Jaiz Bank Plc paid N530.9 million in regulatory penalties in 2025, almost twelve times the N45 million it paid in 2024, according to its 2025 annual report, which detailed sanctions imposed by regulators during the year.

The bank was sanctioned by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) for breaches ranging from anti-money laundering and customer due diligence requirements to filing infractions.

According to the annual report, the largest penalties were two separate fines of N131 million each for violations of the CBN’s Customer Due Diligence Regulations in 2025.

In 2025, the bank breached the CBN’s AML/CFT/CPF Regulations 2022, resulting in total penalties of N156 million.

The lender was also sanctioned for contraventions of the Customer Due Diligence Regulations 2023, resulting in penalties totalling N262 million, while breaches of the Targeted Financial Sanctions Guidelines 2022 led to a N75 million fine.

Additional penalties arose from violations of Sections 50 and 19 of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020, resulting in combined sanctions of N22 million.

The report further disclosed penalties of N15.9 million imposed by the NGX for late filing obligations.

2024 penalties

Meanwhile, in 2024, Jaiz Bank paid a total of N45 million in regulatory penalties for breaches of foreign exchange regulations, corporate governance requirements, electronic payment guidelines, and the provisions of BOFIA 2020.

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According to the bank’s annual report, the largest penalty, N20 million, was imposed for a contravention of Section 29(5) of BOFIA 2020. Another N10 million fine was paid for violating Section 25(4) of the same Act.

CBN also sanctioned the non-interest lender for breaches of its foreign exchange regulations. The bank paid N4 million for contravening Memorandum 8(1) of the CBN Foreign Exchange Manual and an additional N2 million for violating Memorandum 5, Section 3(a)(i) and (ii) of the manual.

Jaiz Bank further incurred a N5 million penalty for breaching Section 1.5(g) of the CBN Guideline on Operations of Electronic Payment Channels in Nigeria.

The bank also paid N2 million for failing to comply with a CBN circular on the Business Standards and Development Assurance (BSDA) Directive and another N2 million for contravening the CBN Guidelines on the Governance of Advisory Committees of Experts for Non-Interest Financial Institutions.

Lafarge Africa, acquired by Chinese investors from the Swiss-based Holcim Group last year, has adopted HBM Nigeria Plc as its new name.

According to a regulatory filing sighted on Tuesday, the cement maker’s new name tallies with the company’s long-term goals and its resolve to better serve stakeholders.

“The name change received full shareholder approval at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on the 30th of April 2026,” the company stated in the Nigerian Exchange filing.

“The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has officially approved and issued the Certificate of Incorporation reflecting the name change,” it added.

In December 2024, Lafarge Africa disclosed that the Holcim Group had entered into a share purchase agreement with Huaxin Cement, headquartered in Wuhan, China, to acquire an 83.1 per cent stake in the company.

Until it divested its interest in Lafarge Africa, the Holcim Group held the controlling stake through Caricement BV and Associated International Cement Limited.

Regulatory hurdles, including a Senate directive ordering the Bureau of Public Procurement to halt the transaction last March, meant it was not closed until nine months after it was first made public.

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“We cannot afford to wake up one day and realise that our cement industry, one of the backbones of our economy, is entirely in foreign hands,” said Shuaib Salisu, the senator representing Ogun Central, who raised the motion at the upper legislative body at the time.

The acquisition was valued at $1 billion (approximately ₦1.6 trillion) when the deal closed last August.

The first major expansion project under the new majority owner—a planned capacity increase of the Ashaka Cement plant in Gombe to 2MT and the Shagamu plant to 3.5MT—was announced early this year.

HBM Nigeria assured shareholders in the statement that their current share certificates and electronic holdings remain valid, despite the name change. They will be updated automatically by the registrars, it said.