Connect with us

Economy

Banks to Charge N50 Monthly from ATM Card Users from May 1

Published

on

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has disclosed that from May 1, 2017, banks operating in the country can now charge N50 monthly from customers using the Naira debit/credit cards as maintenance fee.

The CBN made this disclosure in a circular titled ‘Guide to Charges by Banks and Other Financial Institutions in Nigeria 2017’ with reference number FPR/DIR/GEN/CIR/06/017.

In the circular released on Friday and signed by its Director of Financial Policy & Regulation Department, Mr Kevin Amugo, the banking industry regulator said banks can also charge $20 or its equivalent for similar service on foreign currency denominated debit/credit cards.

Mr Amugo, in the circular obtained by Business Post, explained that the Guide to Bank Charges issued in 2013 sought to reflect developments in the financial market, provide clarity on the banking terms, and reduce ambiguity in loan transactions.

However, he said the need to address the absence of a tariff regime for other financial institutions in Nigeria, enhance transparency in the operations of the guide, and align the provisions to current realities, have necessitated further review of the guide as clamoured by a broad spectrum of stakeholders.

“The review was expanded to incorporate the concerns of both operators and users of financial services in Nigeria.

“The reviewed guide provides for charges on various products and services than banks, other financial institutions and mobile payment operators offer to their customers.

“Banks, other financial institutions and mobile payments operators are required to present any other product, service and/or charge not covered by the guide to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for prior written approval.

“The guide to is hereby issued and takes from May 1, 2017. It replaces Guide to Bank Charges that came into effect on April 2013,” Mr Amugo said.

He said for electronic funds transfer, the CBN has approved N50 fee for transaction below N10 million, same with transactions above N10 million.

The apex bank also retained the N65 for ATM transactions after the third withdrawal within the same month on other banks’ ATM.

It also said banks should not charge more than N1000 (one-off) for ATM debit/credit card issuance, same rate for replacement and renewal.

Concerning transaction alerts, banks should not charge “not more than N4/SMS. (Fees on alerts are restricted to only customer-induced transactions),” warning that “all associated notifications relating to a particular transaction should be consolidated into a single SMS alert.”

It explained that “where a customer opts not to receive SMS alert, the customer should issue an indemnity (for losses that may arise as a result) to the bank.”

The CBN said for Current Account Maintenance Fee (CAMF), such can be “negotiable subject to a maximum of N1 per mille.”

It explained that this is applicable to current accounts ONLY in respect of customer-induced debit transactions to third parties and debit transfers/lodgements to the customer’s account in another bank.

However, the CAMF is not applicable to Savings Accounts.

The circular said for Savings Account, the interest rate would be a minimum of 30 percent (MPR p.a.), but not applicable if a customer makes more than four withdrawals in a month.

For the full guideline, read Here

Modupe Gbadeyanka is a fast-rising journalist with Business Post Nigeria. Her passion for journalism is amazing. She is willing to learn more with a view to becoming one of the best pen-pushers in Nigeria. Her role models are the duo of CNN's Richard Quest and Christiane Amanpour.

Economy

NASD Exchange Falls 0.22% After Investors Lose N4.8bn

Published

on

NASD securities exchange

By Adedapo Adesanya

The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange weakened by 0.22 per cent on Tuesday, April 28, with the market capitalisation down by N4.8 billion to N2.420 trillion from N2.425 trillion, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) down by 9.01 points to 4,044.96 points from 4,053.97 points.

During the session, the price of Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc went down by N1.82 to N767.05 per share from N78.87 per share, while FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc appreciated by N1.90 to N100.00 per unit from N98.10 per unit.

According to data, the value of trades increased by 265.7 per cent to N27.1 million from N7.4 million units, and the volume of transactions surged by 305.2 per cent to 1.3 million units from 319,831 units, while the number of deals decreased by 6.9 per cent to 27 deals from 29 deals.

Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with the sale of 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 59.8 million units exchanged for N4.0 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units traded for N1.9 billion.

GNI Plc also finished as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with a turnover of 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units transacted for N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units sold for N1.2 billion.

Continue Reading

Economy

Naira Crashes to N1,380/$ at Official Market, N1,390/$1 at Black Market

Published

on

forex black market

By Adedapo Adesanya

Pressure is beginning to mount on the Nigerian Naira in the different segments of the foreign exchange (FX) market despite an oil windfall triggered by the Middle East crisis.

On Monday, April 27, the domestic currency further weakened against the United States Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) by N16.47 or 1.2 per cent to N1,380.71/$1 from the previous day’s N1,364.24/$1.

It was not different against the Pound Sterling in the same market window, as it lost N16.04 to trade at N1,863.76/£1 versus Monday’s closing rate of N1,847.72/£1, and against the Euro, it slipped by N12.72 to close at N1,615.01/€1 versus N1,602.29/€1.

The Naira also depreciated against the Dollar at the black market yesterday by N5 to quote at N1,390/$1 compared with the previous price of N1,385, and at the GTBank forex counter, it further crashed by N9 to settle at N1,379/$1 compared with the preceding session’s N1,370/$1.

The continued decline of the Naira comes as traders increasingly seek other safe-haven currencies amid continued global disruptions.

The benefit awash in the global market is making foreign portfolio investors stay short in Nigerian markets. Despite this, the daily FX publication released showed that interbank turnover rose to $98.829 million across 78 deals, up from $76.65 million.

Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market remained cautious, with Bitcoin (BTC) trading at $77,216.66 despite surging oil prices and geopolitical tensions over a potential extended US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Analysts say the supply overhang has finally dried up, and the sellers who were spooked by macro shifts or quantum fears have already exited, leaving the market much thinner on the sell-side.

Investors will await decisions made by central banks this week. The US Federal Reserve will announce its rate decision later on Wednesday, while the European Central Bank (ECB) follows on Thursday.

Ethereum (ETH) gained 1.5 per cent to trade at $2,324.59, Dogecoin (DOGE) chalked up 1.4 per cent to sell for $0.1016, Solana (SOL) appreciated by 0.6 per cent to $84.85, Cardano (ADA) grew by 0.5 per cent to $0.2483, and Binance Coin (BNB) advanced by 0.2 per cent to $627.15.

However, TRON (TRX) depreciated by 0.6 per cent to $0.3224, and Ripple (XRP) lost 0.03 per cent to sell at $1.39, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) were unchanged at $1.00 each.

Continue Reading

Economy

Oil up 3% as Hormuz Disruption Outweighs UAE OPEC Exit

Published

on

Oil Licensing Round

By Adedapo Adesanya

Oil was up by nearly 3 per cent on Tuesday as persistent worries about supply constraints from the closed Strait of Hormuz continued, with Brent futures for June rising by $3.03 or 2.8 per cent to $111.26 a barrel, and the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures growing by $3.56 or 3.7 per cent to $99.93 a barrel.

An earlier round of negotiations between the United States and Iran collapsed last week after face-to-face talks failed.

Ship-tracking data showed significant disruptions in the region, with six Iranian oil tankers forced to turn back due to the US blockade, but some traffic is still moving.

Prices trimmed some of the advances after the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the fourth-largest producer in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), said on Tuesday it would exit the group on this Friday, May 1, 2026.

This dealt a blow to the oil-exporting group and its de facto leader, Saudi Arabia.

The UAE could quickly ⁠add between 1 million and 1.5 million barrels per day of output. However, with the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, analysts said that there’s nowhere for that supply to go.

The UAE joined OPEC in 1967, but tension with Saudi Arabia over production quotas has been building for years.

Under the OPEC+ deal, the country has been held to roughly 3 million barrels per day while sitting on capacity above 4 million. It has been pushing toward 5 million barrels per day by 2027, and that target is hard to achieve with quotas built around someone else’s view of the market.

The war in Yemen broke whatever was left of diplomatic patience.

President Donald Trump said he was unhappy with the latest Iranian proposal to end the war. The proposal would avoid addressing the nuclear programme until hostilities cease and Gulf shipping disputes are resolved.

The Idemitsu Maru, ‌a Panama-flagged ⁠tanker carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi oil, and an LNG tanker managed by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) crossed the Strait on Tuesday, shipping data showed.

Vortexa data showed that the amount of crude oil held around the world on tankers that have been stationary for at least seven days rose to 153.11 million barrels as of April 24.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated that crude oil inventories in the United States fell by 1.79 million barrels in the week ending April 24. The official data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) will be released later on Wednesday.

Continue Reading

Trending