By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

DataPro, a leading credit rating agency and compliance consulting firm in Nigeria, has rated Foremost Capital Limited with BBB+ in its assessment of the company’s key performance indices, marking a major feat in its operations in less than two years.

The latest rating of the company, one of Nigeria’s rapidly growing asset management firms, is an important independent recognition of its financial and operational standards, sending signals to clients, investors, counterparties, regulators and the wider market that the management remains fully committed to world-class standards at all levels of its business operations.

Specifically, the DataPro BBB+ rating of the company provides an independent assessment of its financial strength and operating capacity, a strong liquidity position, supporting its ability to meet financial obligations and manage client investment activities, and improvements in the company’s capitalization, profitability, asset base and overall financial position.

Similarly, with the company’s assets under management growth of 250% from July to December 2025, the rating demonstrates its growing presence and capacity within the investment management industry, a stable outlook and provides a positive indication of the company’s direction and potential for continued improvement.

In addition, this rating by DataPro reflects Foremost Capital’s improving revenue generation and increasing capacity to generate sustainable earnings.

On strong governance and risk management assessment parameters, the BBB+ rating recognized the importance of the company’s governance, risk management, internal control, and compliance structures in supporting sustainable growth.

This is just as the SEC-licensed asset management entity’s rating reinforces its position as a fully compliant participant in Nigeria’s capital market.

Commenting on the company’s latest performance feat, the Managing Director/CEO, Emmanuel Akehomen, said: “This BBB+ rating from DataPro is a significant milestone, validating our robust governance, liquidity and operational resilience. For our clients, it serves as an independent assurance of our stability and capacity for sustainable growth.

“We intend to leverage this strengthened market credibility to attract high-value mandates and optimize portfolio performance. Moving forward, we remain committed to deepening our market share through disciplined risk management and innovative investment strategies that consistently deliver superior, long-term value for our investors”, the investment expert added.

Investment experts believe that the improved rating of the assets management company by DataPro clearly demonstrates the management’s commitment to quality services delivery to its growing clients driven by best practice standards and its futuristic strategies to ensure a win-win experience for all stakeholders in the nation’s assets management system.

Marcus Trescothick has insisted he wants to continue working with England’s Test team even though Mike Hussey has revealed an approach by incoming head coach Stephen Fleming to effectively replace him.

Trescothick has been a member of England’s backroom staff since 2021 and is currently leading the Test side on an interim basis ahead of Fleming’s arrival.

Former opening batsman Trescothick and returning captain Joe Root oversaw an innings and 103-run thrashing of Pakistan in the first Test at Headingley on Friday as the hosts went 1-0 up in a three-match series.

Former Australia international Hussey has said he is considering an offer to work as England’s Test batting coach, effectively Trescothick’s role, after being approached by Fleming, his former boss at Chennai Super Kings.

“I’d love to carry on, of course,” said Trescothick.

The 50-year-old, a member of England’s 2005 Ashes-winning team, added: “I’ve a huge amount of respect for Stephen and what he’s done in the game, he was a fantastic captain and leader, and has done a brilliant job doing what he’s done as a coach.

“It’s really not in my job (description) or position to judge that. We’ll wait until we get the tap on the shoulder.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended a recent memorandum of understanding as the best way for the country to move beyond what he described as a situation of “neither war nor peace.”

In a speech published by state-run IRNA early on Sunday, he said members of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council believed the memorandum represented the best possible agreement based on what he described as dignity, wisdom and the national interest.

“There is not a single provision in this agreement that amounts to capitulation,” Pezeshkian said. “The supreme leader sets the policies, and we will follow that path.

The deal known as the Memorandum of Understanding that US President Donald Trump signed in June set an ambitious 60-day deadline for ending the war with Iran and reaching an accord on its nuclear program. That period ended last week, but the two sides remain far apart, with no signs of compromise on the crucial issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, vital to global shipping.

Pezeshkian also linked the agreement to Iran’s economic prospects, saying the country could not attract investment in this stalled phase.

“Capital and money are extremely sensitive to risk,” he said. “We have to remove this risk from the country.”

Nearly six months into the war with the United States and Israel, the Iranian economy is suffering under sanctions and a naval blockade.

Pezeshkian acknowledged that his country’s citizens face “many problems,” after the United States launched a new wave of sanctions seeking to further isolate its economy.

“I understand we have many problems in society right now. We are trying to prevent these as much as we can,” Pezeshkian said.

Pezeshkian said that, thanks to Trump, Iran was “in a full-scale economic, military and security war.”

“He says he is imposing the most crushing and terrifying sanctions on Iran,” Pezeshkian said.

Meanwhile, the hard-line new leader of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council warned Tehran’s neighbors against joining the new US effort to hurt Iran’s economy.

“If (Trump) wants to do something, we will retaliate in a seismic manner,” Mohsen Rezaei said in an interview with the state broadcaster that aired Saturday.

Rezaei was named this month as part of senior appointments widely seen as hardening Tehran’s political and military stance. His interview with IRIB is his most extensive public statement since then.

Rezaei said Iran would target oil-shipping routes out of the Persian Gulf — alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz — if neighbors join what he described as the economic war against Iran.

Trump in the past week has vowed to increase Iran’s pain by imposing an “unprecedented” level of economic warfare and isolation. Iran has lived under sanctions for years.