Business

CSCS Launches New Services to Boost Investor Experience in Capital Market

Published

3 months ago

April 14, 2026

Preport

In line with commitment to driving innovation and supporting a more efficient and transparent capital market, the Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), has rolled out a range of new services aimed at improving investor experience, fostering inclusion, and strengthening market resilience.

The new introductions which are Joint Accounts, Premium Investor Tiers, API Access, and Expanded Data Services, reflect CSCS’s continued evolution as Nigeria’s premier market infrastructure committed to deepening the Nigerian capital market.

The introduction of Joint Accounts makes it easier for families, business partners, and co-investors to manage and monitor their investments together. This not only provides flexibility and transparency but also aligns with the growing demand for more collaborative investment management in today’s market.

With Premium Investor Tiers, CSCS is recognizing and rewarding active investors who desire specialized support and added value. The new service tier delivers a more personalized experience, ensuring that investors at every level enjoy convenience, reliability, and enhanced engagement.

CSCS’s newly launched API Access opens new possibilities for financial technology firms, brokers, and market operators to connect directly with CSCS’s systems. This enables the automation of core functions, promotes innovation, and ensures faster, more reliable services for investors and institutions alike.

These initiatives mark another important step in CSCS’s mission to building resilience of the ecosystem and enabling the sustainable growth of the market. These initiatives are anchored in technology, collaboration, and long-term value creation.

By continually investing in innovation, CSCS is helping build a capital market that works efficiently for all, from retail investors and brokers to regulators and policy makers.

Shehu Shantali, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of CSCS stated, “Our commitment has always been to create a seamless and secure post-trade environment that supports market growth. These new services are designed to make things easier for investors and to help stakeholders access better data, faster transactions, and deeper value across the ecosystem.”

With these enhancements, CSCS reaffirms its role as a trusted catalyst for market efficiency and sustainability, extending its leadership beyond clearing and settlement to shaping the future of financial market innovation in Nigeria.

About CSCS
The Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) is a Public Limited Company with a diversified shareholder base, including the Nigerian Exchange Group, some of the largest banks in Nigeria, private equity firms, investment banks and other corporate and individual shareholders. With over two decades of operation, serving as the Central Securities Depository for the Nigerian Capital Market, CSCS has been pivotal to the growth and transformation of the capital market, including its audacious full dematerialization of share certificates and shortening of the settlement cycle in the capital market.
CSCS serves as the Central Depository for Equities, Commercial Papers, Corporate Bonds, Sub-National Bonds, certain Sovereign Bonds (such as the FGN Sukuk and the FGN Savings Bond), Equity-traded Funds, Real estate Investment Trusts, Mutual funds and Commodities. CSCS is licensed and regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The activities of CSCS are governed by the Investment and Securities Act 2007, the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2004, and the SEC Rules.

Related Topics:Capital Market CSCS Launches New Services to Boost Investor Experience in Capital Market

Up Next

Presidency blasts Aregbesola over “Renewed Hope is a scam” comment

Don't Miss

Judge Throws Out Evidence in Alleged $35m NCDMB Fraud Case

Click to comment

Business

FCMB Group posts 90% surge in half-year profit

Published

1 hour ago

July 28, 2026

Preport

WhatsApp Image 2026 07 27 at 19.14.26.jpeg

FCMB Group deployed a mix of strategies, including top-line expansion and cost management, to deliver a 90.5 per cent increase in net profit for the six months to June, compared with a year earlier, the latest accounts of the bank holding company published on Monday showed.

Gross earnings climbed to N676.2 billion from N529.2 billion, with 88.8 per cent of it solely contributed by interest and discount income, setting the scene for the big earnings boost, which was partly driven by a reduction in some major expenses.

Cost-to-income ratio dropped to 41.4 per cent from 57 per cent one year prior, strengthening earnings.

FCMB Limited, the group’s commercial banking division, continued to dominate performance across key income streams and accounted for more than three-quarters of post-tax profit.

The other divisions, including Credit Direct, its consumer lending business that offers payroll-based loans to customers, are all currently profitable, contributing their share to the bottom line.

The financial institution managed to scale back interest expense by 2.7 per cent (N6.8 billion), even as interest and discount income rose by up to 31 per cent, attributable to an improved low-cost deposit mix and lower cost of funds.

That was a lever for a jump in net interest income from N207.4 billion to N356.3 billion.

In a separate statement on Monday, FCMB Group highlighted the role of its digital business – comprising payments, lending and wealth – in driving turnover growth. It noted that digital revenue, at N89.1 billion, added 13.2 per cent to gross earnings due to volume growth.

“Our first-half performance demonstrates the strength of our recapitalised and diversified business model,” said Ladi Balogun, the CEO.

“We delivered record profitability despite accelerating the normalisation of asset quality towards regulatory thresholds, reflecting our commitment to building a stronger balance sheet for long-term growth,” he added.

Net fee and commission improved by almost one-third, enabled by both a rise in fee and commission income and a drop in related expenses.

Net trading income took a blow from sharply weaker bond and treasury bills trading income, falling 65.7 per cent year on year.

READ ALSO: Aradel, NEM, FCMB Group top stock pick this week

Likewise, impairment losses quickened to N85.9 billion from N36.2 billion, as the provision for other losses, apart from those on loans and advances, surged 2,427.6 per cent to N48.1 billion.

Profit before tax roughly doubled to N157.3 billion, while profit for the period stood at N139.9 billion, up from N73.4 billion in the same period last year.

Mr Balogun assured that return on equity will surpass 25 per cent this year, compared with 21.1 per cent for the financial year 2025.

Business

Fugitive Drug Lord and Ex-Footballer Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison for Cocaine Trafficking

Published

9 hours ago

July 27, 2026

Preport

A fugitive drug kingpin, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and an ex-international football player, Hunkarin Segun George have been convicted and sentenced to a combined total of 24 years imprisonment by Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, for unlawful importation of 7.050 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria.

Chinedu was first arraigned in September 2015 on a one-count charge marked FHC/L/227c/2015 for unlawfully importing 6.250 kilograms of cocaine.

He pleaded not guilty and was admitted to bail, but jumped bail midway into trial and remained at large for nearly 10 years.

He was eventually re-arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Tuesday 24th June 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, while attempting to smuggle 800 grams of cocaine on an inbound Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.

He was a frequent flyer known for conveying clothes from Turkey to Nigeria and foodstuffs from Nigeria to Turkey.

Investigation showed that the convict was coming from Turkey on Ethiopian Airlines flight but transited through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he collected the luggage from another person before heading to Nigeria. Further checks revealed that an accomplice who turned out to be a former professional footballer, Segun George Hunkarin, was waiting for Chinedu at the airport carpark to collect the consignment from him. Hunkarin who had stayed years in Brazil playing for football clubs was promptly tracked and arrested at the carpark.

In his statement, Hunkarin claimed that while playing professional football in the South American country, he had only trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia.

Both Chinedu and Hunkarin were subsequently arraigned on a three-count charge marked FHC/L/669C/2025 for unlawful importation of 800grams of cocaine. Delivering judgment on Friday 24th July 2026, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine for the unlawful importation of 6.250 kilograms of cocaine, and a further two years, also without an option of fine, for conspiring with Hunkarin to unlawfully import 800 grams of cocaine, bringing his total sentence to 22 years. Hunkarin was sentenced to two years imprisonment on the conspiracy charge, bringing the combined jail terms to 24 years imprisonment.
Reviewing the facts of the case, prosecuting counsel, Barrister Adekunle Adebajo, reminded the court that Chinedu had earlier been arraigned before Justice Salihu Saudi (now retired) in 2015 on the same importation charge but vanished after being granted bail. Citing a plethora of legal authorities, the NDLEA prosecutor urged the court to sentence the convicts in line with the relevant provisions of the NDLEA Act.
Defence counsel, Chief Benson Ndakara for Chinedu and Chief Emefo Etudo for Hunkarin, had pleaded with the court for leniency and urged that fine options be considered in lieu of custodial sentences. The court, however, after a careful review of the submissions, cited authorities and tendered exhibits, sentenced both convicts to prison terms without any option of fine.
Reacting to the conviction, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the judiciary for the judgment, describing it as a reaffirmation of the courts’ commitment to ridding the country of drug trafficking and those who perpetrate it, no matter how long they evade justice.
Marwa also commended the officers, men and women of the Agency involved in the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the case, noting that the eventual re-arrest of Chinedu after nearly ten years on the run demonstrated the doggedness, patience and thoroughness of NDLEA operatives in tracking down fugitives and ensuring that no drug trafficker escapes the long arm of the law.
He restated the Agency’s resolve to continue working closely with the judiciary and other stakeholders to ensure that persons involved in drug trafficking, regardless of their status or how long they attempt to evade justice, are brought to book.

The post Fugitive Drug Lord and Ex-Footballer Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison for Cocaine Trafficking appeared first on Business Today NG.