Business

CBN Plans To Raise Fines On Erring Banks

Published

1 year ago

October 28, 2024

The Central Bank of Nigeria is preparing to impose stricter fines on banks that fail to comply with regulatory standards.

This move, according to the Deputy Director of CBN’s Consumer Protection Department, Jamiu Rabiu, is in response to banks’ lacklustre compliance with consumer protection standards.

Speaking on Monday at a high-level policy roundtable on financial inclusion for Persons with Disabilities, organised by the Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation, Rabiu highlighted the ineffectiveness of the current N2 to N3 fines in deterring recurring issues in the banking sector.

His remarks were in response to concerns raised by Persons with Disabilities who criticised the CBN for insufficient efforts to promote inclusivity in the financial sector.

They argued that the current penalties are not strong enough to deter banks from repeatedly violating their rights.

Rabiu said efforts were ongoing to increase the fine imposed on erring banks.

He said, “We’ve made several efforts, even reaching out to the Bankers’ Committee, because they work closely with the banks to address issues at the level of senior government. They’ve created groups aimed at preventing fraud.

“We’ve held discussions and gone over everything, but when things go back to the status quo, the same issues arise. I believe we need to strengthen our regulations and even increase the fines imposed.

“For instance, Madam mentioned that when we imposed fines of around N2m to N3m, it wasn’t yielding significant results. Whenever there’s an issue, the banks don’t always act.

“Recently, our Deputy Governor questioned why we were imposing only 2 million in fines. We are now considering increasing these fines. If payments are not made within a specified period, there will be an additional 2 million charge per day.”

He added, “Or if payment takes 6 months, we would calculate the total days to determine the accumulated fine. I believe increasing these fines is essential. This is a work in progress.”

He noted that the CBN would have to get the buy-in of the banking authorities to increase the fines to ensure better compliance from banks.

Rabiu said, “We need to coordinate with the banking authorities so that the Deputy Governor can approve higher fine amounts, not just 5 or 10 million. We are aiming to raise it to around 100 million, which we believe would drive better compliance from the banks.”

The Executive Director of CADEF, Professor Chiso Ndukwe-Okafor, stressed the importance of these changes, particularly for PWDs, who often struggle to access digital financial services due to inadequate infrastructure.

She said, “The meeting with stakeholders was organised because of the challenges PWDs encounter accessing digital financial services. We realise that their needs are not being met. by the financial institutions whether online or offline.

“We are collaborating with CBN, FCCPC and a technical committee that would come up with a person with Disabilities bill of rights so that enforcement and sanction can be given. “

Business

CBN Directs Nigerian Banks To Withdraw Misleading Advertisement

Published

17 hours ago

November 28, 2025

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed Nigerian banks, payment service banks and other financial institutions to immediately withdraw all advertisements that violate consumer-protection rules.

The directive, issued in a circular dated Thursday and signed by Olubunmi Ayodele-Oni, director of the CBN’s compliance department, followed a review of marketing practices in the financial sector.

The apex bank said the assessment revealed inconsistencies in how institutions apply disclosure, transparency and fair-marketing requirements.

The CBN ordered the removal of all non-compliant adverts and warned that future promotional materials must be factual, balanced and transparent.

It banned misleading claims, exaggerated benefits, incomplete information, unaudited financial results and comparative language that could de-market competitors.
The regulator of Nigeria’s financial sector also prohibited chance-based promotional inducements such as lotteries, prize draws and lucky dips.

Accordingly, institutions submitting adverts for prior notification must now include campaign timelines, creative materials, target audience details and written confirmation of internal legal and compliance clearance, along with proof that the underlying product has CBN approval.

The bank clarified that such notifications are only for monitoring and do not amount to approval.
All affected institutions must file a compliance attestation within 30 days, signed by the chief executive and compliance leads.

The CBN added that beginning January 2026, it will conduct a follow-up review and apply sanctions for violations under BOFIA 2020 and the Consumer Protection Regulations.

Business

Fourteen Nigerian Banks Yet To Meet CBN’s Recapitalisation Ahead Of Deadline

Published

2 days ago

November 27, 2025

Editor

No fewer than 14 Nigerian commercial banks are yet to meet the Central Bank of Nigeria’s recapitalisation requirement as the 31st March 2026 deadline inches closer.

This follows CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso’s announcement on Tuesday that sixteen Nigerian banks have met their recapitalisation requirement ahead of the apex bank’s March 2026 deadline.

DAILY POST reports that Cardoso disclosed this in a statement after the bank’s 303rd Monetary Policy Committee in Abuja.

According to Cardoso, the development indicates that there is financial soundness in the country’s financial banking system.

MPC had been urged by banks to ensure a successful implementation of the recapitalisation process.

“The committee noted with satisfaction the sustained resilience of the banking system, with most financial soundness indicators remaining within regulatory thresholds,” Cardoso said.

“Acknowledged the substantial progress in the ongoing recapitalisation programme, with 16 banks achieving full compliance with the revised capital requirements.

“The committee thus urged the Bank to ensure a successful implementation and conclusion of the programme, among other domestic developments,” Cardoso said.

This means that two additional Nigerian banks have been added to the list of banks which have complied with the apex bank recapitalisation requirement in the last two months.

Recall that Cardoso, in the 302nd MPC meeting, announced that only fourteen banks have met the recapitalisation requirement.

CBN records as of 2024 showed that the country has thirteen commercial banks, five merchant banks and seven financial holdings companies.

Earlier, a report emerged that Access Bank, Zenith Bank, GTBank, Wema Bank, Jaiz Bank, Stanbic IBTC, and others have already met CBN’s recapitalisation requirement.

CBN in March directed commercial banks with international authorisation to increase their capital base to N500 billion, while those with national licences must raise to N200 billion.

Business

CBN Retains Interest Rate At 27%

Published

4 days ago

November 25, 2025

Editor

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria has voted to retain the benchmark interest rate at 27 per cent.

CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, announced the decision on Tuesday following the apex bank’s 303rd MPC meeting in Abuja.

Cardoso stated that the committee also resolved to keep all other monetary policy indicators unchanged.

He noted that the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) remains at 45 per cent for commercial banks and 16 per cent for merchant banks, while the 75 per cent CRR on non-TSA public sector deposits was equally maintained.

Cardoso added that the Liquidity Ratio was retained at 30 per cent, and the Standing Facilities Corridor was adjusted to +50/-450 basis points around the Monetary Policy Rate.

The decision comes as Nigeria records its seventh consecutive month of declining inflation, which eased to 16.05 per cent in September 2025.