E-Financial
Transforming Dispute-resolution Process in Banks Require Blockchain Technology – Uche Elendu
With the increased rate of fraud and dispute claims between customers and financial institutions across Nigeria, Uche Elendu, Co-founder and COO of Appzone has made the call for the adoption of blockchain technology to not only decentralise the process of moving money from one bank to the other but to help increase the level of visibility and transparency of the procedure.
Uche Elendu shared this thought during his presentation at the recently concluded Digital Pay Expo summit – a two-day event, sponsored by Appzone, which sought to discuss the possibility of accessing finance without a third party across the African continent through Decentralized Finance (DeFi).
As more Nigerians get financially included, customers have continued to move away from cash and checks toward electronic payments. This trend is a positive development for banks and the central bank of Nigeria (CBN); however, as card and online transactions grow, so does the number of disputable transactions and the incidence of fraud, putting pressure on dispute processes.
Speaking about the adoption of blockchain technology to foster a speedy payment settlement process, Uche Elendu, said “Financial institutions across the continent have continued to evolve, leveraging technology. They have metamorphosed from the days of a heavy analogue process to a more digitized era, and with the continuous increase in the volume of banking transactions,
“It remains pertinent to continuously adopt newer and more sophisticated technology infrastructure to remain dependable, especially with payment settlements.
“For us at Appzone, we are firm believers in blockchain technology. Its decentralized nature not only makes it faster, cheaper, and transparent but also makes it sophisticated enough to enable real-time settlement”.
Speaking further, Uche said “Having rolled out Zone – Africa’s first blockchain platform for payment processing in 2021, partner banks who have onboarded with us have seen a drastic change in their payment settlement process. Zone’s innovative architecture will reduce complaints from customers and provide banks with an opportunity to deliver delightful experiences on payment channels while also driving down costs”.
Developed in line with Appzone’s recent evolution into a payment infrastructure company, Zone is Africa’s first decentralized payment network that allows inter-bank transactions to be processed directly between banks on the Blockchain without the involvement of any intermediary.
With Zone, players in the industry should expect a reliable and scalable payment network that enables frictionless and instant payments, within and between every African country.
Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has said that it has obtained Winding up Orders for 96 out of 183 microfinance and primary mortgage banks whose licenses were revoked by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in May 2023.
Bello Hassa, managing director, NDIC, stated this at a sensitisation seminar for Judges of the Federal High Court in Lagos organised by the NDIC, to enlighten the judiciary on the intricacies of the banking industry.
Hassan said, “As at date, the Corporation had obtained Winding up Orders for 96 out of 183 Micro Finance and Primary Mortgage Banks whose licenses were revoked by the CBN in May 2023, in less than one Year of revocation.”
He added that the NDIC was committed to fulfilling its mandate of protecting depositors through bank supervision, failure resolution and liquidation so as to boost confidence in the financial system.
Speaking on the role that the judiciary plays in the fulfillment of the mandate, Hassan said, “We recognise the judiciary as one of our critical stakeholders. With this, when cases are brought before them, they can receive accelerated hearing and proclamation of Justice.”
Citing some of the achievements from previous editions of the seminar, Hassan said that instances where liquidation-related litigations experienced delays were reduced.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has withdrawn its earlier circular directing financial institutions to implement the national 0.5 per cent cyber security levy after the policy was largely resisted.
The withdrawal of the circular was announced via a statement signed by Haruna Mustafa, director, Financial Policy and Regulation, Department and Chibuzo Efobi, director, Payment System Management Department.
The apex bank confirmed the suspension in a circular issued on May 17, 2024 with reference number PSMD/DIR/PUB/LAB/017/005 addressed to commercial banks, mobile money operators, and other financial institutions.
In an earlier circular issued on May 6, 2024 with reference PSMD/DIR/PUB/LAB/017/004, the bank mandated financial institutions to charge a 0.5 per cent levy on all electronic transactions.
President Bola Tinubu last week ordered the suspension of the National Cybersecurity levy.
The Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) has called for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) guidance and collaboration in harmonising the peer-to-peer forex sector in the country.
At an official courtesy visit to the newly appointed SEC Director-General, Dr. Timi Agama, the President of Association of Bureau de Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Aminu Gwadabe, who congratulated the SEC D-G on his appointment, observed that SEC regulates the sector that continues to threaten the existence of BDCs in Nigeria through online virtual transactions platforms which give access to millions of Nigerians to trade in foreign exchange without trace and accountability.
He also explained that ABCON has invested in requisite technology to ensure the continued existence of the business and the preservation of the integrity of the sub-sector, stressing that the future of BDC’s business was digital currency. The ABCON boss said that the meeting with the SEC DG and his executive board was a follow up to an earlier online virtual consultation.
Gwadabe explained that ABCON, the umbrella body for all licensed retail foreign exchange dealers, was established in 1991 to liaise with regulators, relevant stakeholders and security agencies for a transparent retail end forex market.
Gwadabe said: “As at today, there are over 34 million Nigerians dealing in digital currency and the number is rising by about nine percent with a huge market of $9 billion annually. There are thousands of multichannel virtual currency FX platforms and none is indigenous to Nigeria, adding that P2P represents individual-to-individual transaction.
“To automate the entire foreign exchange retail market, ABCON has partnered with the Commodities Exchange Board in building the platform knowing that they have sources of foreign exchange. ABCON is willing to work with SEC towards achieving full automation of the retail end of the foreign exchange market in Nigeria.
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