Index to Nigerian Newspapers

Fidelity Bank Plc has donated maternity kits to 30 pregnant women at Mushin Primary Health Centre in Lagos, Nigeria. The donation was made possible through the Fidelity Helping Hands Programme, a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative aimed at promoting staff involvement in community development. The bank's management matches the contribution with an equivalent amount and allocates it for chosen projects. The donation aims to support pregnant women by providing them with essential materials for safe delivery. Maternal mortality remains a significant public health challenge in Nigeria, accounting for a substantial proportion of global maternal deaths. The bank's intervention aims to reduce maternal mortality and encourage more women from less-privileged backgrounds to register for antenatal care. Fidelity Bank has over 8.3 million customers serviced across its 251 business offices in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

The Nigerian naira weakened slightly at the official foreign exchange market, closing at 1,529.22 naira per United States dollar on Tuesday compared to 1,528.33 naira per United States dollar on Monday, while the parallel market rate held steady at 1,540 naira per United States dollar. This minor drop follows announcements from major commercial banks, such as United Bank for Africa, Guaranty Trust Bank, and First Bank of Nigeria, that they are allowing customers to use naira cards for international transactions again, with spending limits set between $500 monthly and $1,000 quarterly. Experts expect this change to increase the overall demand for foreign currency. In a mid-year review, analysts at CardinalStone predicted the naira will stay stable, trading between 1,550 naira and 1,635 naira per United States dollar for the rest of the year. They noted that during the first half of the year, global tensions and United States trade policies caused investors to pull $22.83 billion out of Nigeria. To protect the currency, the Central Bank of Nigeria stepped in by selling $4.72 billion. However, analysts clarified that these interventions are intended only to fix temporary market distortions, rather than signaling a return to artificially controlling the exchange rate. They highlighted that the central bank's monthly spending is much lower than in previous years, and both local and international experts now agree that the naira is trading close to its actual, fair value.

Zenith Bank Public Limited Company reported a 16 percent increase in gross earnings for the first nine months of 2025, reaching 3.37 trillion Naira compared to 2.9 trillion Naira in the third quarter of 2024. This growth, driven by a 41 percent rise in interest income to 2.7 trillion Naira, was supported by a favorable interest rate environment and an expanded investment portfolio. However, interest expenses rose 22 percent to 814 billion Naira, resulting in a healthy Net Interest Margin of 12 percent. Profit before tax slightly decreased to 917 billion Naira from 1.00 trillion Naira, while profit after tax fell by 8 percent to 764 billion Naira. Total assets grew 4 percent to 31 trillion Naira, with customer deposits increasing 8 percent to 23.7 trillion Naira, but gross loans declined by 9 percent. Doctor Adaora Umeoji, the Chief Executive Officer, emphasized the bank's strong performance and resilience, projecting sustainable growth through innovation and digital transformation