E-Financial
World Bank Urges CBN to Sustain Inflation Control Measures

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) must sustain efforts to tackle inflation, according to Sameer Matta, senior economist for Nigeria at World Bank.
Matta, spoke at the recent launch of the 2025 macroeconomic outlook of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).
Nigeria’s inflation rose to 34.8 percent in December — up from 33.6 percent in November.
Speaking during a panel session at the event, Matta said the CBN must focus on taming inflation.
“I think what is critical in terms of inflation is to stay the course. I think that the central bank needs to continue to be focused on making sure that inflation is under control,” Matta said.
“Obviously, part of it is related to the supply side. What can be done to improve the yield on the agriculture side? What can be done to improve the link between rural and urban areas?
“There is the question of what can be done on the trade policy side. One would be to increase production locally, but that would take time.
“One of the things that can be done on the trade policy side is to think through which sectors could be targeted to allow some tariffs to be adjusted.”
Matta said the cost of not doing reforms is 2 percent of Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) for fuel subsidy and 2 percent of GDP for foreign exchange (FX) subsidy.
“That’s five percent of GDP, and that is extremely high,” he said.
“I would liken these reforms to someone with a hard medical condition who had to make tough choices.
“Let’s not forget that at some point in Nigeria, the debt service to revenue was 100 percent; now, the good news is that we are around 50 percent, and that is a big decline.
“The cost of reforms comes mainly from high inflation, and in the case of Nigeria specifically, food inflation is impacted by FX and the fact that lots of agricultural products are impacted by the price of petrol.
“That means the impact of these reforms is being felt by the most vulnerable.
“It is very important that the government continues on the reforms on social protection but also accelerates the roll-out of these cash transfers. It is more important to finance them over the future.
“It will be very important to continue to encourage the authorities to scale up and accelerate these interventions, which are time-bound and targeted at those who are really impacted and done through a digital way to avoid any potential misuse in the future.”
Also speaking on inflation, Christian Ebeke, Nigeria’s country representative at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), reiterated the need for coordination between the fiscal and monetary authorities.
He said it is important that efforts to bring inflation down by the fiscal authorities are done in the “context of better coordination”.
“For example, one of the key decisions that took place last year was the commitment by both the central bank and the fiscal authorities to strengthen coordination,” Ebeke said.
“We didn’t see Ways and Means accrue again as we have seen in the past year in Nigeria, and it was welcome.
“This is something that should bring inflation down by tightening financial conditions but also by reducing money in circulation.
“The other important thing for the fiscal authorities to do is to tackle any distribution consequences of the reforms that have been implemented.
“Naira reforms or the completion of the fuel subsidy removal. We know that these key reforms in Nigeria will have redistributive consequences on the most vulnerable, and they may not be able to cope.
“Fiscal authorities have a key role to play because the transmission lag of fiscal policies is shorter compared to monetary policies.
“So, issues of social protection are very important. That is how fiscal policies can complement what the monetary authorities are doing.”
On the ways and means, Ebeke said Nigeria should not have been in that position.
“Cleaning up this big problem is taking time, and the persistent effect of the Ways and Means on inflation and, in general terms, on financial conditions,” he said.
“The CBN is trying to mop up liquidity. Just the practice of having deficit monetisation, as has been practiced in Nigeria for years, is now over.
“Again, big congratulations to both the CBN and the fiscal authorities for curbing that.
“Now, when it comes to the securitisation of these, central banks around the world have a memorandum of understanding with the fiscal authorities on this type of liability management.
“The securitisation has the benefit of spreading out the maturities. Also, this has been done transparently, so this is good.”
According to Ebeke, with the independence and fiscal prudence of the CBN, the country ought not to experience macroeconomic pressure, as well as the effect on the parallel exchange rate and inflation.
E-Financial
TCL Launches ‘vetandpay’ to Combat Online Transaction Fraud

Tradewyse Concepts Limited (TCL), Nigeria-based technology solution provider has launched a product called “vetandpay” to address the issues of trust and fraud in online business transactions in the country.

Dr Kalu Ibe, founder and chief executive officer, Tradewyse Concepts Limited
Dr Kalu Ibe, founder and chief executive officer, Tradewyse Concepts Limited, stated that the software was proudly developed by a team of Nigerians.
Speaking at the product dedication ceremony in Abuja, Ibe explained that the app aims to reduce corruption by restoring trust and integrity. He added that it would inspire confidence in both business and the broader transactional environment in Nigeria.
“Today, I present vetandpay.ng, powered by Vetandpay Technologies Ltd, Africa’s foremost escrow company, a subsidiary of TCL,” Ibe said.
“What started as a spark two years ago is now shining brightly over Nigeria’s transactional space, bringing healing with its rays.”
He outlined the various escrow services offered, including auto purchase escrow, procurement escrow, service-based escrow, e-commerce escrow, and property escrow, with more services expected to be added.
Ibe emphasised that the service is available to Nigerians both at home and abroad, promising zero losses in all business transactions when using vetandpay.
Through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, TCL plans to initiate a comprehensive tech training programme for teenagers in Nigerian schools. Ibe highlighted that the initiative aims to equip young people with technological skills, preparing them to enter the digital economy and drive innovation.
Ntufam Ugbo, project director, commented that vetandpay is transforming the business landscape in Nigeria by building trust between buyers and sellers.
“What vetandpay does is act as a middleman between the buyer and the seller,” she said.
Mrs Rachel Samuel, head of Customer Service at vetandpay, described the platform as a secure payment solution designed to eliminate fraud in online transactions.
“Our basic goal is to address the issue of receiving something different from what was ordered,” she explained.
Referring to a report by the Federal Trade Commission, Samuel pointed out that consumers lost over 8.8 billion dollars to fraud in 2022, a 30 per cent increase from the previous year. She noted that with vetandpay, both parties to a business transaction could have peace of mind and zero losses.
She encouraged Nigerians to embrace the services provided by the platform by downloading the vetandpay app and using the technology to secure their transactions.
‘‘Today marks the beginning of a new era in secure online transactions. Whether you are a business owner, freelancer, or everyday buyer, vetandpay is here to protect your hard-earned money,” Samuel concluded.
E-Financial
FG Asks World Bank for Fresh $10.50m Loan to Enhance CBN Technical Capacity

Nigeria has approached the World Bank for a fresh $10.50m loan to enhance the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) technical capacity and modernise the country’s domestic payment infrastructure.

Olayemi Cardoso, Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria
According to information on the World Bank website on Thursday, the proposed CBN Technical Assistance Facility seeks to support integrating innovative technologies and data science into the CBN’s supervisory processes.
This is expected to help the apex bank tackle long-standing and emerging challenges in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving financial landscape while improving the domestic payment infrastructure for remittances.
The project, currently at the concept review stage, will focus on three key areas. Firstly, it aims to strengthen the CBN’s institutional capacity to keep pace with technological advancements through a robust governance framework, expert advisory support, peer-to-peer central bank exchanges, and modernisation of the CBN’s internal processes to align with the digital era.
Secondly, it will enhance the CBN’s supervisory capacity through technology and data improvements. This involves funding modern technical solutions, including Supervisory Technology systems, to improve data accuracy, operational efficiency, and risk-based supervision.
Thirdly, it aims to modernise domestic payment systems for remittances to improve their safety and reliability.
It will explore innovative methods to attract informal remittance flows into formal channels while conducting annual surveys on remittance households and fostering peer-to-peer learning for knowledge exchange.
According to the World Bank, the objective of this project is “to strengthen technology-enabled, data-driven, risk-based supervision at the CBN and improve domestic payment infrastructure for remittances in Nigeria.”
The project aligns with the government’s pursuit of a cashless economy and the increasing adoption of digital financial services in Nigeria.
The scheme, which has a commitment amount of $10.50m, is scheduled for board presentation approval on June 12, 2025. The implementing agency is the Central Bank of Nigeria.
E-Financial
Sterling Bank Makes Online Transfer Charges Free of Charge

Sterling Bank has called for the cancellation of bank transfer fees by major banks, announcing it will no longer take any money for itself for any local online transactions by its customers.
The announcement, made on April 1st, initially sparked widespread arguments, with many assuming it was a marketing prank tied to April Fools’ Day.
However, Sterling Bank, in a statement, has confirmed that it is not a stunt, that the zero-transfer-fee policy was real, and effective immediately.
With this move, Sterling becomes the first major Nigerian bank to take a definitive stand against the long-standing practice of charging customers for everyday digital transfers, an issue that has grown increasingly contentious as digital banking adoption deepens.
“We believe access to your own money shouldn’t come with a penalty,” said Obinna Ukachukwu, growth executive leading the Consumer and Business Banking Directorate, Sterling Bank
“This is more than a financial decision, it’s a values-based one. It reflects our commitment to making banking fair, inclusive, and truly customer focused.
“We’re not yet the biggest bank in Nigeria, but we’ve been the boldest,” Ukachukwu added.
“Sterling fearlessly believes in the future of Nigeria, and this is us backing Nigerians with more than words,” it sated.
Under the new policy, Sterling customers will enjoy free transfers for all local transactions conducted via the bank’s mobile app. This translates into significant savings, particularly for individuals and new small business owners who make frequent daily transfers.
The bank’s latest move has been met with widespread public approval, sparking positive reactions across social media and placing pressure on industry peers to follow suit.
We’re proud to lead this change,” Ukachukwu added. “We hope it inspires others to think differently about what customers truly need from their banks, not just in services, but in values.”
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