Economy
Equity, Bond Markets Buoy Nigeria’s $12b Capital Inflow in 2017
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The total value of capital imported into the country in 2017 increased significantly when compared with two years ago.
According to figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) few days ago, a total of $12.2 billion was attracted into Nigeria in 2017, an increase of $7.1 billion or 138.7 percent from the figure recorded in 2016.
The stats office said in its report that the growth in capital importation in 2017 was mainly driven by an increase in portfolio investment, which went up by $5.5 billion from the previous year to reach $7.3 billion in 2017, and accounting for 60 percent of capital imported.
During the reference quarter total capital imported when compared with the previous quarter increased by $1.2 billion, the NBS said.
In the fourth quarter alone, the capital inflow was $5.4 billion, representing an annual growth of 247.5 percent, and quarterly growth of 29.9 percent.
During the quarter, portfolio investment, which recorded $3.5 billion, remained the largest component of capital imported and contributed 64.6 percent of the total amount, $5.4 billion.
It increased significantly year on year, recording a rise of 1,123.5 percent or $3.2 billion from $284.2 million to $3.5 billion, expanding faster than the two other components of capital importation; Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and other investments.
In the fourth quarter of last year, Foreign Direct Investment recorded $378.4 million, which is a year on year increase of 9.8 percent, while Other Investment recorded $1.5 billion, growing by 66 percent when compared with the fourth quarter of 2016.
According to the NBS, in Q4 2017, Foreign Direct Investment hit $378.4 million for the first time since Q4 2015 when it reported $123.2 million. This figure in Q4 2017 was a substantial increase of 221.8 percent when compared to the 3rd quarter, and a 9.8 percent increase compared to Q4 2017. The growth in FDI was mainly driven by Equity Investments, which contributed 99.8 percent, while Other Capital Investment contributed 0.2 percent.
Furthermore, the stats office said Portfolio Investment was the main driver of Capital Importation in the fourth quarter of 2017, with an amount of $3.5 billion, representing a quarter on quarter growth of 25.7 percent.
Year on year, it increased by 1,123.5 percent, which is over 12 times the figure recorded in Q4 2016, $284.2 million.
The increase in Portfolio Investment was driven by a strong growth in Money Market Instruments, which recorded $2.2 billion, the first time since Q3 2013.
Money Market Instruments contributed 63 percent to Portfolio investments. Equity, which had been the main driver of Portfolio investments in previous quarters, dropped by $942.9 million from $1.9 billion in Q3 to $989.2 million in Q4 2017.
On the other hand, Bonds recorded an increase of $194.1 million, from $115.4 million in Q3 to $309.5 million in Q4 of the same year.
Also, Other Investment accounted for 28.4 percent of total capital importation in the fourth quarter of 2017. This category of capital importation grew 65.96 percent year on year, and by 21.2 percent when compared to the previous quarter.
The $1.5 billion recorded by Other Investment was mainly in the form of Loans, which was $1.1 billion in the fourth quarter, followed by Other Claims which recorded $425.7 million, and then Trade credits which reported $10 million, having posted no inflows since Q4 2016.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Six securities led by FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc further weakened the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 0.48 per cent on Tuesday, June 9.
The notable dairy firm lost N7.87 during the trading day to close at N173.81 per unit compared with the previous session’s N181.68 per unit, Nitrox Industrial Gases Plc depreciated by N2.42 to N21.88 per share from N24.30 per share, Afriland Properties Plc dipped by N1.25 to N15.55 per unit from N16.80 per unit, Food Concepts Plc stumbled by 27 Kobo to N2.48 per share from N2.75 per share, UBN Property Plc dropped 9 Kobo to settle at N2.11 per unit versus N2.20 per unit, and Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc crashed by 4 Kobo to 50 Kobo per share from 54 Kobo per share.
As a result of these losses, the market capitalisation went down by N12.50 billion to N2.593 trillion from N2.606 trillion, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) declined by 20.89 points to 4,335.31 points from 4,356.20 points.
Business Post reports that there was a price gainer yesterday, and this was Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc, which improved its value by N2.65 to N81.13 per unit from N78.48 per unit.
The volume of transactions soared on Tuesday by 644.3 per cent to 1.6 million units from 213,188 units, the value of trades increased by 208.6 per cent to N62.3 million from N20.2 million, and the number of deals surged by 64 per cent to 41 deals from 25 deals.
The most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis remained Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units transacted for N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 65.1 million units sold for N4.4 billion.
GNI Plc was also the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units exchanged for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units traded for N415.7 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira was exchanged at N1,360.55/$1 in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Tuesday, June 9, compared with the N1,362.84/$1 it was exchanged a day earlier, indicating an appreciation of N2.29 or 0.17 per cent against the United States Dollar.
It also gained 74 Kobo against the Euro in the same market segment to quote at N1,573.61/€1, in contrast to Monday’s closing price of N1,574.35/€1, but lost N1.71 against the Pound Sterling to trade at N1,823.00/£1 versus the preceding day’s N1,821.29/£1.
At the black market window, the Nigerian currency maintained stability against the greenback during the session at N1,380/$1, and also traded flat at the GTBank FX counter at N1,373/$1.
Market analysts say the ongoing implementation of the fourth edition of the Foreign Exchange Manual by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) since June 1 has strengthened the Naira and the country’s foreign reserves, bolstering confidence in the market.
The new manual is expected to deepen FX transparency, improve liquidity and strengthen market confidence and liquidity, as it aligns with the apex bank’s broader vision of ensuring that businesses and individuals have equal access to FX in a transparent and liquid market.
The gross external reserves have climbed to a record $50.04 billion, reinforcing investor confidence and boosting the CBN’s capacity to support the local currency.
As for the cryptocurrency market, expectations for higher interest rates sapped demand for non-yielding assets. The latest crypto pullback appears driven by a short squeeze rather than fresh buying, as more than $500 million in bearish bets were liquidated and spot demand.
Cardano (ADA) depreciated by 5.5 per cent to $0.1603, Ripple (XRP) declined by 5.2 per cent to $1.11, Solana (SOL) fell by 4.6 per cent to $64.05, Ethereum (ETH) tumbled by 3.5 per cent to $1,626.51, Dogecoin (DOGE) crashed by 3.6 per cent to $0.0835, Bitcoin (BTC) dropped 3.2 per cent to trade at $61,292.98, Binance Coin (BNB) slumped by 2.9 per cent to $585.26, and TRON (TRX) slipped by 0.9 per cent to $0.3220, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $0.9997 and $0.9998, respectively.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A bill to regulate the cryptocurrency ecosystem in Nigeria passed second reading at the Senate during a plenary on Tuesday presided over by the Deputy Senate President, Mr Jibrin Barau.
Mr Barau, who sponsored the bill titled Virtual Asset Service Providers Regulation Bill, 2026, said that when passed into law, the piece of legislation would protect stakeholders from exploitation and promote confidence.
According to him, it will also place Nigeria among African countries such as Kenya, South Africa and Ghana that have adopted formal regulatory frameworks for cryptocurrency and digital asset transactions, while empowering regulators to license operators and combat fraud, money laundering and terrorism financing.
The Kano lawmaker noted that he pushed for this because of the absence of a comprehensive regulatory and supervisory framework for virtual assets, digital assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) in the country.
But he said that with this, the nation’s digital economy would become robust, with investors having the confidence to explore opportunities in the market.
One of the Senators who spoke on the bill, Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, threw her weight behind it, noting that her son, who operates a gaming platform with a large global user base, is having a tough time getting partners to set up operations in Nigeria due to the lack of a robust regulatory environment.
She stated that billions of dollars in potential investments and job opportunities could be lost if the country fails to create the necessary legal framework for emerging digital industries.
According to her, many young innovators are being forced to take their businesses abroad, lauding the sponsor of the bill.
Others who commented on the bill emphasised that virtual assets remain an inevitable feature of the modern global economy, warning that continued regulatory gaps could drive investments and business activities into unregulated channels.
They argued that effective regulation would protect millions of Nigerians, particularly young entrepreneurs and traders, who depend on cryptocurrency and related technologies for employment and income.
After deliberations, the lawmakers passed the bill for second reading and referred it to the Senate Committee on Capital Market for further legislative scrutiny. The team is expected to submit its report within four weeks.
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