E-Financial
CBN Says OPay, Moniepoint, Others can Start Onboarding New Customers Soon
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said that mobile money operators including fintech firms like OPay, Palmpay, Kuda Bank, and Moniepoint will resume the enrolment of new customers “in another couple of months”.
Olayemi Cardoso, governor, stated this on Tuesday at the 295th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the apex bank in Abuja when the MPC jacked up interest rate from 24.75 per cent to 26. 25 per cent.
Cardoso, said the apex bank has engaged many of the players on the need to strengthen their operations.
He said to block money laundering and illicit flows, the apex bank brought up “remedial measures that will help that sector to tighten up on onboarding and even existing clientele base”.
“I am confident that as time goes on, and hopefully in another couple of months, all these will be something of the past and then you will see that sector going back into what they’ve been known to do before, but certainly with a very stronger regulatory framework,” he said.
In April, the apex bank stopped fintech companies from onboarding new customers, a move that has been seen as a clampdown on the financial sub-sector by the Cardoso-led CBN.
When asked why the apex bank took the decision, the CBN chief said reports that the CBN has decided to clamp down on fintech firms are “furthest from the truth”.
He said “the fintechs have not been singled out for any exceptional kind of treatment”, adding that the CBN remained proud of the exploits of fintech firms in the last number of year and the apex bank would continue to support and strengthen them.
“However, regulation is very critical in a sector that seems to have grown so incredibly rapidly,” Cardoso said, citing illicit flows within the sub-sector.
“More recently, we had course to take a deep dive look at the whole issue of illicit flows and money laundering particularly within the non-heavy regulated banking system and we all know some of the issues that came out with cryptos and some of the messages we put out after that, which of course, gave us some course to know that there is the need for heightened surveillance.”
He said the apex bank has had major handshake with security agencies to identify the places to tighten regulations and surveillance in the sub-sector.
Cardoso said, “For that reason, we were concerned with respect to how we saw the issue of anti-money laundering and illicit flows as they made their way within the various sub-sectors of the financial industry and we felt there was a need for us to take a breather and work with different players to strengthen regulations, not by any means to throw them out of business.
“Let me re-emphasise that as at this point in time, we have not revoked the licenses of any of the fintech organisations.”
E-Financial
CAC Moves Against Unregistered POS Operators as Deadline Expires
The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has begun moves to enforce its directive that Point of Sale (POS) operators should register with the commission.
The registration directive gave POS operators July 7, 2024 to September 5, 2024.
In a statement released by the Commission, the CAC said that it is now working closely with law enforcement agencies and other relevant stakeholders to develop and implement a robust enforcement and sanction framework.
This framework, according to the CAC, will not only target the shutdown of non-compliant businesses but could also involve more severe legal actions against defaulters.
The Commission expressed concern over the low level of compliance by POS operators, despite the large number of such businesses operating across the country.
They also commended those operators who adhered to the directive, noting their responsible approach to formalizing their operations.
“We are to make it clear that the Commission is working with Law Enforcement Agencies and other relevant stakeholders to deploy a comprehensive enforcement and sanction framework that may include not only possible shutdown but other severe legal Consequences,”
However, the Commission criticized what it termed “recalcitrant operators,” many of whom have either refused or failed to comply with the registration requirement.
The CAC suggested that some of these operators might be engaging in “unwholesome activities” or have other undisclosed reasons for resisting formalization.
As the CAC moves towards enforcement, it urges all unregistered POS operators to take immediate steps to formalize their businesses or face the consequences of their inaction.
Recall that in May 2024 the CAC announced that PoS agents have been given a deadline of July 7, 2024, to register their business.
Hussaini Magaji, Registrar-General of the CAC, who announced this said this was the agreement with the PoS operators after a meeting in Abuja.
According to him, the registrations also align with the legal requirements and the directives of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
He added that the action was equally backed by Section 863, Subsection 1 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, CAMA 2020 as well as the 2013 CBN guidelines on agent banking.
Magaji said the registration is aimed at safeguarding the businesses of fintechs and customers, strengthen the economy and tackle the surge in fraud in Nigeria’s financial industry.
The Commission also announced an extension of the mandatory registration for Fintech Operators to September 5, 2024.
It said the 60-day extension is to give sufficient time to operators particularly those in remote areas who might have encountered network challenges to register and continue with their businesses.
“The Corporate Affairs Commission wishes to notify Fintech Operators also known as Point of Sales Operators that the initial deadline of 7th July 2024 given for the registration of sole Agents, Super Agents, and Agents has been extended for sixty days beginning from 7th July 2024 to the 5th September 2024,” CAC said in the notice.
“This is to give sufficient time to Operators particularly those in remote areas who might have encountered network challenges to register and continue with their businesses.”
E-Financial
CBN Sells FX to BDCs @N1 580/$ to Boost Liquidity
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has approved the sale of dollars to bureau de change (BDC) operators at a rate of N1,580 per dollar.
In a circular signed by W.J Kanya, the acting director of the trade and exchange department, on Friday, September 6, the CBN stated that each BDC operator is eligible to purchase $20,000 in foreign exchange (FX).
The directive further stipulated that all BDCs are permitted to sell FX to eligible end-users at a margin of no more than 1 percent above the purchase rate set by the CBN.
The CBN also instructed interested and eligible BDCs to make their naira payments to the CBN deposit account numbers assigned to them.
It read; “This is to inform the Bureau De Change (BDC) Operators and the general public that we are providing more liquidity into the market. To this end, the CBN has approved the sale of US$20,000.00 to each eligible BDC at the rate of N1,580/$.
“This is to meet the demand for invisible transactions. Also, payment confirmation and all necessary documentation for disbursement are to be submitted at the appropriate CBN branches – (Abuja, Awka, Kano and Lagos) for collection of the US$20,000.00.”
E-Financial
SEC Introduces eFiling System to Reduce Listing Time
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has said that it has introduced various initiatives to reduce time to market with the aim of improving the efficiency and attractiveness of the Nigerian capital market, promote economic growth and development.
Dr. Emomotimi Agama, director general, SEC, who stated this, said these initiatives include streamlined registration processes, introduction of an electronic filing system and enhanced regulatory frameworks among others.
Agama emphasized that shorter time to market can benefit capital market development in several ways like increased liquidity which will lead to faster listing allowing companies to access capital more quickly, increased liquidity in the market and enable companies to allocate resources more efficiently, thereby driving economic growth.
He stated: “Shorter time to market will also improve investor confidence because when the listing processes are efficient, it can enhance investor trust and confidence in the market. A shorter time to market can make a jurisdiction more attractive to companies and investors, promoting competition and growth’’.
Explaining further, he said, “The Commission has been actively digitizing its operations, including the submission and processing of applications for securities registration, to reduce delays caused by manual processes. This involved the use of electronic platforms for document submissions and approvals, which not only speeds up the process but also improves transparency.
“We have undertaken regulatory reforms aimed at simplifying and streamlining the approval processes. These reforms include updating rules and regulations to reflect current market realities and adopting international best practices that enhance efficiency. For instance, the Commission introduced checklist review for registration of fixed income securities, thereby shortening the review and approval timelines. The Commission launched and conducted a targeted bi-annual training for Issuing Houses to enhance time to market and fast-track review of applications”.
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