FMDQ Exchange Admits Parthian Partners’ N20bn Commercial Paper

FMDQ Securities Exchange has registered the Parthian Partners Limited N20 billion Commercial Paper (CP) Programme to its platform as part of its efforts to assist corporates access funds from the debt capital market (DCM).

The DCM has continued to witness significant activity among corporates seeking a viable avenue to raise capital to meet their financing needs.

According to the FMDQ, the registration of the CP programme strategically positions Parthian Partners Limited to raise short-term finance from the DCM with speed at a time in the future when it determines suitable, through CP issues within the CP Programme limit. Parthian Partners provides competitive wholesale brokerage services in the African over-thecounter (OTC) markets, and trades in Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN)bonds and treasury bills, state government bonds, local contractor bonds, orporate bonds and eurobonds, providing regular market updates and liaising with market participants and regulators in the African markets to provide independent research on the African fixed income market.

FMDQ said in support of the growth and revitalisation of the Nigerian economy, it championed the resuscitation of the CP market to provide corporate and commercial businesses with the opportunity to meet their shortterm funding requirements, whilst building their profiles within the Nigerian DCM. “In addition to its commendable and efficient registration process, FMDQ Exchange, through its quotation service, will provide stakeholders and market participants with credible and real-time information as part of the exchange’s commitment to facilitate transparency in the fixed income market space,” it said.

Meanwhile, trading in the equities market closed in the green yesterday following buying interest in Zenith Bank Plc (+4.8 per cent), Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (+6.2 per cent) and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc(+0.8 per cent). As a result, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index (ASI) appreciated by 0.03 per cent to close at 40,164.86.

Zenith Bank Plc yesterday released its audited results for the year ended December 31, 2020, announcing a profit before tax (PBT) of N243.294 billion, up from N255.861 billion. Profit after tax (PAT) rose by 10.4 per cent to N230.565 billion from N208.843 billion in 2019. Trading activity improved as volume and value advanced 16.8 per cent and 7.6 per cent to 338.0 million shares and N3.8 billion respectively. The most traded stocks by volume were FBN Holdings Plc (64.6 million shares), Zenith Bank (52.7 million shares) and Transcorp (42.0 million shares).