Gabriel Omoh
2 May 2008
Lagos — ZENITH Bank Plc is set to raise N8 billion from the capital market through an offer for subscription to three mutual funds, which opens on Monday, May 5.
On offer for subscription are 500,000,000 units of the Zenith Equity Fund, 200,000,000 units of the Zenith Income Fund and 100,000,000 units of the Zenith Ethical Fund at N10 per unit. The funds are to be managed by Zenith Capital, the investment banking arm of Zenith Bank Plc.
The funds have distinct features aimed at investors with varying risk preferences and investment considerations and are open ended, meaning there is no limit to the amount that can be invested either during or after the offer.
The Zenith Equity Fund is designed to provide long term capital appreciation from diversified portfolio in quoted equities and debt instruments and is targeted at investors who desire aggressive growth and are not averse to high risk.
The Zenith Income Fund, designed for investors seeking average return in secure investments, will invest 70 per cent of its fund in assets such as government securities, corporate bonds, and commercial bills while 30 per cent will be invested in equities.
The Zenith Ethical Fund is designed for those who seek long-term capital growth through investment in equities but who have strong ethical considerations.
When it opens, investors will be free to subscribe to units of the fund through Zenith Bank Plc or any other approved agent by the fund manager from time to time after the IPO. Minimum investible amount in the fund during and after the offer is N100, 000.00
The Zenith Funds, like all other open-ended funds, are very liquid as investors have direct recourse to the fund manager in order to realise the prevailing value of their investments. The funds, which will enjoy economies of scale, will be diversified across several sectors and securities, therefore ensuring reduced volatility in each portfolio.
All three funds serve as useful investing tools that can be used to create a regular savings plan.
In order to monitor their investments in the Zenith Funds, investors will have online access to their statements of accounts through the manager's website. Investors can also purchase and redeem units in any of the funds at any of Zenith Bank's branches nationwide.
Investors in any of the Zenith Funds will benefit immensely from the combined experience of over 120 years of the core team in investment management, which achieved a return in excess of 89 per cent in 2007 on its privately managed equities-based portfolio.
Zenith Bank Plc is listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange has since grown to become one of the largest companies by market capitalisation ($6.5 billion) listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
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