Economy
CBN Unveils Regulation for Payment of Bills in Nigeria
By Dipo Olowookere
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has unveiled regulations for the payment of bills in the country, explaining that the move was to document the minimum standards that must be complied with for the processing of bill payment transactions.
In a circular released on its website at the weekend, the apex also stressed that the regulation is also to identify stakeholders in bill payment system space, ensure achievement of the vision of a ‘nationally utilized and international recognized’ payments system in Nigeria as well as to ensure adequate protection for the stakeholders in the bill payment system space.
According to the central bank, “Any person or entity desirous of operating a bill payment platform shall apply to the CBN for a license or be integrated to a duly licensed PSP.”
In addition, “All Inter-Bank transactions initiated and authorized on the bill payment platform shall be cleared via the Nigeria Clearing System and settled via Real Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS).”
Likewise, “Each component payment method implemented on the platform shall be in accordance with the rules issued by Central Bank of Nigeria to guide the conduct of market activities for relevant payment channels.”
On the operational procedure, the apex bank said, “There shall be a Service Level Agreement (SLA) executed between the platform provider and the Biller, as a condition for on-boarding,” which “shall provide the terms for engagement, roles and responsibilities of the parties, minimum service delivery commitments, obligations of the parties and penalties, as applicable.”
The CBN further said, “SLAs shall be reviewed periodically to ensure alignment with industry/regulatory changes, or appropriate provisions made to take cognizance of mandatory changes that may come into play after implementation.”
It noted that the minimum commitments to service availability would be defined and incorporated in the Dispute Resolution System (DRS) and SLA, and properly communicated to the users of the service.
The bank said transaction status upon completion must be sent by the biller to the payer and a procedure shall be in place for change management and shall include major releases, maintenance calendars and conditions for emergency upgrades and notification process.
On the dispute resolution system (DRS), the apex bank said payments shall be final and irrevocable and be consistent with the provision of the circular on the Statement of Payments Finality.
“All requests for refunds/recalls shall be via a dispute resolution system or other supplementary rules that guide the operations of the relevant payment method.
“Service Providers shall make an automated dispute resolution platform available to facilitate seamless resolution of complaints.
“Disputes arising from Bills Payment transactions shall be resolved amicably amongst the parties in line with the provisions of the guidelines on Operations of Electronic Payment Channels in Nigeria,” the CBN said.
It disclosed that, “Each platform shall be able to receive payment for multiple billers, clear transactions and settle such transactions through existing settlement mechanisms.”
On the scope of the regulations, the central bank said it covers bill payments on various payment channels and any payment platform that seeks to integrate the payment side of commercial activity and merchant aggregators in Nigeria.
“The payment methods include Cheques, Cards, Direct Debit, Instant Payments, and Automated Clearing House, etc,” it said.
Economy
BNB Price Reflects Changing Dynamics in the Digital Asset Market
Economy
NASD Unlisted Security Index Crosses 4,000-point Benchmark Again
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange achieved a milestone on Friday, April 24, 2026, after five securities on the platform helped with a 1.85 per cent growth.
Data showed that the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) again crossed the 4,000-point benchmark yesterday.
The index chalked up 73.64 points during the trading day to close at 4,052.59 points compared with the preceding session’s 3,978.95 points, while the market capitalisation added N5.38 billion to finish at N2.424 trillion versus Thursday’s closing value of N2.380 trillion.
The price gainers were led by Okitipupa Plc, which grew by N25.00 to sell at N305.00 per share compared with the previous price of N280.00 per share. Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc gained N6.92 to close at N76.26 per unit versus N69.34 per unit, Afriland Properties Plc appreciated by N1.00 to N17.00 per share from N18.00 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc improved by 55 Kobo to N99.55 per unit from N99.00 per unit, and Food Concepts Plc increased by 5 Kobo to N2.70 per share from N2.65 per share.
However, there was a price loser, MRS Oil, which dipped by N21.75 to N195.75 per unit from N217.50 per unit.
During the final session of the week, the value of securities jumped 75.2 per cent to N41.3 million from N23.6 million units, and the number of deals expanded by 62.9 per cent to 44 deals from 27 deals, while the volume of securities declined marginally by 0.9 per cent to 447,403 units from 451,522 units.
At the close of trades, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc was the most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units traded for N1.2 billion.
GNI was also the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 59.6 million units transacted for N4.0 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units exchanged for N1.9 billion.
Economy
Naira Slips to N1,358/$1 as FX Reserves, Policy Uncertainty Concerns
By Adedapo Adesanya
It was not a good day for the Nigerian Naira in the currency market on Friday, April 24, as its value depreciated against the major foreign currencies at the close of transactions.
In the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), it lost N4.53 or 0.33 per cent against the United States Dollar yesterday to trade at N1,358.44/$1, in contrast to the N1,353.91/$1 it was exchanged on Thursday.
Equally, the domestic currency slipped against the Pound Sterling in the official market during the session by N8.14 to close at N1,834.02/£1, compared with the previous rate of N1,825.88/£1 and dropped N8.01 against the Euro to sell at N1,590.73/€1 versus N1,582.72/€1.
Also, the Naira depreciated against the US Dollar at the GTBank FX desk on Friday by N4 to quote at N1,370/$1 compared with the previous session’s N1,366/$1, and at the parallel market, it depleted by N5 to settle at N1,380/$1 versus the preceding day’s N1,375/$1.
Data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicated that NFEM interbank turnover surged to N43.562 million across 68 deals, up from N28.117 million the previous day.
Despite the CBN’s reassurance that the recent drop in external reserves is not worrisome, the market remains unsettled by persistent concerns over liquidity constraints, policy transparency, and weakening confidence in Nigeria’s FX market as gross reserves continue to decline to $48.4 billion.
The outlook for the Dollar appears supported by broader macro risks, including elevated oil prices tied to the tanker traffic disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and a continued US-Iran standoff over ceasefire negotiations.
A look at the digital currency market showed that investors are sitting on the edge as the US Dollar rebounded amid geopolitical and inflation risks despite continued inflows into US spot bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
Solana (SOL) rose by 1.2 per cent to sell $86.45, Cardano (ADA) appreciated by 1.1 per cent to $0.2517, Dogecoin (DOGE) grew by 0.9 per cent to $0.0989, Ripple (XRP) improved by 0.3 per cent to $1.43, Ethereum (ETH) soared by 0.2 per cent to $2,316.83, and Binance Coin (BNB) chalked up 0.1 per cent to sell for $637.44.
However, TRON (TRX) depreciated by 1.3 per cent to $0.3235, and Bitcoin (BTC) lost 0.2 per cent to close at $77,562.27, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00 each.
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