The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a new directive requiring all publicly listed companies in Nigeria to publish their financial statements on their official websites, effective January 2025.
This was disclosed in a circular issued by the Commission on Thursday, stressing the importance of the move for investor confidence and regulatory compliance.
The SEC warned that non-compliance with this directive would attract strict sanctions, demonstrating its commitment to improving transparency and accessibility in the Nigerian equities market.
According to the SEC, “The Securities and Exchange Commission (‘the Commission’) has observed that public companies file their periodic returns with the Commission and relevant securities exchanges without simultaneously publishing the same on their websites. This omission contravenes Rules 39 and 41 of the Commission’s Rules and Regulations.”
The Commission noted that while publicly listed companies routinely file periodic returns with it and relevant securities exchanges, many fail to make these financial statements accessible to the investing public on their websites. This practice, it noted, violates the requirement to ensure that financial disclosures are readily available to guide investors in making informed decisions.
SEC explained the rationale for the directive, stating that publishing financial statements online provides seamless access for the investing public. This ease of access, the Commission said, is essential for encouraging sound investment decisions and ensuring investor confidence in the market.
“Timely disclosures remain a key component of shareholder engagement,” the Commission stated. “The publication of periodic returns on their websites is aimed at providing seamless access by the public to such information, which would serve as a guide to making sound investment decisions.”
The Commission further noted that effective from January 2025, any public company that fails to simultaneously file its periodic returns with the SEC and relevant securities exchanges and publish them on its website will face penalties.