The solutions on offer are geared towards providing access
to flexible funding for small, medium and large-scale enterprises thereby
addressing inadequate access to capital, exposure to international markets and
inherent challenges plaguing local and international trade.
The solutions also allow organisations to take advantage of
joint partnerships without the risk of losing capital and benefit from medium
to long term investment solutions that help businesses in maximising their
resources.
Commenting on the offerings, Wole Adeniyi, Chief Executive,
Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC, said the solutions were designed to support SMEs and
address its customers' trade and financial needs.
“Over the years, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, as Nigeria’s
leading end-to-end financial services provider, has remained at the forefront
of providing financial solutions to business enterprises in the country, while
offering Nigerian importers access to its global presence through its Africa
China Agent Proposition (ACAP),” Adeniyi said.
Targeted at business owners who import goods from China or
have trade dealings with China, ACAP, through Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC, links
Nigerian importers to Chinese exporters, facilitates payments and ensures the
successful completion of their trade dealings.
“Leveraging Stanbic IBTC’s network of Chinese agents, with
client satisfaction being the cornerstone, ACAP offers a broad ecosystem of
services, solutions and support, which equips African and Chinese businesses to
leverage trade and growth opportunities to drive Africa’s growth.
”The ACAP solution, which has been termed ‘game-changer’,
eases the cashflow worries of African importers by providing access to finance
while also empowering the importers to have end-to-end visibility of the entire
importation and logistic process,” Adeniyi said.
Likewise, the Stanbic IBTC Trade Club offers business owners
exposure to meet and trade with suppliers anywhere in the world, thus giving
them the needed exposure for their businesses to thrive.
With the increasing clamour for diversification of the
nation’s economy from crude oil, Stanbic IBTC has also highlighted its
Agribusiness solution, which is geared at providing financing options to
stakeholders in the agriculture value chain. Simultaneously, Vehicle Asset
Financing (VAF) is targeted at financing heavy machines needed for business or
personal purpose.
Commenting on the importance of investment diversification,
Oladele Sotubo, Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Asset Management, stated that
investors should take advantage of the opportunities in the stock market via
vehicles such as the Stanbic IBTC Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) and
equity-focused Mutual Funds which provide a diverse range of investment
portfolios well-suited for medium to long-term investing.
According to him, they are specially designed for investors
with higher risk appetite suitable for investing in the Nigerian stock market,
which returned circa 50 per cent in 2020.
Sotubo emphasised that these funds provide a unique
opportunity for individuals and organisations to
invest in a portfolio of professionally-managed listed
securities, thereby stretching their financial resources to earn even more over
an extended period.
However, the organisation notes the importance of minimising
risk and transacting with trust, without the fear of losing in the event of an
eventuality. This is why the Stanbic IBTC Escrow Services are a necessity at
this time.
Tailored at ensuring the security assets including funds, an
Escrow account offers buyer-seller protection such that buyers can deposit
their money and the Trustee or Escrow Agent initiates payment only when the
seller delivers the required goods in line with the Escrow Agreement terms.
This way, both parties in a trade deal are protected and businesses can thrive.
Still, in line with minimising risk, Stanbic IBTC is also
emphasising the need for businesses to obtain the fire and special perils
insurance coverage in order to protect against unexpected loss that may arise
from natural disasters or malicious intent.
Stanbic IBTC also offers its corporate client’s digital
offerings such as Mobile App, Enterprise Online, *909#, Contactless POS,
C’gate, PrimePay, Paywithlink and so on, to make business transactions easy and
seamless.
While wishing everyone a prosperous new year, the Stanbic
IBTC Bank Chief Executive, Wole Adeniyi, urged existing and prospective
customers to take advantage of the array of solutions aimed at supporting
business efforts in 2021.