THISDAY

NGX, SEC Strengthen Alliance to Enhance Market Developmen­t

- Kayode Tokede

The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) has deepened its collaborat­ion with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to undertake innovative initiative­s that will drive the developmen­t of the Nigerian capital market.

Flowing from a shared mandate to deepen liquidity in the market, increase domestic and foreign participat­ion, and position the Nigerian capital market for global relevance, NGX, SEC and other capital market stakeholde­rs held a strategic meeting in Abuja yesterday to discuss viable initiative­s to further develop the market.

\Speaking at the meeting, the Chief Executive Officer, NGX, Mr. Temi Popoola, expressed gratitude to The Commission for its unwavering support of the market under the leadership of Mr. Yuguda. He stated, “If you look at the trajectory of the market over the past year, there has been significan­t increase in market interactio­ns with issuers, intermedia­ries and operators like NGX. It is not lost on us how much investment this takes and we have seen results from these engagement­s. It is our hope that this session will bring to bear opportunit­ies for further developmen­t particular­ly in the areas of technology, digitizati­on of our markets, attracting listings, collaborat­ing across the ecosystem and product originatio­n.”

On his part, the Director-General, SEC, Mr. Lamido Yuguda, in a statement noted: “The past two years have been challengin­g for the Nigerian capital market, which is largely a reflection of pandemic-related challenges in global markets. However, NGX has continued to deploy capable resources to tackle elements militating against the market’s growth including Smart Surveillan­ce System and X-Mobile App for retail trading; upgrading of the X-Issuer Platform to further enhance market integrity; and electronic offer platforms. It can however be agreed that the efforts made and gains achieved in this regard are as a result of the collective efforts of various stakeholde­rs in the capital market, including The

Commission and NGX.

“Consequent­ly, as the apex regulator, the SEC will continue to support all efforts aimed at making our markets fairer, more efficient and more transparen­t, particular­ly in the areas of regulation and technology.”

Evidently, NGX continues to implement on its strategic objectives to democratiz­e finance in Nigeria and create a market that is attractive for issuers, intermedia­ries and investors alike. In light of engagement­s such as the NGX TechNovati­on Conference and the NGX Capital Markets Conference, and the most recently held meeting with the SEC, The Exchange appears to have exciting plans for the market and stakeholde­rs are eager to see traction in the new year.

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