• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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‘Nigeria’s economic realities will spur an increase in demand for debt, equity-based funding’

‘Nigeria’s economic realities will spur an increase in demand for debt, equity-based funding’

With over 11 years of operations, Alpha Morgan Capital has cemented its place as a fund management company through customer-driven solutions and world-class service delivery.

Ade Buraimo, group managing director of Alpha Morgan Capital, in this interview with BusinessDay, spoke on the company’s decade-long operations and the state of Nigeria’s economy.

How has Alpha Morgan Capital leveraged technology to stay ahead of the competition and deliver value to customers?

At Alpha Morgan, we promote a culture of curiosity and innovation. These strategies have helped Alpha Morgan improve performance, enhance customer experience, and deliver appreciable value to clients over time.

We also embrace digital transformation and deploy emerging technologies for operational efficiency. For instance, we prioritise cybersecurity and data privacy; implement personalised and data-driven services; and emphasise customer education and support via our quarterly webinars.

What strategies has Alpha Morgan Capital employed to drive revenue growth and expand its customer base, especially in the light of emerging fintech companies?

A major strategy for us at Alpha Morgan is our delivery on customer-centric products.

Our customers take pride of place in all our business decisions. As such we strive to evolve with the changing times in the financial services market by employing innovative technologies and investment insight to ensure better returns for our customers.

In addition to this, we employ continuous innovation, especially in the areas of technology and market research; strategic marketing through client segmentation; and meaningful local and international partnerships and corporate social responsibility projects, one of which is our adoption and beautification of strategic medians in Lagos state.

What would you say are your biggest constraints in delivering services to customers?

The Nigerian Capital market has been described as shallow, offering limited investment opportunities/options for customers.

Negative sentimental views and opinions of the capital market stemming from unpleasant historical events both locally and globally are sometimes legitimate barriers to onboarding and participation.

The activities and ignominious roles played by Ponzi schemes and pseudo-investment companies have also played a role in casting a shadow on customer confidence as these unregulated entities masquerade as legitimate money managers to deceive the unsuspecting investing public.

What role does customer experience play in the success of Alpha Morgan, and how does the company ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty?

At Alpha Morgan Capital, we don’t just sell products or services, rather, we build relationships and partnerships with our clients.

We leverage the relationship management model, where each client is managed by a dedicated team in deploying the appropriate investment solutions to clients and managing the entire client relationship end-to-end.

We place a premium on understanding our clients’ risk and returns objectives, thereby providing the client with an array of solutions to meet their unique goals.

How has Alpha Morgan Capital managed to maintain financial stability and mitigate risks while pursuing rapid growth and expansion?

The original idea of the founders of Alpha Morgan Capital Group is to build a strong and virile financial institution that will endure for generations. This is encapsulated in the company’s slogan, “Building wealth across generations”.

To do this, regulatory compliance remains our biggest mitigant. We ensure that we are aligned with the rules of our industry along the entire gamut of our operations.

We have grown our tier-one capital exponentially to provide sufficient risk-based capital that can absorb shocks that may arise from the volatility of the domestic and global financial system.

Also, Alpha Morgan Capital investment management process incorporates a robust risk management architecture that guides investment decision-making from strategic decisions at the board and executive management level to tactical decisions at the individual portfolio manager’s level.

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As the financial services landscape continues to evolve, what trends do you see shaping the industry in the next 5-10 years, and how is Alpha Morgan preparing to capitalize on these trends?

One cannot effectively discuss the evolution of the Nigerian financial services landscape without talking about the economy.

We have seen a gradual positive shift in the contribution of the non-oil sector to the nation’s GDP growth over the previous five years; the gradual development of consumer finance infrastructure (identity management systems such as BVN and NIN); and the upward shift in capital market financing for the financial services sector.

Other key positive enablers for the sector include the reform of the oil and gas sector through the Petroleum Industry Act and reform of the energy sector to allow sub-national governments to generate, transmit, and distribute power.

Consequently, we expect an increase in demand for debt- as well as equity-based funding from banks as well as from capital market operators by local corporates as they respond to the opportunities being created by these national and economic realities.

Alpha Morgan Capital is poised to take advantage of these developments and opportunities for business growth by proactively taking a forefront position in providing capital market-based financing solutions and expanding its service offerings accordingly.

What role do partnerships and collaborations play in Alpha Morgan’s growth strategy, and how do you identify and select suitable partners?

Our clients are our best partners as they serve as the first advocates of our brand. We, therefore, place premium on first ensuring client satisfaction and supporting the growth of our client’s businesses, where applicable. Our client’s win is our win, and the word-of-mouth endorsement of thousands of satisfied clients is unquantifiable monetarily.

We also seek out partnerships that mutually benefit our brand as well as that of our partners because we believe that growth occurs multi-dimensionally and does not necessarily follow a linear, predictable trajectory or expected path.

The positive exposure obtained on the back of a successful partnership or collaboration serves to announce and advance our brand for greater growth far beyond what is anticipated.

Such partnerships enable us to leverage complementary strengths and resources, facilitate knowledge-sharing, access new markets, expand our customer base, and ultimately foster faster growth.

We identify and select partners that align with our overall corporate objectives and brand value.

How does Alpha Morgan Capital differentiate itself from other financial service providers, and what unique value propositions does it offer to customers?

We have a unique approach to business – to see our clients win by growing their wealth! We believe that our client’s win is our win. We consistently strive to be better at doing this utilizing a risk-based approach.

As a company, we establish an emotional bond with our clients, keeping their investment goals front and centre of our decision-making process, and ensuring that we offer flexible products and services that are customizable to meet their needs. In addition, we have a team of young and innovative employees who are constantly coming up with new ways to serve and satisfy our clients.

You were recently shortlisted as one of the fastest-growing companies in Africa by the Financial Times. Tell us about it?

We are delighted that our growth has gained global attention once again. This is the second consecutive recognition by Financial Times and it goes a long way to boost stakeholder confidence in the brand.

We were ranked 4th in the financial services sector on the continent, 4th in Nigeria and 17th in the African investment banking sector. The latest ranking shows a significant growth in comparison to last year’s result in which the company was ranked 7th in the financial services sector in Nigeria and 22nd in Africa. This for us is a remarkable feat that positively impacts our brand and improves brand awareness.