Banking
Unity Bank Begins Season 2 Unity Verve for Value Promo
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
One of the leading drivers in e-payment system, Unity Bank Plc, has flagged off the Season 2 of its Unity Verve for Value Promo, which offers to give out cash prizes and other material rewards to customers and verve card holders of the bank.
The Season 2 offer is a set of incentives that have been packaged as a reward scheme for deserving customers and active users of the verve debit card on electronic platforms such as POS and WEB.
A statement from the bank quoted the Managing Director/CEO of Unity Bank Plc, Mrs Tomi Somefun, as saying that the Season 2 promo offer is aimed at spreading out the benefits of the scheme to bring more verve card holders into the reward net. She stated that from July to December, 2018 scheduled for the duration of the promo, as much as 300 Unity Bank verve cards holders (ie 50 winners monthly) will receive cash gifts while 3,000 customers (ie 500 card holders monthly) will receive airtime top-up.
To qualify for the promo, Verve Card holders are required to transact on POS and Web channels to accumulate transaction counts, volume and value. At the end of every month, 50 customers with highest number of transactions will enjoy reward of N5, 000 worth of cash, while another 500 will be rewarded with airtime top up.
Also speaking on the promo, the General Manager, Product and Channels, Unity Bank Plc, Mr Bonaventure Okhaimo, urged customers, old and new, to take advantage of the offer and participate actively, adding that the Season 2 Unity Verve for Value Promo is well thought out to promote consumer lifestyle and e-commerce experience by encouraging customers’ uptake to transact more on the POS and Web channels.
He said that “apart from the Season 2 reward promo, the bank is interested in the customers accessing wide-ranging electronic solutions that will give them control, convenience and product experience as more and more Verve card holders make purchases on PoS and Web”.
According to him, Unity Bank is committed to ensuring ease, convenience and security in banking transactions for all its customers and its Verve Card holders which is accepted for payment for goods and services.
Mr Okhaimo said that the promo gives Verve Card holders the benefits of using their cards and getting rewarded for their commitment and patronage.
He further assured Cards holders that Verve Cards are very secure as cardholders are protected against fraud by providing two-factor authentication platform to help guard them across channels.
The Season 1 Unity Verve for Value Promo produced two star prize winners: Mr Ofurum Oscar Chidiebube (Owerri branch) and Mr Ojo Gbenga Oluwafemi (Ado Ekiti branch) who were rewarded with an all-expense paid trip to Ghana.
Verve is a Naira denominated card linked to customer’s savings, current or corporate account and used to settle purchases within Nigeria. It is a Chip and PIN secured debit Cards that offers customers with 24-hour access to funds on ATMs, POS, and WEB within Nigeria thereby reducing the risk and the inconvenience of carrying cash.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An initiative known as Nigeria Lightning Rounds, designed to expand funding opportunities for Nigerian startups and small businesses by connecting founders with local and international investors, has been launched by ProvidusUnity Bank, in partnership with US-based global venture firm and accelerator, gener8tor.
Scheduled to be held on July 15, 2026, Nigeria Lightning Rounds will feature carefully selected startups engaging with targeted investors who have expressed interest in supporting Nigerian innovation.
Participating founders will have the opportunity to pitch their businesses through focused 15-minute virtual sessions facilitated by gener8tor and ProvidusUnity Bank’s networks.
The program will focus on high-growth sectors including fintech, healthtech, manufacturing, sustainability, and AI, but welcomes SMEs from all industries, with intending participants urged to apply via https://www.gener8tor.com/lightning-rounds/nigeria.
“We recognise that access to capital remains one of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Through our partnership with gener8tor, we are creating a platform that connects promising Nigerian founders with investors who can provide the support required to scale their businesses,” the Head of Business Development at ProvidusUnity Bank, Mr Ernest Elue, stated.
“The partnership reinforces ProvidusUnity Bank’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by supporting innovation, enabling access to opportunities, and creating pathways for businesses with high-growth potential,” he added.
Also commenting, the Director of Lightning Rounds at gener8tor, Ms Elizabeth Larios, said, “gener8tor is thrilled to partner with ProvidusUnity Bank to extend the Lightning Rounds model into Nigeria.
“This collaboration reflects our commitment to building equitable ecosystems and driving capital to the most promising and underrepresented entrepreneurs.”
Lightning Rounds are a signature initiative of gener8tor’s investment platform, which has facilitated thousands of investor-startup meetings globally. The format is optimised to eliminate friction, reduce bias in early-stage fundraising, and help founders secure capital from investors aligned with their mission and stage. gener8tor’s previous Lightning Rounds for Nigerian Founders in 2025 featured 18 participating Investors and led to 50 investment meetings facilitated.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The verification of the depositors of the 46 microfinance banks, whose operating licenses were revoked by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over a week ago, has commenced.
The exercise, aimed at refunding those whose funds were trapped in the small lenders, is being conducted by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).
In a statement on Thursday, the agency said its staff members have been positioned at the offices of the affected banks across the country to attend to depositors.
It was disclosed that depositors of the defunct banks, who had their Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) linked to their accounts in the failed banks, will be paid through their alternative accounts in existing banks.
However, depositors whose BVNs were not linked to their accounts in the failed banks have been encouraged to visit the affected banks’ offices with proof of account ownership, a passport photograph, verifiable means of identification (Driver’s Licence, Permanent Voter’s Card, International Passport or National ID Card) and BVN.
NDIC also stated that depositors can alternatively file their claims online through its website: www.ndic.gov.ng, to complete the Pre-Verification Claims Form by clicking on the Search Bar, and typing Pre-Verification Claims Form; opening the Form and filling in their details. They can also do so by clicking the link: https://ndic.gov.ng/ndic-pre-verification-claims-form/ or by visiting any of the NDIC offices closest to them to file their claims.
For further enquiries, the corporation can be reached on any of the following lines: 09037273810, 09038197064, 08104220807, 09064657140.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s Bank Verification Number (BVN) enrolment has slowed significantly in 2026 following the introduction of a stricter regulatory framework by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), with the latest data from the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) showing that registrations are on course to fall well below last year’s record.
The BVN database stood at 69.55 million as of July 5, 2026, up from 69.32 million in June, indicating that only 228,947 new registrations were recorded over the period. Since the end of 2025, when the database stood at 67.8 million, total enrolments have increased by 1.75 million.
At the current pace, however, BVN registrations are unlikely to match the 4.3 million new enrolments recorded in 2025, suggesting a sharp deceleration in growth this year.
The slowdown comes after the CBN introduced a revised BVN regulatory framework in March, with the new rules taking effect on May 1, 2026. The framework tightened controls around enrolment, identity verification and fraud monitoring as part of efforts to strengthen the integrity of the banking system.
Among the key changes was the introduction of a minimum enrolment age of 18 years, effectively preventing minors from registering for a BVN.
The new framework also limits customers to a one-time change of the phone number linked to their BVN and requires financial institutions to place BVNs linked to suspected fraudulent transactions on a temporary watch-list for up to 24 hours while investigations are carried out.
The stricter rules contrast with last year’s surge in registrations, which was largely driven by the introduction of the Non-Resident Bank Verification Number (NRBVN) initiative that enabled Nigerians in the diaspora to complete BVN enrolment remotely, removing physical barriers and expanding access to the financial system.
Launched on February 14, 2014, the BVN scheme was introduced by the CBN in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee, NIBSS and German technology firm Dermalog to assign every bank customer a unique biometric identity that can be verified across Nigeria’s banking industry.
