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Private Equity-backed IPOs Rise in Africa – PwC, AVCA

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  • Private Equity-backed IPOs Rise in Africa – PwC, AVCA

The African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association and PwC Nigeria have said private equity-backed Initial Public Offerings are among the largest IPOs in Africa.

They stated this in the ‘Africa Private Equity-backed Initial Public Offering’ report, which was released on Friday in Lagos.

The report provided a historic analysis of private equity-backed and non-private equity-backed IPOs between 2010 and 2017 on exchanges throughout Africa, as well as IPOs by African companies on international exchanges.

The Head of Research, AVCA, Enitan Obasanjo-Adeleye, said it had been noted long ago that the proportion of private equity exits through IPOs in Africa was lower relative to markets such as the United States and United Kingdom.

She said the capital markets played a fundamental role in the efficient allocation of capital, describing them as a critical exit route for private equity globally.

Obasanjo-Adeleye said the report provided data, which she said would be important for ongoing dialogue around measures that needed to be taken to narrow the IPO gap between Africa and other continents.

She said, “We are excited to have worked with PwC to highlight private equity-backed IPO activity on the African continent. Over the period from 2010 to 2017, African private equity-backed IPOs, as a percentage of total African IPOs, averaged just 16 per cent in terms of volume and 23 per cent in terms of value.

“In comparison, over the same period, private equity-backed IPOs in the US averaged 39 per cent in terms of volume and 44 per cent in terms of value, and in the UK, 36 per cent in terms of volume and 45 per cent in terms of value.

“During the period under review, there have been 30 African private equity-backed IPOs raising a total of $3bn. Consistent with overall IPO trends in Africa, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange led as an exit destination in terms of value of private equity-backed IPOs, with nearly $2bn raised.”

Obasanjo-Adeleye noted that an analysis of post-IPO performance showed that private equity-backed IPOs in sub-Saharan Africa showed a price return of 27 per cent higher than their offer price.

According to her, on an average, over a one-year time horizon post-IPO, this closely approximates the performance of their non-private equity backed IPO peers of 30 per cent.

She added that the performance of North African shares over the same time horizon in the period analysed differed, with post-IPO performance returning only zero per cent and eight per cent growth over offer price for private equity floats and non-private equity floats, respectively.

A Partner, PwC Capital Markets, Johannesburg, Andrew Del Boccio, said, “Private equity funds backed a combined 16 per cent of the IPOs in Africa between 2010 and 2017, with average one-year returns on sub-Saharan Africa transactions closely in line with non-private equity IPOs.

“This suggests an opportunity to further explore the capital markets as a plausible exit strategy for private equity investments in the region. Over the period, a relatively small number of private equity-backed IPOs contributed significantly to the value of proceeds raised.

“Among others, these include the 2010 $681m IPO of Life HealthCare Group on the JSE, which constituted 23 per cent of total private equity-backed IPO capital raised between 2010 and 2017, and the 2014 $348m IPO of Alexander Forbes, also on the JSE, constituting 12 per cent of total private equity-backed IPO capital raised.”

Del Boccio stated that the $819m dual listing of Vivo Energy on the JSE and London Stock Exchange, which took place in May 2018, raised more capital than any African private equity-backed IPO since 2010.

The Associate Director, Capital Markets, PwC Nigeria, Alice Tomdio, said the Vivo Energy IPO was clear evidence that the IPO market was open to companies with attractive equity stories and a proven track record of growth.

Is the CEO/Founder of Investors King Limited. A proven foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Businessinsider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and many more. He has over two decades of experience in global financial markets.

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Banking Sector

Central Bank of Nigeria Mandates Cybersecurity Levy on Transactions

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Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)

In a bid to bolster cybersecurity measures within the financial sector, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued a directive mandating banks and financial institutions to implement a cybersecurity levy on transactions.

The circular, released on Monday, outlines the commencement of this levy within two weeks from the date of issuance.

According to the circular, all commercial, merchant, non-interest, and payment service banks, as well as other financial institutions, mobile money operators, and payment service providers, are instructed to enforce this cybersecurity levy.

The directive is a follow-up to previous communications dated June 25, 2018, and October 5, 2018, emphasizing compliance with the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act 2015.

The levy is to be applied at the point of electronic transfer origination and subsequently deducted by the financial institution.

This deducted amount will then be remitted to the designated Nigerian Cybersecurity Fund (NCF) account domiciled at the CBN. Customers will see a deduction reflected in their account statement with the narration, ‘Cybersecurity Levy’.

Exemptions from this levy include certain transactions such as loan disbursements and repayments, salary payments, and intra-bank transfers among others.

The CBN aims to streamline and fortify cybersecurity efforts across the financial sector through the implementation of this levy.

This move by the CBN aligns with recent efforts to enhance regulatory oversight and mitigate risks within the financial ecosystem.

It follows closely after directives barring fintechs from onboarding new customers and warnings against engaging in cryptocurrency transactions.

Also, the Federal Government’s directive for the deduction of stamp duty charges on mortgaged-backed loans and bonds demonstrates a broader push for fiscal transparency and regulatory compliance.

The introduction of the cybersecurity levy underscores the CBN’s commitment to safeguarding digital transactions and ensuring the integrity of Nigeria’s financial infrastructure amidst evolving cyber threats.

As financial institutions gear up for implementation, the levy is poised to play a pivotal role in fortifying the nation’s cybersecurity resilience in an increasingly digitized landscape.

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Pension

PFAs Posted Decent Growth – Coronation Economic Note

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pension funds - Investors King

According to the latest monthly report released by Nigeria’s Pension Commission (PENCOM), the assets under management (AUM) of the regulated pension industry increased by +26.2% y/y to N19.7trn.

Meanwhile on an m/m basis, the AUM decline marginally by -0.5%.

This marks the first decline since September ’22. Notably, FGN debt securities accounted for 62% of the total AUM in March ’24. Meanwhile, other asset classes such as private equities, real estate, and infrastructure funds, accounted for 0.4%, 1.4%, and 0.8% of total AUM, respectively.

Total FGN debt securities held by the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) increased by +19.7%
y/y but declined marginally by -1.4% m/m.

Specifically, we note that the FGN bond instruments held by the PFAs increased by +17.2% y/y to N11.5trn, but declined by -2.4% m/m, on the back of a 10-year tenure FGN bond maturity (N719.9bn). The FGN bonds account for 58% of the total AUM.

FGN bonds remain attractive due to its lower risk profile and elevated yields. It is worth noting that the average FGN bond yield increased by +219bps m/m as at end-March ‘24.

The PENCOM report shows that NTBs held by PFAs grew by +120% y/y and increased by +42.5% m/m to N407.6bn in March ’24. We note that the average NTB yield increased by +250bps m/m as at end-March’24.

This asset class accounted for just 2.1% of the total AUM in the same month.

Meanwhile, State government securities held by the PFAs increased by 64.1% y/y to N266.2bn in March ‘24.

It is worth highlighting that domestic equity holdings surged by 99.6% y/y and 8.7% m/m to N2.1trn in the same period, accounting for 10.6% of the total AUM in March ‘24 compared with 9.7% in February ’24. The NGX-all-share index (NGX-ASI) rose by +90.6% y/y and +4.6% during the same period.

Furthermore, YTD (28-March ’24) return on index rose by +18.1% to close at 39.8% from 33.7% in February ’24.

Recently, the market has shown a bearish trajectory as the NGX-ASI declined by -6.1% m/m as at end-April ‘24, partly, on the back of relatively weak corporate earnings amid inflationary conditions. Given expectations of higher yields in the fixed income market on the back of continuous tightening or a hold stance of the CBN at the next MPC meeting, PFAs are likely to reallocate a greater portion of pension assets to fixed income securities.

According to PENCOM, the total pension contributions since inception remitted to the Individual Retirement Savings Account (RSA) increased by +17.3% y/y to N9.9trn as at end-December ‘23 compared with N8.5trn recorded as at end-December ‘22. Remittance from the public sector accounts for 52%, while private sector accounts for 48% of the total pension contributions.

This can be partly attributed to improvement in the efforts to expand pension coverage.

Notably, PENCOM added a total number of 8,927 micro pension contributors in Q4 ’23 bringing the total number of registered MPCs in the Micro pension plan from inception to 114,382 as at end-December ’23 from 89,327 as at end-December ’22.

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Banking Sector

GTCO Plc’s Profit Before Tax Grows by 587.5% to N509.35 Billion in Q1, 2024

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GTCO Commemorates Listing on Nigerian Exchange - Investors King

Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) Plc, one of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions, has unveiled its first quarter (Q1) financial results for the period ending March 31, 2024.

According to the report submitted to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NGX), GTCO recorded a 587.5% growth in profit before tax (PBT) to N509.35 billion.

This substantial increase in pre-tax profit represents a significant jump from the N74.089 billion reported in the corresponding period of the previous year.

The financial statement also revealed a 227.93% rise in income tax to N52.213 billion, compared to N15.922 billion in the same period of 2023.

As a result, GTCO’s profit after tax (PAT) for the first quarter of 2024 rose to N457.134 billion, an exceptional growth of 685.9% from N58.167 billion recorded in the first quarter of the previous year.

The strong performance of GTCO can be attributed to several key factors. The Group’s loan book increased by 21.9% rising from N2.48 trillion recorded in December 2023 to N3.02 trillion by March 2024.

Similarly, deposit liabilities grew by 26.0% from N7.55 trillion in December 2023 to N9.51 trillion in March 2024.

Despite the challenging economic environment, GTCO’s balance sheet remained well-structured, diversified, and resilient.

Total assets closed at an impressive N13.0 trillion while shareholders’ funds stood solid at N2.0 trillion.

Commenting on the outstanding financial results, Mr. Segun Agbaje, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, expressed optimism about the future.

He said the robust performance across all business verticals reaffirmed the value of the Holding Company Structure.

“Our first quarter results reflect the unfolding value of what we have created in all our business verticals through the Holding Company Structure – from Banking and Payments to Funds Management and Pension,” said Mr. Agbaje.

“We are positioned to compete effectively on all fronts and fulfill all our customers’ needs under a unified, thriving financial ecosystem.”

The growth in profitability underscores GTCO’s resilience, strategic focus, and unwavering commitment to delivering superior value to its stakeholders amidst evolving market dynamics.

As the Group continues to leverage its strengths and innovative capabilities, it remains well-positioned to navigate the ever-changing landscape of the financial services industry with confidence and resilience.

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