The Northwest Soccer League’s Bay FC has signed Super Falcons attacker Asisat Oshoala for the 2025 campaign.
After their inaugural NWSL campaign, the team kept 25 players, including Oshoala.
The thirty-year-old left Barcelona Femeni to join Bay FC in January.
She led them in scoring during the 2024 campaign.
Oshoala is the six-time CAF African Player of the Year champion. The NWSL playoffs were not open to Bay FC.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Kisii County chairman Jezreel Mbegera has promised to elevate the sport in the region after retaining his seat during the elections exercise held on Thursday.
Mbegera garnered 17 votes against Yobes Mokua’s 13 to triumph. Speaking after being re-elected, Mbegera laid down his plans to Africa Top Sports. “I had placed Kisii County teams in all the seven tiers of FKF leagues including the Premier League, National Super League, Division One, Division two, regional, County and Sub-County and I want to assure the delegates I will do more than this in my second term,” Mbegera told Africa Top Sports.
He continued: “My other focus will be to train more referees than last term when we managed only 80, we want to increase the number while increasing trained coaches from 60. I will also make sure that we promote referees to the highest top tier leagues in the county. I will improve on the above areas among others in our new term.”
Meanwhile, the FKF County level elections were successfully held and concluded on Thursday, November 14, 2024, in most counties across the country with a wide majority pointing at a victory for team blue that is headed by the duo of current FKF president Nick Mwendwa and deputy Doris Petra.
According to results that had been returned at the end of the exercise in various counties, chairmen elected in 29 counties are allied to Team Blue which has a national presidential ticket of Doris Petra as the president and Mwendwa as running mate.
Team fresh, which is allied to extreme sports CEO Hussein Mohammed has so far garnered 14 counties giving team blue a near an sailable lead in the run up to the national elections. Grey counties recorded were three as Kakamega Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula also managed to have one county vote in his preferred candidate.
The important battle ground branches of Nairobi were shared between Petra/Mwendwa and Hussein as Dickson Doyo won the Nairobi East branch chairmanship while Hussain’s candidate won in Nairobi West.
Additionally, four of the six counties where chairmen were un opposed are aligned to the Petra-Mwendwa axis.
Among the counties where Team Blue candidates carried the day include Nairobi East with Doyo at the helm, Swaleh Mohammed in Kitui, Narok which was won by Peter Karino, Kilifi with Dickson Kahindi and Taita Taveta where Duncan Maganga carried the day.
Others are Alfred Kirui in Kericho, Eugine Okello in Busia, Samson Lotian in West Pokot among many others. At a glance, team blue claimed victory in the following counties; Bungoma, Kirinyaga, Makueni, Samburu, Tana River, Tharaka Nithi, Narok, Kisii, West Pokot, Kericho, Machakos, Bomet, Kwale, Siaya, Lamu, Tana river, Busia, Uasin Gishu, Nairobi East, Kitui, Embu, Nyeri, Laikipia, Nakuru, Nyamira, Mombasa, Kilifi and Taita Taveta.
Conspicuous, most incumbent FKF county chairmen were able to defend their seats save for a few like the Mombasa chairperson who lost the election and was affiliated to former FKF General Secretary Barry Otieno, two in the gray areas, partly affiliated to Nick Mwendwa and the Nandi chairman who has been an ally of Mwendwa as well.
The election was held after the High Court on Tuesday lifted conservatory orders that had barred the county elections that had been originally scheduled to be held last Saturday.
The following counties successfully completed their voting exercises and have transmitted results: Elgeyo Marakwet, Bomet, Bungoma, Nandi, Vihiga, Busia, Migori, Lamu, Kisii, West Pokot, Kisumu, Machakos, Embu, Kakamega, Narok,and Samburu.
Elections in Homabay, Turkana, and Mandera have been rescheduled, while repeat elections will be conducted in Nyandarua and Vihiga following ties in key positions.
Bitcoin ETF holders are taking profits as a six-day winning streak comes to an end, with most ETFs experiencing outflows on Nov. 14.
BlackRock’s ETF stood out by attracting an inflow of $126.5 million, while other major funds like Fidelity’s FBTC and Bitwise’s BITB saw outflows of $179.2 million and $113.9 million, respectively.
Farside data indicates that ETFs from Ark, Invesco, Franklin, Valkyrie, and VanEck also faced withdrawals, with Grayscale’s BTC product losing $69.6 million and GBTC dropping by $5.3 million. The total outflow across all tracked ETFs amounted to $400.7 million for the day.
According to CryptoSlate data, Bitcoin’s price reflected this shift, decreasing by 3.12% to $88,091.43. Despite the decline, it remains up 16.07% over the past week and 30.51% over the past month. Its market capitalization stands at $1.74 trillion, with a 24-hour trading volume of $84.9 billion.
The recent outflows suggest that investors are locking in gains after a significant rally, though BlackRock’s continued inflow indicates sustained interest from some institutional players. The divergence in ETF flows highlights varying strategies among investors in response to market movements.
While Bitcoin is currently 6% below its recent all-time high of $93,311.31, the overall market sentiment remains cautiously optimistic. The mix of profit-taking and selective investment points to a dynamic market adapting to rapid changes.
For the 15 consecutive years, Zenith Bank Plc has retained its position as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital in the 2024 Top 1000 World Banks’ Rankings, published by The Banker Magazine. This ranking places Zenith Bank Plc as the 565th Bank globally with a Tier-1 Capital of $2.01 billion. The rankings, published in the July 2024 edition of The Banker Magazine of the Financial Times Group, United Kingdom, recognise Zenith Bank’s continued financial strength and stability. They are based on the 2023 year-end Tier-1 capital of banks globally and remain the primary source for global bank financials used by most international organisations in their assessments of banks.
Tier-1 Capital describes capital adequacy, the core measure of a bank’s financial strength from a regulator’s perspective. According to the ranking, Tier-1 Capital, as defined by the latest Bank for International Settlements (BIS) guidelines, includes loss-absorbing capital, i.e., common stock, disclosed reserves, retained earnings, and minority interests in the equity of subsidiaries that are less than wholly owned. A strong Tier-1 capital ratio boosts investor and depositor confidence, indicating the Bank is well-capitalised and financially stable.
Commenting on this achievement, the group managing director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc, Dr. Adaora Umeoji, said, “We are deeply honoured to be recognised as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital for the fifteenth consecutive year. This recognition is a testament to our strategic focus on sustainable growth, innovation, and customer satisfaction. It also emphasises our resilience and strength in navigating the ever-evolving financial landscape. Our dedicated team of professionals has remained steadfast in ensuring that we maintain our position at the forefront of the banking industry.” She extended her profound and sincere appreciation to the founder and chairman, Dr. Jim Ovia, whose visionary and transformational leadership has played a pivotal role in cultivating a resilient and thriving establishment. She also expressed her deep appreciation for the board’s insightful governance, the staff’s relentless dedication, and the unwavering loyalty of the bank’s esteemed customers to the Zenith brand.
Zenith Bank’s financial performance for the year was driven by a remarkable triple-digit growth of 125% in gross earnings, from N945.6 billion reported in 2022 to N2.132 trillion in 2023. This growth led to an improved market share in both the retail and corporate segments despite a persistently challenging macroeconomic environment. The increase in gross earnings was primarily due to growth in interest and non-interest income. Interest income growth was attributed to the increase in the size of risk assets and their effective repricing, while non-interest income was driven by significant trading gains and gains from the revaluation of foreign currencies.
Zenith Bank recently commenced recapitalisation efforts with the conclusion of its Capital Markets Day held on 11th July 2024. It aims to raise the least amount of capital amongst its peers at N230 billion, considering it already maintains a robust capital base of N270.7 billion. The Bank remains dedicated to supporting the growth of the Nigerian economy and providing its numerous customers with innovative and efficient banking solutions.
Zenith Bank’s track record of excellent performance has continued to earn the brand numerous awards, with these latest accolades coming on the heels of several recognitions. These include being recognised as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital for the fourteenth consecutive year in the 2023 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking, published by The Banker Magazine. The Bank was also awarded the Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards for 2020 and 2022; and Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria in the International Banker 2024 Banking Awards.
Further recognitions include Best Bank in Nigeria for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022 in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards and Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023 in the World Finance Banking Awards. Additionally, Zenith Bank has been acknowledged as the Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria, in the World Finance Corporate Governance Awards for 2022 and 2023, and ‘Best in Corporate Governance’ Financial Services’ Africa for four consecutive years from 2020 to 2023 by the Ethical Boardroom.
The Bank’s commitment to excellence saw it being named the Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria in the Banker Magazine Top 500 Banking Brands for 2020 and 2021, and Retail Bank of the Year for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022 at the BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards. The Bank also received the accolades of Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria, in the International Banker 2023 Banking Awards, Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria and Best Innovation in Retail Banking, Nigeria, in the International Banker 2022 Banking Awards. Zenith Bank was named Bank of the Decade (People’s Choice) at the ThisDay Awards 2020, Bank of the Year 2021 by Champion Newspaper, Bank of the Year 2022 by New Telegraph Newspaper, and Most Responsible Organisation in Africa 2021 by SERAS Awards.
Carlos Alcaraz’s second consecutive championship at the All England Club – Wimbledon – and fourth major title overall, did not affect his ranking. The Spaniard remains in third place in the global ranking released on Monday by ATP, with Jannik Sinner still number one despite losing in the quarterfinals, and runner-up Novak Djokovic held on to the second position after being defeated by Alcaraz 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) on Sunday.
There was no movement in the rest of the ATP’s top five, either, with Alexander Zverev at No. 4, and Daniil Medvedev at No. 5. But Alex de Minaur moved from No. 9 to a career-high No. 6 by reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. The Australian was supposed to meet Djokovic at that stage but needed to withdraw before that match because of an injured hip.
Swiatek remained at No. 1 in the WTA following a third-round loss at the All England Club, and the rest of the top four also was unchanged, with Coco Gauff at No. 2, Aryna Sabalenka at No. 3, and Elena Rybakina at No. 4.
Marketa Vondrousova, who won Wimbledon a year ago and was defeated in the first round this time, slid from No. 6 to No. 18. Ons Jabeur, the runner-up at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament in 2022 and 2023, went from No. 10 to No. 16 after bowing out in the third round.
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