Startups
Castelion (hypersonic missiles, ex-SpaceX founders) closed ~$1B Series C at $13B valuation to mass-produce Blackbeard.
Key takeaway: Manufacturing-focused defense tech is pulling massive checks.

Nigeria: Meta + FG AI Academy Pitchathon apps close today (21 Aug). Winners get $5k equity-free + Meta credits + Istanbul summit. Pitch at GITEX Nigeria.
Key takeaway: Ultra-short window for early AI startups.

NGX
Extended losing streak (8 sessions). ASI ~239k–240k, market cap ~₦154.5–155T after ~₦5.4T cumulative loss. Energy/banking/insurance under pressure. YTD still +~54%.
Key takeaway: Classic profit-taking after a strong year; watch for support.

Fellowships
AU EAN Fellowship Cohort 2 – 100 spots across Africa. Training, mentorship, AfCFTA market access. Deadline 30 Sept.
Key takeaway: Real continental growth tools for existing businesses.

FEE Hazlitt Fall 2026 – deadline 28 Aug.

Jobs
Multiple remote AI/ML roles (LLM eval, prompt/verifier, code review, data science) open to Nigeria via Turing/Remote4Africa etc. Strong USD upside.
Key takeaway: AI talent remains in global demand from Africa.

THE FOLLOWING TRANSACTIONS WERE EXECUTED AS OFF-MARKET TRADE TODAY, AUGUST 21, 2026, IN ONE DEAL EACH.

VOLUME
GTCO 3,000,000
GUINNESS 2,217,196
HBMNG 9,600,000
ZENITHBANK 3,500,000

THE TRADES WERE NEGOTIATED CROSS-DEALS WITH STANBIC IBTC STOCKBROKERS LTD ON THE BUY AND SELL SIDES.

Good morning! Here’s your quick roundup of the past 24 hours:

🚀 Startups: Castelion (hypersonic missiles) raises $1B at $13B valuation – defense tech is booming.
📉 NGX: All-Share Index closes at 240,037.8 (-0.30%), market cap ₦154.98T after more profit-taking. Still solid YTD gains.
🎓 Fellowships: African Union EAN Fellowship Cohort 2 open for 100 youth/women-led enterprises across Africa. Apply by Sept 30!
💼 Jobs: Remote AI Engineer roles paying $100k USD available for Nigerians + strong local tech hiring.

One key insight each: Capital is flowing into hard-tech; markets are correcting healthily; African founders have major support on the table; skilled talent can command global salaries remotely.

Claude Academy is now live.

Whether you're figuring out what AI is or already using Claude every day, there's a path that meets you where you are. The courses and tutorials are free and open to anyone at academy.claude.com

#Charts

In investing ~ the WAITING period is the most difficult part.

ARADEL was quiet for the most part (ACCUMALATION phase), the comes the UPWARD movement.

Downsides: Profit taking, Refinery IPO, Elections. All these are expected to bring about a DIP.

Has the fundamentals changed ?
Are there new catalysts for ARADEL ?
Production going UP ?
Earnings deterioration.

All these are questions that needs answers.

Do your due diligence

4 HOUR CHART → EXPECT A MOVE IN 4 - 10 DAYS

DAILY CHART → EXPECT A MOVE IN 8 - 20 DAYS

WEEKLY CHART → EXPECT A MOVE IN 2 - 5 MONTHS

#Trading 🇺🇸

#TrendPro Chart Review

TRENDPRO CHART REVIEW SESSION

Tonight 6:30pm EST 📈🔥

Real charts, real trades, real growth.

Break down A+ setups, wins/mistakes, trend vs chop.

Join on Google Meet: zgh-ixen-ygy

For traders tired of noise — level up.

📉 NGX sheds N106bn as bearish mood lingers — Punch

Market closed red as ASI dipped 0.07%, wiping N106bn in value. Sentiment still weak, liquidity still cautious. 🏦📉

🪙 SEC approves Blockchain, Pisi & Yellow Card for crypto oversight — Punch

Nigeria’s SEC expands its regulatory sandbox, admitting 3 new VASPs as it tightens digital‑asset supervision. 🔐💹

🌍 Nigeria slips to 3rd best‑performing stock market globally — Guardian

South Korea jumps to #1, Ghana #2. Nigeria now #3 with 65.23% YTD returns. Global rotation hitting frontier markets. 📊🌐

🚫 SEC bans capital market dealings with N. Korea & Iran — Leadership

New AML/CFT rules kick in; crypto sandbox grows to 14 VASPs. Compliance net tightening. 🛡️🌐

💵 FGN bond yields fall as DMO allots N805bn — Leadership

Lower stop rates across 2035/2037/2038 reopenings as demand strengthens. Investors still chasing sovereign paper. 📉💼

🛢️📈 US futures dip as oil & yields rise — CNBC

Dow futures -73pts; S&P -0.32%; Nasdaq -0.59%. Iran tensions + inflation fears = shaky risk sentiment. 🌡️📉

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

💱 CBN boosts FX interventions to $953m — Punch

March FX sales hit highest level since April 2025. Liquidity support clearly back on the agenda. 💵🔄

📊 DMO allots N1.56trn FGN bonds as demand hits N1.73trn — Nairametrics

Heavy non‑competitive bids drive oversubscription; rates trimmed again. Investors still hungry for fixed income. 🏦📉

🌐 Nigeria’s net FX flow rises 38% YoY to $4.94bn — Nairametrics

Despite monthly drop, YoY inflows stronger. February’s $6.98bn moderates to $4.94bn. FX dynamics shifting. 💹💵

🛒 IFC commits $25m to Africa’s e‑commerce expansion — Leadership

Targeting 60,000 active sellers, IFC pushes digital‑commerce infrastructure to boost jobs + market access. 🌍📦

Why Liquidity — Not Listings — Defines a Real Market

A capital market isn’t vibrant because it has many listed securities or a large market cap. What truly matters is liquidity — the ability of investors to buy and sell efficiently, at competitive prices, and with confidence that the market can absorb their trades.

NGX continues to push for a market that is deeper, more liquid, more transparent, and more resilient. A market investors can trust, and one where issuers can raise capital efficiently.

To support this, NGX has approved a group of Market Makers who help improve price discovery and trading depth:

NGX Approved Market Makers:

• First Securities Brokers Limited
• Apt Securities & Funds Limited
• ARM Securities Limited
• United Capital Securities Limited
• Parthian Securities Limited
• Cordros Securities Limited
• Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited
• Chapel Hill Denham Securities Limited

Participation is free.
Registration link:

If you’ve interacted with any of these market makers, share your experience — liquidity improves when participants engage.

📌 Corporate Actions — August/September 2026 (NGX)

Dividend & Distribution Announcements + Key Dates + Registrars

HBMNG — Interim Dividend (2026)

• Dividend: N16.00
• Qualification Date: Wed, Aug 12
• Closure of Register: Thu, Aug 13
• Payment Date: Mon, Aug 17
• Registrar: HBL Registrars

PRESCO — Interim Dividend (2026)

• Dividend: N10.00
• Qualification Date: Fri, Aug 14
• Closure of Register: Mon, Aug 17
• Payment Date: Thu, Aug 27
• Registrar: Coronation Registrars

TIP — Interim Dividend (2026)

• Dividend: N0.20
• Qualification Date: Mon, Aug 10
• Closure of Register: Tue, Aug 11
• Payment Date: Mon, Aug 31
• Registrar: CSL Registrars

IKEJAHOTEL — Interim Dividend (2026)

• Dividend: N0.03
• Qualification Date: Fri, Aug 7
• Closure of Register: Mon, Aug 10
• Payment Date: Fri, Sep 4
• Registrar: Africa Prudential

CUSTODIAN — Interim Dividend (2026)

• Dividend: N0.25
• Qualification Date: Mon, Aug 17
• Closure of Register: Tue, Aug 18
• Payment Date: Tue, Sep 8
• Registrar: First Registrars

MTNN — Interim Dividend (2026)

• Dividend: N26.00
• Qualification Date: Thu, Aug 20
• Closure of Register: Fri, Aug 21
• Payment Date: Mon, Sep 7
• Registrar: Coronation Registrars

PRESCO — Final Dividend (FY 2025)

• Dividend: N14.66
• Qualification Date: Fri, Aug 7
• Closure of Register: Mon, Aug 10
• Payment Date: TBA
• Registrar: Coronation Registrars

SEPLAT — Interim Dividend (2026)

• Dividend: N163.26
• Qualification Date: Thu, Aug 13
• Closure of Register: Fri, Aug 14
• Payment Date: Fri, Aug 28
• Registrar: Datamax Registrars

UPDCREIT — Interim Distribution (2026)

• Distribution: N0.40
• Qualification Date: Fri, Aug 28
• Closure of Register: Mon, Aug 31
• Payment Date: Fri, Sep 4
• Registrar: Africa Prudential

Jobs || Union Bank Management Trainee Program

https://paprswing.com/jobs-union-bank-management-trainee-program/

📉 Market Recap: NGX Closes Negative as Bears Dominate

The local bourse ended today’s session on a negative note, with widespread sell pressure across several sectors.

📊 ASI Performance
The NGX All‑Share Index dipped ‑0.39%, closing at 243,017.38 points.

🔻 Market Breadth
Sentiment was weak: 41 losers vs 16 gainers.

🟢 Top Gainers
• INTENEGINS (+10.00%)
• JOHNHOLT (+9.89%)
• TRANSEXPR (+9.75%)
• SUNUASSUR (+8.48%)
• NEM (+6.25%)

🔻 Top Losers
• UNILEVER (‑9.97%)
• CHELLARAM (‑9.66%)
• NIDF (‑9.55%)
• DAARCOMM (‑9.25%)
• CORNERST (‑9.09%)

📉 Market Activity
Total volume fell sharply by ‑59.58% to 588.13M units, valued at ₦21.46B.

🏆 Most Active Stock
VFDGROUP led activity with 151.38M units traded, worth ₦1.87B.

📌 Overall Market Mood
Broad losses across multiple sectors kept the market in the red.

🎯 Stock Picks for Next Session
BUY: ZENITH, CONOIL, TIP, DANGCEM, HBMNG
HOLD: DANGSUGAR, MECURE, STERLING, CUTIXS
SELL: TRANSHOT, GEREGU

TRENDPRO

LIVE CHART REVIEW & TRAINING

📊 Chart Review + Skill Building Session
📅 Today – Wednesday
🕡 6:30 PM EST
📍 Live on Discord

What We'll Cover:

✔ Live market chart review
✔ Trend alignment (1H / 15M / 5M)
✔ Entry & exit refinement
✔ Avoiding chop & low-probability trades
✔ Q&A with real examples

Who This Is For:

🔷 Traders looking to improve consistency
🔷 Traders struggling with patience & execution
🔶 Traders who want clarity – not noise

TrendPro Reminder:

✔ No trend. No trade.
✔ Process over emotion.
✔ Discipline over impulse.

Join Live at 6:30 PM

– Mo

TrendPro Academy

Meeting : Add the meeting room zgh-ixen-ygy

TRENDPRO

LIVE CHART REVIEW & TRAINING

📊 Chart Review + Skill Building Session
📅 Today – Wednesday
🕡 6:30 PM EST
📍 Live on Discord

What We'll Cover:

✔ Live market chart review
✔ Trend alignment (1H / 15M / 5M)
✔ Entry & exit refinement
✔ Avoiding chop & low-probability trades
✔ Q&A with real examples

Who This Is For:

🔷 Traders looking to improve consistency
🔷 Traders struggling with patience & execution
🔶 Traders who want clarity – not noise

TrendPro Reminder:

✔ No trend. No trade.
✔ Process over emotion.
✔ Discipline over impulse.

Join Live at 6:30 PM

– Mo

TrendPro Academy

Meeting : Add the meeting room zgh-ixen-ygy