The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) digital Closing Gong ceremony attests to the resilience of the NSE’s technology platforms.

UACN Property Development Company Plc (UPDC) on Tuesday became yet another beneficiary of the Nigerian Stock Exchange commitment to provide continued access to capital even in the face of Covid-19 pandemic.

The company successfully listed its N15.9billion Rights Issue of 15,961,574,145 Ordinary Shares of 50 kobo each at N1 per share on the NSE platform, making it the third company to feature in the series following Sterling Bank and FBNQuest Merchant Bank.

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The Exchange said it remains focused on leveraging technology and business innovation to sustain full operations during this pandemic.

Since the activation of its Business Continuity Plan which saw the transition to remote trading and working in March, the NSE has enjoyed seamless operations on the back of electronic platforms such as FIX Protocol, X-NET, and the newly implemented Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Speaking at the virtual Closing Gong ceremony to commemorate the listing, Oscar N. Onyema, Chief Executive Officer, NSE said “We congratulate the Management and Team at UACN Property Development Company Plc, as well as the professional parties to the issue for the successful completion of the transaction.”

“At the NSE, we prioritise our responsibility to support the development of Issuers, Dealing Member Firms and the investing public, and we continue to work assiduously to respond to the needs of our stakeholder at every time. We are, therefore, pleased to provide support to UPDC on this successful capital raise, and we remain committed to providing opportunities for trading activities across multiple asset classes – equities, bonds, ETFs,” Onyema said.

Also commenting on the transaction, Folasope Aiyesimoji, Group Managing Director, UPDC said, “I am deeply honoured to virtually sound the Closing Gong at the NSE today. The innovation and forward thinking displayed by The Exchange in harnessing technology to make this possible is truly commendable.”

“We at UPDC are excited about the milestone we have achieved today, and we are confident that the funds raised will further strengthen our capital structure and position us for growth. We count ourselves fortunate to be listed on the NSE which exposes us to a wide pool of investors and funding options. We must also commend the NSE for its efforts in building investor confidence which has made it possible for us to access this capital. We are grateful for the trust reposed in us by investors and we are keen to get on with the invaluable projects this capital will support,” Aiyesimoji stated.

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Iheanyi Nwachukwu, is a creative content writer with almost two decades journalism experience writing on banking, finance, capital markets, and tax. The multiple awards winning journalist is Assistant Editor, BusinessDay. Iheanyi holds BSc Degree in Economics from Imo State University; Master of Science (MSc) Degree in Management from University of Lagos. Iheanyi has attended several work-related trainings including (i) Advanced Writing and Reporting Skills (Pan African University, Lagos); (ii) News Agency Journalism (Indian Institute of Mass Communication {IIMC}, New Delhi, India); and (iii) Capital Markets Development and Regulations (International Law Institute {ILI} of Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA). Other trainings Iheanyi attended include: Economic/Political Risk Analysis (By Thomson Reuters Foundation); International Financial Journalism (IFJ) (By PMA Media Training, UK); Effective Business Writing Skills (By Phillips Consulting); Reporting on Corporate Governance (By International Finance Corporation (IFC) & Thomson Reuters Foundation UK); etc. In addition, he has participated in high-level economy & markets events in Dubai, South Africa, Morocco, and other African countries like Zambia, Ghana and Gambia.

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