You just held a webinar titled – “Rethinking Your Business: Opportunities for Fintechs”. What is the Fintech Association doing to support its members during this covid-19 crisis period?
Our intervention will be mainly information and capacity development of which the webinar is one of them. We intend to have one every two weeks to address issues that affect the fintech ecosystem and to prepare our members for the post Covid-19 experience. Fintechs replaced the management word “change” with “disruption” and what is happening now is disruption.
In what other ways are you and your members supporting the ecosystem?
Our members have been supportive of the CBN funds drive and I know that our members contribution to the fund is about N3.4 billion. Some members are also organizing webinars to keep people informed.
What are your views on the welfare plan of the government, is it adequate?
On this, I cannot speak for the association, but have my personal views. I think in addition to what government is doing PENCOM should release 10% of contributors fund to them as a palliative to release cash into the system. Why do I think this should be done?
I will look at Covid-19 issues generally and cite a few examples of welfare plans existing in other climes and what I think government should do in addition to the current welfare issues.
COVID-19 and the Pension Scheme: Untapped relief package?
There is no doubt that the Covid-19 virus attack and its stay at home order as panacea has affected plans of various categories of people and organizations globally. Various countries have since come up with various relief packages to assist citizens who have been challenged by this development.
The Issues
- Businesses have had to shut down with no income coming in
- People have lost their jobs temporarily or permanently as the outcome of the stay at home experience and working remotely will affect the future of work
- Post Covid-19 will leave some businesses comatose and some opportunities to leap into the level
Examples of Panaceas
- Canada is offering $950/month to anybody that has been affected by the stay at home orders
- The United States has panaceas for individuals and industries to support them to survive this period. One that catches my attention is the access to 401k and IRA funds (Pension schemes). This allows contributors to access up to 100% of their contribution if less than $100,000.00 and maximum of $100,000 if contribution is above $100,000.
“The coronavirus stimulus bill signed into law on March 27 creates new exceptions that allow 401(k) and IRA owners affected by the pandemic to tap into their retirement accounts early. The new law increases the dollar amount you can loan yourself from your own 401(k) from $50,000 to $100,000 and also creates a penalty-free early distribution rule whereby IRA or 401(k) account owners under age 59-and-a-half can take a penalty-free retirement account distribution of up to $100,000. These new rules greatly increase access to retirement account funds, which have become one of the most reliable savings tools…These new exceptions are among the many ways business owners, entrepreneurs and self-employed persons can get short-term financial relief.” (Entrepreneur)
- Nigeria is proposing N20,000 per households considered to be challenged; Three (3) months moratorium on intervention loans; The CBN through the NIRSAL MFB has proposed giving loans to challenged households and MSMEs.
The Nigerian Case
The Nigerian case raises a couple of questions:
- How are the households determined?
- How far will N20,000.00 go? Does government really have the financial capacity in view of dwindling income?
- Are these the only people challenged? What about the middle class people? Some of them have debts to pay.
- What about households who have debt from employers, Fintechs, e.t.c.?
- What about MSME’s that have debt?
- What about Fintechs with foreign investors?
PENCOM and palliatives
According to Nairametrics, Pension fund contribution as at October 2019 was N9.81 trillion Naira. The question that arises is, why is the CBN using subjective means through NIRSAL Microfinance to give loans when PENCOM can be directed to seek an amendment due to Force Majeure to release 10% of contribution to contributors only as a means of easing the challenges of the circumstances? This has the following advantages:
- It will push cash into the hands of contributors
- It will increase purchasing power of these consumers post Covid-19 and impact the GDP
- It will help small businesses to survive post Covid-19
- It provides fund for investment by these group of beneficiaries in the capital market and other short-term instruments
- It provides income for government as WHT is deducted from the payments
- With dwindling income to government, this is a solution that the government can employ to reduce depletion of already scarce resource
- It will be a major palliative for households with debt
- Post Covid-19 there will be more subscribers to the Pension Scheme seeing the benefits enjoyed by contributors.
Proposal
The National Assembly needs to meet urgently to insert a force majeure clause in the pension act to enable PENCOM act in cases of national issues such as this. This I believe, will be a major relief for Nigerians especially the working class.
This I think needs to be discussed in the public square and let’s see people’s reaction.
Thank you.
References
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