Olamide Famuwagun

Asides from commercial and microfinance banks, the loan sector of the Nigerian market has relatively strong establishments. More so, this is due to the numerous financial service providers springing up all around the nation. Many provide debt analysis, as well as recommend the best loan approach, while some only connect lenders to those in need. However, whichever role they play remains a vital part of the market and helps a lot of businesses. Read on to find out the companies for top loan services in Nigeria that you should know about.

Loan services in Nigeria

There are several loan services in Nigeria that would adequately meet your needs. Also, these individual companies have their distinct advantages, which you should know before committing. In a wrap-up, here is a list of some of the best loan services in Nigeria:

StartCredits: 

StartCredits is one of the top loan services providers in Nigeria. Also, they provide a free loan search feature on their website, allowing you to spot the best loan and interest for your need. Asides from that, they also provide educational materials to enlighten you better on lending, including financial calculators for practicality. Furthermore, their other services include credit planning, credit score analysis, and investments, and they are in partnership with top banks in Nigeria.

Rosabon Financial Services: 

Rosabon financial services can be summed up in four points; partnerships, personal loans, vehicle leases, and investments. Therefore, they help you achieve your financial goals by providing access to millions of naira in loans. Also, one of their strong points is the quick disbursement duration. Apply and get a loan as quickly as possible.

Skystone capital: 

SME funding, personal finance, funds management, leases, debtor factoring, and Financial Advisory, are some top Services that sykstone capital provides. Also, they provide cutting-edge financial solutions with excellent customer service and fast disbursement of loans.

LMoney: 

Lmoney thrives on providing an excellent loan calculator that allows you to simulate and kick-start your loan journey. Amazingly, you can get access to a N2 million loan within only 24 hours. Also, with LMoney, obtaining a loan couldn’t be any easier.     

C24 Limited: 

C24 is another excellent company offering loan services in Nigeria. They offer up to N1 million in loans and a minimum of N40,000 with excellent disbursement time. Also, you can easily apply for a C24 loan online.    

Page financials: 

Page financials is your one-stop for online banking activities, especially in loans and investments. Furthermore, they offer an amazingly user-friendly site that allows you to chat with agents on the go.  

Migo: 

Migo is more than just a loan service provider. More so, it offers banking, merchant, fintech and telcos financial services. As a fintech, you can make credit payments and overdraft facilities anywhere when carrying out digital transactions. Also, they offer amazing loans at flexible competitive rates that would suit just your needs.     

Fundquest Financial Services Limited: 

fund quest financial services are licensed by CBN to provide loans, leases, investment, and advisory services in Nigeria. Also, they run a secure mobile payment option that allows you to pay for anything through their mobile app.

CFS Financial Services Limited: 

CFS services has been operating since 2002 when it was licensed by the central bank of Nigeria. Also, they’ve grown over the years, providing excellent customer service with impressive results. Furthermore, their products include credit services, treasury services, and CFS special products.

Conclusion

Companies that provide loan services in Nigeria are very important to the prosperity of businesses and individuals. However, although this list does not contain all the companies providing loan services in Nigeria, it includes some of the best in no particular order. In essence, you can safely reach out to any one of them to obtain a loan today. You can also read more on crowdfunding platforms, Naijafund is your best bet.

Loans come in different forms to meet different needs. Some are easy to pay back and can be done in a few months, while some hover around for years because of their sizeable amount. Long-term loans are those types of loans that require a long-term payback period. This is because we mostly use them for financing huge products and investments. There are several institutions that offer long-term loans in Nigeria and are all covered in this article.

What are long term loans?

Many companies undergo frequent capital projects that require a huge sum of upfront capital. This project ranges from machinery purchase to setting up arrangements with individuals that intend to purchase a property. Since these individuals mostly hope to pay back over time (from salaries), the company needs to turn to long term loans from banks to foot the project. This is a vivid picture of the continuous loop of long terms loans in Nigeria.

The structure adopted by most banks in offering long terms loans is that they fund a certain percentage of the total sum, while you are left to fund the rest. It is mostly in a 70/30 proportion.

How to get long term loans in Nigeria 

The loan is repaid in installments depending on the agreement, in accordance with business or personal cash flow. It could be monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or even annually. Generally, long term loans in Nigeria can span anywhere from one or two years and above. Examples of these loans include equipment lease finance, operational vehicle, project finance, commercial mortgage, personal loan, asset finance, etc.

Getting long term loans in Nigeria is not as difficult as it sounds. Especially if you meet the eligibility requirements. Most commercial banks offer long-term loans and development banks like the bank of industry and bank of Africa. There are also different government initiatives for offering loans to businesses by CBN, through commercial banks too. Simply visit any physical branch or the official website of these financial institutions to get started.

However, there are general documents that most banks require of you to give out a long-term loan. They are: 

1. Application letter 
2. All duly completed retail loan application forms (it varies from one bank to another and some may require KYC due diligence)
3. Proforma invoice approved by vendors supplying goods for your business
4. Company profile 
5. Current utility bill 
6. Last audited account 
7. Previous six months bank statement 
8. Cash flow budget
9. Certificate of incorporation 
10. Proof of address
11. Other KYC requirements necessary for opening a current account
12. Details of collateral where applicable (differs from one bank to another and depends on the amount of loan)
13. Third party guarantors (this could be requested instead of collaterals or along with it)

Note that different banks have different requirements. It could be more or less than what is listed above. However, the documents above are standard long-term loan requirements in Nigeria. 

What are the types of long term loans in Nigeria?

Long term loans in Nigeria generally fall under two categories. The categories are:

1. Individual long term loans

This loan caters to the needs of individuals. However, they are mostly available to high net-worth individuals. You can also divide them into the following;:  

2. Personal loan 

They offer this loan to individuals who might need it for personal reasons. They mostly give it to those with a capacity to pay back because they have a job or receive regular cash flow regularly.

3. Home loans 

They give home loans out to individuals who intend to obtain a property. The individual secures the loan with the bank, who funds a certain percentage of the value of the property you intend to purchase.

4. Home equipment finance 

This loan narrows the loan purpose down to furnishing a home. It offers you a loan to pay for the equipment expenses and takes it back from your salary based on the pre-agreed payment structure. The amount you are eligible for depends on your ability to repay.

5. Auto loan 

Auto loans are for those intending to purchase a car. How much you can access depends on your ability to repay. This makes it mostly offered to those with a salary or business with good cash flow.

6. Business and corporate long-term loans 

Business and corporate loans cater to the needs of businesses. We can further divide them into the following:

• Commercial mortgage
• Equipment lease finance
• Project finance
• Operational vehicle finance
• Asset/ office equipment finance
• Bill discounting

Where can I get long-term loans in Nigeria?

Getting long-term loans in Nigeria is a simple decision. Virtually all commercial banks offer long term loans in the country. What differs, however, is the maximum amount of loan that they can offer. This mostly depends on your ability to repay, and sometimes the capacity of the bank in question. Simply walk into any commercial bank to inquire about the type of long term loan you are interested in.

As a business owner, can I get long term loans for my company?

Case Study

Getting a long term loan as a business owner for your company is all about meeting the eligibility requirement and possessing the right documents. To paint a better picture, let’s look at a case study of David as business man trying to expand his reach.

David has a truckload of experience in the processing industry, where he has worked for the last ten years. During this time, he rose from being a low factory worker to being the head of the division, therefore gather experience in the business and manufacturing aspects of the industry. He observed the trend of food hitting their lowest prices at certain times of the year, especially in their harvest period, and roaring outrageously high during scarcity.

David discovered the outrageous prices of yam, especially in the southern part of Nigeria, where there are not so many farms. Although the prices seem fair, he has been to the north where they are produced and seen how much cheaper they are.  While locals trade yams, there wasn’t any really top manufacturer that supplies hygienic and high-quality yams and its finished products in the south. He quickly realized this was his jackpot and called his job a quit.

Putting in the effort

His plan was to start the business of supplying yam and its finished products to the south, and he raised capital to this end. He was able to raise capital from family and friends, and the business kicked off and blossomed more than he expected. The business earned about N100 million in the past year which was more than enough to repay the capital and keep things running.

With time, he noticed the shortage of yam flour especially during some seasons in the year. This was paramount in the southern and western parts of the country, and he decided to tap into that market. To do this, however, he would need to expend his production capacity by purchasing machinery to meet demand. A savvy business that he hi, he inquired from his business bank officer the most viable way to fund this ambitious project. Although he would normally opt for an overdraft (N50 million), his officer advised against it, due to the short term that usually accompanies the loan. It wouldn’t be wise to obtain a year loan to acquire machines that would exceed the duration of the overdraft before yielding profit and have a repayment period that exceeds the overdraft.

After careful consideration and discussions, his account officer advised him to opt for a long term loan. The preferred option from the recommendation was through a development institution like the Bank of Industry (BOI) or Bank of Africa (BOA). Although much documentation is required to get the loan, David was able to fit in due to his numerous years of experience working in a top food processing company.

Knowing how to create value with loans

With time David put together the necessary detailed documentation, including his company’s operating profit and established market share, and got a loan from BOA at a favourable rate of 7% per annum. In obtaining this loan, he was able to keep his business running after expansion, reinvesting the profits and paying off the long-term loan.

Imagining this scenario, David would not have been able to expand his business without a long term loan. This is because he would have taken an overdraft, which has a tenure of around 12 months. Although he would have gotten the machine in this time, his business would scramble to repay the overdraft within this short time frame. As a good entrepreneur, it’s a totally bad idea, and he would most likely not take the overdraft. Rather, he would forgo his dream of expansion and try to save towards it. 

Conclusion

Long term loans are beneficial both on an individual level, and a business scale. It affords you enough cash flow to keep running, and acquire important assets immediately. The maximum amount of a long term loan you have access to, depends on your repayment capacity. 

We know that being in debt can be an overwhelming and weakening experience. But there are intelligent, proven ways to manage your debt and return you to sound financial health. Take a deep breath to examine all your options and pick the ones that can aid you the most.

Regardless of the quantum of debt, everyone with debt obligations has to manage their debts. If you have a small debt, you have to keep up with your payments, so it doesn’t get out of control. On the flip side, if you owe a lot of money, you have to pay more attention to looking for ways to get out of debt while meeting other obligations.

Here are five ways you can manage your debt

1. How Much Do You Owe?

Please make a list of your total outstanding loans and other monthly financial obligations, including their due dates where necessary. Having all the debts at a glance will help you see the bigger picture and stay in focus of your complete debt picture.

It is not enough to create a list and forget about it. Make reference to your debt list periodically and update accordingly, especially as you pay bills. This will help you ascertain the level of your debt at any time.

2. Monthly Early Repayments

Late payments make it more challenging to pay off loans, considering you’ll have to pay a penalty for every payment you miss. It would be best if you tried to make early repayments on your loan as it helps reduce the interest rate on the loan amount due.

If you miss a payment, do not wait for the next due date before you make your outstanding loan amount. It is better to pay as soon as you remember. This will keep you further away from being reported to the credit bureau or ultimately affect your credit score.

3. Plan With a Monthly Budget 

Keeping a budget ensures you have enough money to meet your monthly obligations. You can plan well enough in advance and take early action if it looks like you won’t have enough cash for your bills in the coming month or next. A budget also helps you plan to spend any extra money you might have left judiciously. This extra cash can be used to clear your debt faster.

4. Decide Which Loans to Pay off First

Paying off loans with high-interest rates is often the best strategy because they are more expensive than other loans. Of all your loans, the one with the highest interest rate usually gets priority on repayment because it’s costing the most money.

You can use your debt list to prioritize your loans in the order you want to pay them off. However, you can also pay off the high-interest loans with low-interest easy loans such as a cooperative loan, this helps in refinancing your bigger loans.

4. Make at least the Minimum Payment

If you can’t afford to pay all your debts, at least make the minimum payment on the loan amount due. Of course, the minimum payment hurts your chance to make real progress in paying off your loans. But, it keeps your debt in check and keeps the loan from going into default.

Conclusion

There are several other ways to manage your debts apart from the ones listed above. The most important thing is identifying your strengths and weaknesses in the management of your debts and working towards them accordingly. Managing your debts and credit score is one simple step to avoiding loan rejection.