SEC to Guard Against Illicit Funds Influx Amid Banking Recapitalisation

In response to the recent banking recapitalization exercise announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reiterated its commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the capital market against the influx of illicit funds.

This announcement came during a symposium organized by the Association of Capital Market Academics of Nigeria, where the Executive Director (Operations) of SEC, Dayo Obisan, addressed stakeholders on the implications of the banking sector recapitalization for the Nigerian capital market.

Obisan expressed the commission’s determination to collaborate with stakeholders to prevent the entry of laundered funds into the capital market.

He stressed the need for fund verification exercises to ensure transparency and accountability in capital inflows.

While acknowledging that fund verification is not typically within SEC’s purview, Obisan stated the commission’s willingness to collaborate with other regulators to prevent the entry of illicit funds into the market.

He said it is important to engage institutions such as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) in verifying the legitimacy of funds entering the market.

Obisan also announced regulatory engagements aimed at enhancing the quality of filings and ensuring compliance with anti-money laundering regulations. These engagements seek to streamline the application process and mitigate the risk of illicit fund inflows from the onset.

Meanwhile, the President of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Oluwole Adeosun, maintained that the capital market can support the fresh capitalisation exercise.

He said, “The market is able and has expanded in the last ten years to be able to withstand any challenges with this capital raising exercise. It is important to know that investors have started to position themselves in the stocks of Tier 1 banks with the announcement of the planned recapitalisation last year.”

Adeosun also called on the banks to consider other options beyond the right issues, as had been seen in recent days in the sector, given the size of the funds needed to be raised as well as to bring in a fresh set of investors into the market.

“There should be more than a rights issue. We believe that some of them should go by private offer and public offer because the capital is huge so that we can bring in more shareholders into the market. We believe it is another opportunity for Gen Zs and millennial investors to come into the market.