Nigeria’s booming fixed interest and currency securities exchange FMDQ OTC Plc (“over-the-counter” market) recorded market turnover of NGN93.9 trillion ($471.7 billion) for the 8 months to 31 August. This includes all products traded on the FMDQ secondary market as well as trade executed between dealing members, dealing members & clients, and dealing members & the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
According to a recent report in Vanguard newspaper, treasury bills transactions accounted for NGN31.7trn (34%) of the total trading; repurchase agreement/buy backs were NGN21.354trn (23%) turnover; and foreign exchange (forex) NGN19.84trn (21%). The top 10 dealing members accounted for NGN67trn, 71% of the turnover; 3 dealing members accounted for NGN27.9trn (42%) of the broker trading.
Major listings in July included NGN26bn ($130m) FCMB Financing SPV PLC series 1, 7-year 14.25% fixed-rate unsecured bond under a ₦100trn debt issuance programme. This came after the listings of NGN4.8trn of bonds issued by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and quotation of NGN2.8trn of treasury bills. Other key listings have included a NGN30.5bn bond by UBA and a NGN15.54bn bond by Stanbic IBTC.
Other instruments traded in the 8 months to August:
- Unsecured placements – NGN9.2trn
- FGN Bonds – NGN6.1trn
- FX Derivatives – NGN5.5trn
- Money-market derivatives – NGN101bn
- Eurobonds – NGN33bn
- Other bonds – NGN18bn.
The figures exclude primary-market auctions in T-Bills, Bonds and FX.
According to CEO Bola Onadele Koko, revenue in 2014 was NGN1.75bn, compared to NGN155.65m in 2013, based on transaction income only for one month, December 2013. The bourse aims “to be No. 1 in Africa in the fixed income and currency markets by 2019”.
The FMDQ concept was promoted by the Financial Markets Dealers Association (FMDA) in 2009 and sponsored in 2010 by the Bankers’ Committee, chaired by the CBN with the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) and all the banks and discount houses operating in Nigeria as its members. The committee resolved to set up a self-regulated organization licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to operate all the over-the-counter inter-bank market activities in fixed income and currencies.
FMDQ was incorporated on January 6, 2011 with a NGN100m contribution by the CBN and equal contribution of NGN15m by each of the 25 banks and 5 discount houses to the company’s initial capital. On 6 Nov 2012, SEC registered FMDQ as an OTC securities exchange and self-regulatory organisation. It started operations a year later, 7 November, 2013.
By 31 Dec 2014 there were 26 FMDQ-licensed dealing members made up of banks and discount houses licensed to make markets in debt securities, money-market instruments and currencies on FMDQ. It was due to add specialist dealing members to deal in treasury bills and FGN Bonds. There were 13 licensed associate members, including SEC-registered inter-dealer brokers and brokers, as well as clients including institutional investors/asset managers, pension fund administrators and corporate treasurers.
