E-Financial
Banks, Environment Fuel High Interest Rate- CBN
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has accused banks in the country of fueling the high interest rate ghost killing employment creation drive and generally haunting the country, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek can report.
Mr. Tunde Lemo, deputy governor, Operations of the apex bank, said, that the banks are unconsciously passing part of the high cost of operating financial institutions on borrowers.
Lemo, speaking to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek on the sidelines of the one-day forum organised by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in collaboration with InterSwitch Limited for manufacturers and retail marketers, he said that banks battle stressful operational issues, particularly the infrastructural deficits that have been the bane of businesses in Nigeria.
He said: “It is the infrastructural factors, in such that if I were in Europe with a branch of a bank I will not burden my head about generators; neither will I be burdened about the number of security men to engage.
“I have my hand made, because the area is already secured. We can go on and on as far as infrastructure is concerned. It is because of the infrastructural deficit that made banking very expensive in Nigeria. However, there are legacy issues. Government is dealing with the infrastructure, particularly Mr. President’s transformation agenda.
“We are dressing that very seriously and we are expectants that soonest we are going to see better infrastructure around us. Until that happens, of course, we have to understand why interest rate is high.
“We are also using moral situation to urge the banks to tune down their profit motives which is why convinced them to drop the maximum COT charges from 5% to 3% with a commitment also that in the next 5 years it disappears from the customers books. I think we are heading in the right direction and things will get better as we go”.
The CBN’s Deputy Governor, Operations, reiterated that the apex bank would continue to provide soft landing for the banks and other sectors through deliberate policies to fan down inflation in Nigeria.
Speaking further on the light of cashless policy and e-payment systems in Nigeria, Lemo, said that prior to now only 2% of payment activities go through electronic channel.
“Today, it is approaching 20 million and we can imagine that from Point of Sales (PoS) we are having transaction value of over half of billion daily, numbering upto 40,000. Is that were we should be? No, I think we can still rant it up rapidly, which is the reason we are extending the frontiers to six other locations. We are dealing with the challenges and we are working with other stakeholders to ensure Nigerians embrace cashless policy better than we have done so far,” he added.
But Dipo Sonowo, an economist told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek that the CBN had no excuses for failing to reign in the excesses of financial institutions which lend arbitrarily.
According to Sonowo, CBN’s monetary policy direction and the fiscal policy objectives of the executive branch of government must be in harmony to avoid conflict in the product of their respective actions.
He said that the high interest rates was induced by CBN’s policies to deflate the real sector and therefore must not blame any bank for the skyrocketing rates.
Only recently, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, minister of Finance, said that the current regime of interest rates in the country was too high for the productive sector of the economy.
Speaking while inspecting a cold rolling mill facility in Ilorin, Kwara state, Okonjo-Iweala, described the 20 percent lending rate being charged by commercial banks on loans obtained by industries as outrageous.
But CBN’s body posture suggested that it is more concerned with managing inflation than controlling the spiraling rates.
For instance, the CBN monetary policy committee has kept monetary policy rate at 12 percent in the bid to tame perceived threat of inflation.
Monetary policy rate is the barometer that swings the direction of interest rate in an economy.
E-Financial
Ecobank Nigeria to Fully Repay $300m Eurobond Ahead of Schedule

Ecobank Nigeria has moved to retire the remaining part of its $300 million Eurobond before maturity. The bank has launched a tender offer for holders of its 7.125% senior notes due February 2026.

The bank announced the offer on Friday, 28 November 2025, inviting investors to tender their holdings ahead of schedule. Of the original $300 million issuance, $150 million remains outstanding.
Under the terms, investors whose notes are accepted for repurchase will receive $1,000 for every $1,000 in principal, plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including, the settlement date. The transaction is expected to be completed on or before 31 December 2025.
Ecobank said the early repayment move is part of a broader strategy to optimise its balance sheet and strengthen capital planning flexibility. The lender added that the tender offer gives investors an opportunity to exit the instrument ahead of the original February 2026 maturity.
In a statement, the bank said the initiative underscores its “commitment to transparent engagement with funding partners and investors,” stressing that the offer supports its long-term goal of maintaining a well-structured debt profile.
Participation in the programme is voluntary, and investors will make decisions based on their individual considerations, the bank added.
Ecobank emphasised that the announcement is for information only and does not constitute an offer to buy or sell securities. Eligible noteholders are expected to rely on the formal tender documents when deciding whether to take part.
E-Financial
Reps Give Banks Four-Day Ultimatum on Tax Deductions, Charges

The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating deductions of taxes and sundry charges from the earnings of civil and public servants has given commercial banks a four-day deadline to submit all requested documents.

House of Rep
The committee, chaired by Hon. Kelechi Nwogwu, issued the ultimatum at the commencement of its investigation, following a motion earlier moved by the House Chief Whip, Hon. Usman Bello Kumo, on alleged deductions from civil servants’ salaries.
Nwogwu insisted that Chief Executive Officers of affected financial institutions must appear in person before the panel, rejecting representatives sent by GT Bank, Zenith Bank, Access Bank and other banks.
He explained that the panel was mandated to ensure that all deductions of charges by banks on customers’ accounts were fair and properly applied.
The committee disclosed that invitations had also been extended to the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and all commercial banks operating in Nigeria.
“You cannot appear here without an identity. We are here on the mandate of the people who elected us into parliament. We have resolved to meet next week on Wednesday.
“You must submit all requested documents by Monday, May 1,” Nwogwu said.
He warned that any bank that failed to comply with the deadline would face sanctions, adding that the committee would put the CEOs on oath during the next sitting.
The investigation continues next week.
E-Financial
SEC Urges IST to Freeze all CBEX Bank Accounts in Nigeria

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has asked the Investments and Securities Tribunal (IST) to order the freezing of all bank accounts belonging to Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) and other defendants held in commercial banks and financial institutions across Nigeria.

The request was made in Suit No. IST/OA/02/2025: Securities and Exchange Commission & Anor v. Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) & 25 Others, the first case before the 6th Tribunal presided over by Hon. Aminu Jinaidu, Chairman of the IST.
SEC also urged the Tribunal to seize houses and other assets allegedly acquired by the defendants using proceeds obtained from the public through the CBEX investment scheme, which it said falsely operated as a digital assets platform and capital-market operator.
The Commission argued that CBEX, which is not registered with SEC, unlawfully promised investors a 100 percent return on investment within 30 days—conduct it said is in violation of Section 3(b) of the Investments and Securities Act, 2025.
SEC further disclosed that the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong had, on April 23, 2024, issued an advisory warning against CBEX, describing it as a suspicious virtual-asset entity. According to the advisory, CBEX adopted a name resembling that of a Chinese property-rights trading organisation to give investors false assurance, despite having no connection with the legitimate entity.
At Tuesday’s sitting, the Tribunal ordered that hearing notices be served on the defendants through national newspapers, as CBEX failed to appear and was not represented in court.
CBEX launched in Nigeria in July 2024, operating through a website and mobile app. It claimed to use advanced artificial intelligence to generate unusually high profits from cryptocurrency trading, promising returns of up to 100 percent within a 40- to 45-day lock-in period. The scheme later collapsed and was exposed as a Ponzi operation that reportedly defrauded investors of more than N1.3 trillion (about $800 million).
Hon. Jinaidu also presided over several other matters on the tribunal’s docket, including Benue Investments Property Co. Ltd & Anor v. Securities and Exchange Commission & 6 Others; Maven Asset Management Ltd v. Securities and Exchange Commission; John Makinde Onade & Anor v. First Registrars & Investors Services Ltd & Anor; and Securities and Exchange Commission & Anor v. Tourist Company of Nigeria PLC & 6 Ors. All the cases were adjourned to January 27, 2026.
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