Connect with us

Business

BREAKING: Bank Of Ghana Suspends Forex Licences of GT Bank, FBN Bank

Published

on

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has taken the decision to suspend the forex licences of Guaranty Trust Bank Ghana Limited and FBN Bank Ghana Limited, two Nigerian affiliated banks as announced in an official statement.

The Central Bank has stated that the suspension is a result of various breaches of the foreign exchange market regulations, including instances of fraudulent documentation in their foreign exchange operations, which have been brought to their attention.

According to a statement released by the Bank of Ghana on Monday 4th March, the one-month suspension will be effective from 18 March. The suspension, in accordance with section 11(2) of the Foreign Exchange Act 2006, (Act 723), aims to enforce stricter adherence to the regulations governing the foreign exchange market.

The Bank of Ghana has made it clear that the licences of both Guaranty Trust Bank Ghana Limited (GTB) and FBN Bank Ghana Limited (FBN) will be restored at the end of the one-month suspension period on the condition that they have implemented effective controls to ensure strict compliance with the foreign exchange market regulations.

Foreign exchange market regulations play a critical role in maintaining the stability and integrity of the financial system.

The Bank of Ghana is responsible for overseeing and enforcing compliance with these regulations to protect the interests of the public and the integrity of the financial sector as a whole.

The suspension of these two banks’ forex licences serves as a stern warning to the industry and emphasizes the importance of adhering to the regulations set forth by the Bank of Ghana.

The central bank’s action shows its commitment to maintaining transparency, accountability, and fairness in the forex market.

The affected banks will be closely monitored during the suspension period to ensure that they make the necessary changes to rectify the breaches that led to the suspension.

The restoration of their licences will be contingent on their ability to demonstrate compliance with the foreign exchange market regulations.

The Bank of Ghana remains committed to promoting a conducive environment for transparent and efficient forex operations, and will continue to take appropriate action against any institution found to be in violation of the regulations.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Business

Senate Constitutes Abdullahi Yahaya Tax Harmonisation Committee

Altogether, the four Tax Reform bills were Executive Bills transmitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the two chambers of the National Assembly in November last year.

Published

on

By

The Senate on Thursday constituted a committee saddled with the responsibility of harmonizing its amendments to the tax reform bills with the House of Representatives version for final transmission to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced this during plenary after the passage of the bills.

Akpabio named senator Abdullahi Yahaya (Kebbi North) as chairman of the committee.

The members of the committee as announced by the Senate President are Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South), Chief Whip, Tahir Mongumo (APC, Borno North), Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), and Solomon Adeola (APC, Ogun West).

Earlier, the remaining two Tax Reform Bills — the Nigeria Tax Bill 2025 and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill, 2025.

This was in addition to passage of the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2025, and the Nigerian Tax Administration Bill, 2025.

Altogether, the four Tax Reform bills were Executive Bills transmitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the two chambers of the National Assembly in November last year.

The passage of the bills was sequel to the consideration and adoption of a report of the Senate Committee on Finance presented by its Chairman, Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East).

Continue Reading

Business

Meta’s Exit to Throw 20 million Nigerian MSMEs Out of Business

The Global System for Mobile Communications Association reported that Nigerian MSMEs rely heavily on Facebook and Instagram for sales, customer engagement, and brand visibility.

Published

on

By

A Digital Marketing Consultant at EssenceMediacom, Olayinka Shobola, believes that a shutdown of Facebook and Instagram operations in Nigeria would deal a serious blow to Nigeria’s digital economy, especially millions of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The Global System for Mobile Communications Association reported that Nigerian MSMEs rely heavily on Facebook and Instagram for sales, customer engagement, and brand visibility.

“Meta Platforms’ threat to halt operations in Nigeria could devastate 56 percent of the nation’s 39.6 players in the information technology space,” Shobola said, stressing that such an exit would erode tax revenues and force businesses to seek costly alternatives, as a $290 million fine dispute with regulators intensifies.

“Businesses that built their brands on Meta’s platforms would face immediate challenges.

The platforms have become essential tools for business survival and growth in Africa’s largest economy, where SMEs contribute nearly 50 per cent to GDP and represent more than 96 per cent of registered businesses.

“Most likely affected businesses will pivot to platforms like X or TikTok for short-term survival, but long-term, they’ll need to invest in standalone e-commerce or offline channels,” Shobola said.

“Jobs will take a hit; marketers, influencers, and agencies will lose contracts overnight.”

Statista forecasts a $148.2m social media ad market in 2025, with Facebook commanding up to $120m, driven by 38 million ad-reachable users.“My shop practically lives on these platforms, especially Instagram,” Lagos-based baker Fatima Tunde said. “If it’s gone, I’m out of business.”

Continue Reading

Business

UAE Invests in $25bn African- Atlantic Gas Pipeline

The gas pipeline will connect Nigeria’s gas network with Morocco’s southern city of Dakhla and then go northward toward Europe.

Published

on

By

Gas pipelines

Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, said that the UAE is now one of the supporters of the Nigeria to Morocco gas pipeline project, which is estimated to cost $25 billion.

“The project now called the “African-Atlantic Gas Pipeline”, has won the support of IDB, OPEC Fund, EIB and the UAE,” Benali told Nigerian lawmakers, this week.

Benali also said that Morocco has finished all the feasibility and engineering studies needed for the pipeline.

Moroccan industry experts said that the project has already passed the feasibility study and Front End Engineering Design stages.

The gas pipeline will connect Nigeria’s gas network with Morocco’s southern city of Dakhla and then go northward toward Europe.

The line will pass through 15 African countries, boosting trade, development, and access to electricity in the region.

In Phase One, it will link Morocco to gas fields near Senegal and Mauritania, and connect Ghana to the Ivory Coast.

Phase Two will link Nigeria to Ghana, while Phase Three will connect the Ivory Coast to Senegal.

Continue Reading

Trending