Business

CBN Bans Banks From Operating PoS, Approves 17 Companies as Mobile Money, Operators In Nigeria

Published

3 years ago

March 21, 2023

Due to the recent hiccups experienced by bank customers and their inability to use mobile apps and other digital touchpoints, Nigerians have begun the search for alternatives as fintech firms have taken over the ecosystem and provided better experiences.

These licensed mobile operators have provided relief to many Nigerians at the time of unprecedented transaction failures.

The mobile money operators offer incentives such as zero transfer charges and daily rewards to customers.

Many customers on these platforms are concerned about the legality of the platforms and wonder if they are authorised or licensed to operate in Nigeria.

The worries have prompted the apex bank to draw up a list of authorised operators in the financial ecosystem.

The development comes as the CBN barred bank agents from offering PoS services.

CBN releases guidelines for PoS operations

CBN released the regulatory framework for agent banking operations, which includes several restrictions to mitigate risks in the financial sector.

The guideline was announced in a circular titled Exposure Draft of the Regulatory Framework for Agent Banking in Nigeria, signed by Musa I. Jimoh, the director of the Payments System Management Department.

In the 31-page document, the CBN dedicated Section 8.3 to outline prohibited activities for agents.

Vanguard reports that one of the key restrictions in the guideline is that agents must not use the purchase option on PoS terminals for cash-in and cash-out transactions.

The CBN has also warned agents against transactions where a receipt or acknowledgment cannot be generated. In addition to the abovementioned restrictions, the circular prohibits agents from conducting transactions in foreign currency. Agent banking is a financial inclusion service that aims to extend the reach of retail banking services to all segments of the population, especially residents of rural areas.

The service providers include First Monie, EcoBank Express, UBA Moni, Zenith Mobile Money, and others.

The CBN has observed that the agent banking initiative has led to the proliferation of financial service agents across Nigeria.

Reports say a significant and growing portion of financial transactions is now conducted through agents.

Approved mobile money operators

Abeg Technologies Limited

Chams Mobile Limited

eTranzact International Limited

Fortis Mobile Money Limited

Funds And Electronic Transfer (FETS)

Limited Hedonmark Management Services Limited

Pagatech Limited

Palmpay Limited

Parkway Projects Limited

Teasy International Company Limited

Nanonow Digital Services Limited

VTNetwork Limited

Xpress MTS Limited

Kongapay Technologies Limited

Visual ICT Limited

Business

Nigerian Stock Market Hits 10th Consecutive Uptrend As investors Gain N308bn

Published

1 day ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian Stock Market recorded its 10th consecutive uptrend as investors raked in N308 billion gain on Thursday.

This comes as the Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX, market capitalisation, which opened at N92.490 trillion, appreciated by 0.33 per cent to close at N92.798 trillion on Thursday.

Also, the All-Share Index added 0.33 per cent, or 485.25 points, to close at 146,204.34, compared with 145,719.09 recorded on Wednesday.

Increased trading in Eunisell Interlinked, Caverton Offshore Support Group, Sunu Assurances, Industrial and Medical Gases, Mecure, and 27 other advancing stocks boosted market performance on Thursday.

To this end, the market breadth also closed positive with 32 gainers and 21 losers.

Further analysis showed that Eunisell Interlinked and Caverton Offshore Support Group led the gainers’ chart by 10 per cent each, closing at N44 and N6.93 per share, respectively, while FTN Cocoa Processors led the losers’ table by 6.67 per cent, closing at N5.60 per share.

Market activity showed a decline in the number of deals and volume traded but an improvement in trade value.

Accordingly, a total of 346.99 million shares worth N27.43 billion were traded in 24,691 deals, compared with 525.72 million shares worth N13.61 billion exchanged in 25,597 deals on Wednesday.

Fidelity Bank topped the activity chart with 42.01 million shares valued at N861.54 million.

According to DAILY POST, NGX has continued its bullish run from last month’s end to date.

Business

CBN Sets POS Maximum Transactions In Fresh Guidelines

Published

3 days ago

October 8, 2025

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria has rolled out fresh guidelines for agent banking, known as Point of Sales, across the country.

The apex also in the guidelines pegged daily POS transactions at N1.2 million per agent and N100,000 per individual.

CBN disclosed this in a circular signed by its Director of the Payments System Management Department, Musa Jimoh.

The guidelines further mandate all financial institutions to publish the list of all their POS agents on their website and to display it in their branches.

CBN noted that the guidelines would take effect from April 1, 2026.

“The Guidelines aim to establish minimum standards for operating agent banking in Nigeria, enhancing agent banking to provide financial services and promoting financial inclusion, encouraging responsible market conduct and improving service quality in agent banking operations.

“This circular takes effect from the date of release, while the implementation of agent location and agent exclusivity shall be in effect from April 1, 2026.

“POS agents are restricted to a maximum of N1.2 million per day. Individual customers are limited to N100,000 in daily transactions.

“These limits are intended to curb misuse, enhance financial integrity, and protect consumers within the agent banking framework,” it stated.

Business

Naira Records First Appreciation Against US Dollar At Official Market

Published

3 days ago

October 8, 2025

Editor

The Naira recorded appreciation on Wednesday against the United States dollar at the official market, the first time in three days this week.

The Central Bank of Nigeria’s exchange rate data showed that the Naira strengthened to N 1,470.62 per dollar on Wednesday, up from N1,471.09 traded on Tuesday.

This means that the country’s currency firmed up slightly by N0.47 against the dollar on a day-to-day basis.

Monday and Tuesday, the Naira recorded negative sentiment at the official foreign exchange market.

However, at the black market, the Naira remained unchanged at N1,500 per dollar on Wednesday, the same rate exchanged on Tuesday.

The apex bank data indicated that the country’s external reserves, a determinant of the exchange rates, stood at $42.57 billion as of October 7, 2025.