9 Payment Service Bank (9PSB), Nigeria’s digital payment service bank, focused on financial inclusion has encouraged the growth and development of more Information Technological startups by sponsoring the just concluded Kano TechPrenuer Conference. A Tech entrepreneur gathering held at Meena Event Centre, Lodge Road, Kano.

The flagship event, which was organized by IMH Global with the theme: Empowering Tomorrow: Innovating in the Digital Space, aimed at bringing together tech enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, and innovators to explore emerging trends, share insights, and enhance networking opportunities within the technology ecosystem, with a focus on fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.

Speaking during his presentation, Akeem Salam, Group Head Business Development and Strategy, 9 Payment Service Bank (9PSB), highlighted the huge contributions of technology and its innovations to different fields of human endeavors, how it has transformed the way operations and services are being rendered especially in finance and banking sector.

Today, banking services are all digitalized, which has paved way for the emergence of financial technology companies and payment service banks to operates seamlessly and drive financial services to the banked and the unbanked in every nook and cranny of the country; as well as facilitate financial inclusion for all Nigerians leveraging on mobile technology and communication.

‘’We have made tremendous efforts by contributing to closing the gap in financial inclusion by delivering our services to various market segments with our tailor- made products and services such as our virtual accounts, Bank9ja mobile App, USSD services, PoS services to merchants, ever dependable agency banking; driven by our Service Location Partners and bills payment as a service made easier once you have our platform available on your mobile devices. In addition, we collaborate with other industry players to ensure we deliver on our mandate.

“Remember, collaboration is indispensable as it opens opportunities in the industry by helping the journey to be a smooth ride. Therefore, we have been partnering financial service providers to ensure we leave no stone unturned. Our products and services are flexible and user-friendly, pricing and charges are of industry standard, Akeem added.”

‘’Asides from delivering seamless payment services, the Central Bank of Nigeria also mandate us to drive financial literacy, to ensure that basic financial education is extended to both young and adult Nigerians. This of course, we have been doing through our diverse services and programmes.

“We will continue to support the development, growth and innovations of startups and tech initiatives as this will impact the society greatly. Therefore, I enjoin you all to be focused and committed in your career and businesses,” he remarked.

Kano TechPrenuer Conference is an annual gathering of enthusiastic individuals in the tech industry. The event brought together IT consultants, web developers, social media marketers/managers, affiliate marketers to interact, upskill, collaborate, and chart the way forward. The event served as a nexus for innovation, providing a space for learning, networking, and exploring the latest trends and strategies in the tech entrepreneurial ecosystem within Kano State.

Femi Falana, SAN, has said that the recently imposed 0.5 per cent cybersecurity levy is not meant for individuals.

Femi Falana

Falana made this known in a statement, saying the circular of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), wrongly interpreted the provisions of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act 2024.

According to the senior lawyer, “The CBN should also apologise to Nigerians for the misleading interpretation of the unambiguous provisions of Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act 2024,”.

Public outcry has greeted the introduction of 0.5 per cent levy on the value of all electronic transactions, by the federal government

According to the announcement, the levy was to be remitted to the National Cybersecurity Fund, overseen by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).

Falana said though the said levy is payable by the businesses listed in the second schedule to the principal Act, the CBN wrongly directed all financial institutions to apply the levy at the point of electronic transfer origination.

“The erroneous interpretation might have arisen from the substitution of ‘businesses’ for ‘business’ in the amendment.

For the avoidance of doubt, by Section 42(a) of the Cybercrime Act 2025 as amended, the businesses which are required to pay the levy are GSM service providers and all telecommunications companies; Internet service providers; banks and other financial institutions; insurance companies; and the Nigerian Stock Exchange,” Falana said.

Wema Bank has launched CoopHub, a new digital solution for Cooperative Societies at a ceremony held on Friday, to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the bank.

CoopHub, the first of its kind in the Nigerian banking industry, is a digital platform designed strategically to transform the way Cooperative Societies operate by providing tailored solutions that bridge the gaps in the traditional framework of Cooperative Societies.

The unique platform insulates Cooperative Societies against prevalent struggles like manual recordkeeping, limited access to loans, poor communication, insecurity, and other restrictions, supporting them with the solutions needed to not only mitigate these problems but also operate with the utmost efficiency.

With CoopHub, leaders of Cooperative Societies can manage every aspect of their community’s operations from a simplified dashboard accessible on their phones, seamlessly managing their Cooperative Society’s finances, communication, member records, analytics and every other detail in real time and on the go.

Members of the Cooperative Societies also enjoy increased access to loans, seamless contribution tracking, secure transactions, and easy communication with the leaders.

Essentially, CoopHub helps Cooperative Societies maintain 100% transparency, reliability, and security, with the option of white labelling for a customised experience.

Disclosing the Bank’s motive for creating CoopHub, Moruf Oseni, Wema Bank’s MD/CEO, highlighted the Bank’s commitment to innovation and customer-centricity.

“Cooperative Societies have many pain points. As a bank that is committed to empowering lives through innovation, we examined the end-to-end value chain of Cooperative Societies and launched CoopHub to provide solutions that address the pains and headaches in the Cooperative Society experience for both the leaders of these communities and the members.

CoopHub is the future of Cooperative Societies and we have designed every detail to address the needs of every player in the Cooperative Society ecosystem and empower these communities for optimal productivity,” he said.

Delving into the unique features of CoopHub, Solomon Ayodele, Wema Bank’s Head of Innovation, added, “CoopHub is taking Cooperatives to an era where conflicts, stressful physical meetings, mistrust, inadequate capital, poor recordkeeping and inefficient governance are all a thing of the past.

With a digitised database for all records, a dedicated User Management section for leaders to manage members efficiently, a transparent overview of contributions for both leaders and members, seamless communication framework that allows for easy planning of meetings and events, and a host of other unique features, CoopHub truly is the solution that every Cooperative Society needs.

To promote community and financial security, CoopHub also offers a three-factor authentication system that ensures that every withdrawal from the Cooperative Society’s account is subject to an approval of three members of the Cooperative Society, including the Admin.

We have been very intentional with CoopHub and I encourage every Cooperative Society to come on board and experience the future of Cooperative Societies through CoopHub”, Ayodele concluded.

CoopHub is now live and open to every Cooperative Society across the world.

This futuristic solution is set to not only empower Nigerian lives with increased access to their needs through Cooperative Societies, but also revolutionise Cooperative Society operations for the best.