MTN buys out 7.17% Acxani minority shares in MoMo PSB

MTN Nigeria has bought out the 7.17 per cent minority shareholding in MoMo Payment Service Bank (MoMo PSB). MTN in a corporate disclosure on the NGX website yesterday, announced that it has completed the acquisition of the 7.17 per cent stake in MoMo PSB held by Acxani Capital, thus making MoMo PSB a wholly-owned subsidiary of MTN Nigeria.

“Following the completion of the Transaction, Momo PSB is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of MTN Nigeria. Management believes this transaction will simplify and strengthen Momo PSB’s operations, which is crucial for achieving its growth ambitions,” Company Secretary, Uto Ukpanan stated.

MoMo PSB is the fintech solution of MTN Nigeria which was licensed in 2022 by the CBN. MTN Nigeria had an 80 per cent stake in the company, while Acxani Capital held a 20 per cent stake.

Acxani proposed the disposal of their 20 per cent stake in MoMo in May 2024, however, the stake was diluted to 7.17 per cent.The report has it that MTN Nigeria Acxani Capital came to a N6.95 billion agreement for the 7.17 per cent stake. The purchase led to an N12.97 billion decline in MTN’s “Other Reserves”, as the group spent N16.35 billion on the acquisition of the minority stake, while it acquired assets worth N3.38 billion from Acxani Capital.

Indeed, the N16.35 billion spent as purchase consideration included the N6.95 billion paid to Acxani and N9.4 billion spent as investment on MoMo. At the end of the second quarter of 2024, it was reported that MoMo PSB’s active wallet hit 5.5 million, reflecting an increase of 701,000 from the first quarter.

In the first half of 2024, MoMo PSB recorded revenue of N48.6 billion, marking an 11 per cent growth from the N43.6 billion revenue recorded in H1 2023. MoMo’s growth was driven majorly by Xtratime, the airtime lending service.

The company’s agents also increased by about 498,000 to 239,000 within the half-year, while transaction volume increased by 33.4 per cent year-on-year within the half-year.

In H1 2024, the cash held for MoMo PSB customers declined by 72 per cent to N2.15 billion, from N7.6 billion as of FYE 2023. The company has a liability of about N26.6 billion to MTN Nigeria as of H1 2024, while it paid N11.2 billion to the group during the half year.
Acxani Capital is owned by Munir Ja’afaru, a former director in the defunct NITEL as well as a prince in the Zazzau Emirate. He served as the former district head of Basawa in Zaria, and he once served as the chairman of the National Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) until 2004