gainers’ chart, rising by 10 per cent to close at N8.47 per share.
Legend Internet Plc followed, appreciating by 9.97 per cent to settle at N7.50 per share.
Cadbury Nigeria gained by 9.96 per cent, and end the day at N29.25, while Fidson rose by 9.95 per cent to close at N20.45 per share.
Eterna also advanced by 9.90 per cent to close at N43.85 per share.
On the losers’ chart, Livestock Feeds dropped by 10 per cent, closing at N8.55 per share.
Aradel Holdings declined by 9.86 per cent to end the session at N448.00 per share
Tripple Gee fell by 9.60 per cent to close at N1.79, while John Holt Plc shed 7.94 per cent to close at N5.80 per share.
Linkage Assurance lost by 6.15 per cent, and finished the day at N1.22 per share.
A total of 500.59 million shares worth N12.110 billion were traded in 17,637 transactions.
This is compared to Friday’s 428.08 million shares worth N20.174 billion, exchanged across 14,284 transactions.
Access Corporation led the activity chart with 60.867 million shares traded, which was worth N1.45 billion.
Fidelity Bank followed with 56.105 million shares valued at N1.13 billion while the United Bank for Africa sold 34.53 million shares worth N1.174 billion.
Guarantee Trust Holding Company transacted 33.49 million shares valued at N2.181 billion and the Nigerian Breweries traded 28.336 million shares, amounting to N1.15 billion.
You are just seconds away from sending money – the offer sounds perfect, the seller seems trustworthy and the clock is ticking.
But just before you hit send, one of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions, OPay flashes a critical warning: “Caution – this account has been linked to suspicious activity.”
In that moment, the rush fades, your instincts kick in, and you realise you were on the brink of falling for a scam. One smart alert, one timely pause — and your hard-earned money stays exactly where it should: safe.
This is the power behind OPay’s multi-layered scam alert system — an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven, real-time defense network designed to detect and stop fraudulent transactions before they happen.
At the heart of it is a machine learning engine trained on thousands of scam patterns, user reports, flagged accounts, and unusual transaction behaviors. But OPay’s approach goes far beyond a single alert.
How OPay’s scam alert ecosystem works
Abnormal Transaction Pop-Up Reminders
When suspicious behavior is detected, OPay immediately interrupts the flow with a clear, targeted pop-up message. Every day, over 60,000 users receive these urgent fraud warnings — and thanks to that, 30,000 risky transactions are stopped in their tracks.
Intelligent Outbound Call Reminders
For higher-risk transactions, OPay activates a multi-channel response, sending warnings via SMS, email, app notifications, and even escalating to customer service calls. This proactive layer reaches more than 10,000 users daily, discouraging over 8,000 fraudulent transactions.
Interactive Q&A Verification
In cases where more context is needed, users are engaged with real-time Question & Answer (Q&A) prompts to understand the purpose of their transaction. If red flags are confirmed, the system presents a tailored warning or ends the transaction flow altogether. This feature alone helps deter over 46,000 scam attempts daily from the 50,000+ users who interact with it.
Together, these layers form a real-time scam detection and prevention engine that evolves with every user interaction. OPay’s system doesn’t just warn — it learns and adapts, constantly improving its accuracy and response time.
Many users don’t even know they’re in danger until OPay steps in. As one X user, @JAHS, shared: “OPay alerted me that I might be sending money to a scammer when I wanted to patronize an IG vendor. Stopped the transaction ASAP.”
These interventions are happening silently, daily – often before the user even suspects something is wrong.
OPay’s scam alert system is part of a broader philosophy: security is not just about technology – it’s about trust. From scam alerts to Face ID transaction verification, USSD instant account locking, the Large Transaction Shield, and automated callback alerts, every tool is designed to protect users in the moments they can’t predict.
As scams get more sophisticated, the future of financial safety depends on real-time prevention. And OPay isn’t waiting for fraud to happen — it’s stopping it in its tracks. Sometimes, the smartest financial decision you make… is the one OPay helped you avoid.
-
Metro22 hours agoGunmen storm University of Benin teaching hospital, kill doctor
-
Metro23 hours agoFCTA destroys 601 motorbikes over violations
-
News14 hours agoAlleged money laundering: EFCC produces Aisha Achimugu in court
-
News22 hours agoJust in: FG declares tomorrow public holiday
-
News16 hours agoJUST IN: Major General Paul Ufuoma Omu Rtd, dies at 84
-
News15 hours agoTinubu hails Dangote’s World Bank appointment
-
News18 hours agoSAD! Professor’s son takes own life inside varsity staff quarters
-
News9 hours agoHon. Dennis Agbo Resigns From Labour Party