E-Financial
CIBN Unveils Agency Banking Certification Program to Strengthen Financial Inclusion System
Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN) has unveiled Agency banking certification for point of sales (POS) agents, NIN /BVN agents, Agent network managers, customer service officers, agent banking personnel in the banks and Fintech companies.
The programme was launched at the 16th annual conference of the institute held in Abuja recently.
Ken Opara, the President and Chairman of Council, CIBN, said that the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), introduced the Agent banking certification program (ABC) to address capacity challenge in the ecosystem.
“Agent banking has been the key driver of financial inclusion, which creates financial access points and ultimately eradicating poverty.
“It is democratising banking services, taking it to the grass root and connecting to the nooks and crane of the country.
“The certification program which details can be accessed on www.myabc.ng provides all round knowledge, practical engagement with industry experts and participation in standard procedures for conducting Agent banking business in Nigeria,” he said.
Professor (Mrs) Olayinka David West, Lagos Business School, said that the certification program is good and welcome idea which will build and extend standardization and credibility to agency banking framework that started slowly and now a legitimate channel for delivering banking services.
“Ensuring that Agents have the right knowledge and skill-set to deliver quality customer experience on behalf of regulated institution with credibility is important.
“Using indirect channel to deliver services has challenge of trust and to ensure that customers are protected requires equipping the third party with the right knowledge for transparency,” she added.
Mrs. Olanike Kolawole, Head of Agency banking, Ecobank, said that the programme is a welcome development and shows that financial institution has embraced agency banking as a channel for financial inclusion and delivery of financial services to unbanked.
“To set up a bank branch requires between N300m to N350M while to set up an agent is just having a trusted person with Point of Sale terminal and he/she does the same services that a bank branch will do. So, it is cheaper for us and we see them as partners hence strengthening their operation through certification for professionalism.
Fasasi Sarafadeen Atanda, member, CIBN sub-committee on Agent Banking Certification program, said that Nigerians can now look forward to more knowledgeable and professional POS Agents, mobile money agents, bank customer service desk that knows what to do when you are debited by POS, more understanding from security agents that will see certified agents and treat cases from agent transaction professionally etc.
“It has been a lot of work from the ideation, to conception, to proposition, to adoption and to commission in the programme.
“There is a lot of complains about proliferation of unregistered agents in the ecosystem. What we are doing is banking because when you are doing cash -in cash- out, account opening among others. Most of these services require professionalism.
“The account opening that we pushed for, resulted to not palatable experience because greater per centage of accounts opened at agent location were used for fraud. This actually made some banks to stop account opening at agent location.
“Not every agent can handle Biometric Verification Number and National Identity Number, any agent that wants to handle these registrations must be certified by CIBN. We have seen that most of the error seen in the process are from agent location.
“They do sharp practices, unethical practises, not doing due-diligence due to poor training and lack of professionalism, if they had pass through this process of certification, they would have been trained on maintaining ethical standard,” he said.
He noted that, agents that are handling high volume transactions have to be professionals. “Today, we see agents processing N2.5million for customer when there are issues on it they don’t have KYC of such customer. High volume transactions should be process by certified agents,” he added.
Benefits of Agent certification includes Professionalism and differentiation; Secured from security agent harassment; Classification to handle specialized banking service; Pre-qualification to participate in major government projects; Access to business finance; Networking opportunities and Capacity Building.
The Senate on Wednesday adopted the harmonised conference committee report on the four tax reform bills.
The resolution of the Senate followed its consideration and approval of the recommendations of the conference committee of both chambers set up to harmonize the Bills.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance and leader of the Senate delegation in the conference committee, Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, presented the report.
The four tax reforms Bills which were transmitted to the National Assembly in November last year by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu include: The Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill, 2025 (SB. 583); Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2025 (SB. 584); Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, 2025 (SB. 585); and Nigeria Tax Bill, 2025 (SB. 586).
In recognition of its exceptional contributions to innovative financial solutions for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Fidelity Bank Plc has been awarded the 2025 Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Innovation Award in the Deposit Money Bank (DMB) category.
This prestigious accolade celebrates Fidelity Bank’s commitment to addressing the unique challenges faced by MSMEs, a vital segment in Nigeria’s economic growth.
Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, MD/CEO of Fidelity Bank Plc, commented on the award, reaffirming the bank’s dedication to empowering Nigerian entrepreneurs: “At Fidelity Bank, innovation is at the heart of our strategy to support MSMEs.
“This recognition underscores our commitment to developing scalable, inclusive, and technology-driven financial solutions that create positive outcomes for our nation’s entrepreneurs. We are honored to receive the DBN award and dedicate it to our loyal customers for their continued support.”
The award was presented at the 2025 Service Ambassadors’ Awards ceremony in Lagos, themed ‘Enhancing Partnership for MSME Resilience and Growth.’ Tony Okpanachi, Managing Director of DBN, emphasized the importance of financial institutions in transforming unbankable ideas into viable businesses through advisory services.
“You, our partners, are acknowledged and celebrated for your outreach to entrepreneurs and businesses seeking to scale. We appreciate you for your role in converting unbankable ideas into bankable businesses,” Okpanachi stated.
He noted that the award aims to recognize partners who make a significant impact, focusing on storytelling and the positive changes they bring to Nigeria.
This award joins a series of landmark initiatives by Fidelity Bank aimed at supporting MSMEs. Earlier in May, the bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to facilitate the expansion of Nigerian MSMEs across Africa.
Additionally, Fidelity Bank launched the Fidelity SME Hub in Gbagada, Lagos—a multifunctional facility equipped with training halls, meeting rooms, networking spaces, and studios for music, photography, and content production.
This hub is designed to foster innovation, collaboration, and capacity-building, essential elements for strengthening Nigeria’s SME ecosystem and driving economic growth.
Ranked among the best banks in Nigeria, Fidelity Bank Plc is a full-fledged Commercial Deposit Money Bank serving over 9.1 million customers through digital banking channels, its 255 business offices in Nigeria and United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.
The Bank is the recipient of multiple local and international Awards, including the 2024 Excellence in Digital Transformation & MSME Banking Award by BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards; the 2024 Most Innovative Mobile Banking Application award for its Fidelity Mobile App by Global Business Outlook, and the 2024 Most Innovative Investment Banking Service Provider award by Global Brands Magazine.
Additionally, the Bank was recognized as the Best Bank for SMEs in Nigeria by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence and as the Export Financing Bank of the Year by the BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Africa’s Global Bank, has launched a new feature called Advance Top-Up on its USSD banking platform *919#, which is designed to provide instant access to airtime and data for its customers especially when they are out of call credit or disconnected from the internet.
The new feature which was unveiled at the UBA head office in Marina recently, allows customers to borrow airtime or data directly from their mobile devices, offering a fast, dependable solution.
Shamsideen Fashola, group head, Retail and Digital Banking, UBA, who spoke during the official launch, described the feature as a timely addition to the bank’s digital offerings and a testament to the its customer-first approach.
“At UBA, we are constantly looking for ways to make banking and everyday services more accessible for our customers. With the launch of Advance Top-Up on our USSD platform, *919#, we are giving our customers the power to stay connected without interruption, regardless of time, location, or airtime balance,” Shamsideen said.
UBA’s Advance Top-Up which is now live on *919#, joins a wide range of services on the platform, which include airtime and data purchases, money transfers to UBA and other banks, account balance checks, card blocking and freezing, online transaction controls, bill payments, and more.
Fashola emphasised the simplicity and convenience of the solution, adding that “You don’t need to download an app or visit a data centre. Just dial *919#, follow the prompt, and you’re immediately connected. It’s simple, fast, and reliable.”
Alero Ladipo, Bank’s Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communication, added that the feature was developed based on real feedback from customers and their evolving needs.
“Our users asked for a way to stay connected when they have no airtime, and as always, we have come up with a quick solution, right there on their phones, instantly, with no fuss, and no need for internet connectivity. Whether for emergency communications or business continuity, *919# puts instant connectivity in every customer’s hands,” she explained.
She explained that only recently, the bank unveiled its newly improved Point of Sale (POS) Terminal as well as the UBA MONI App to redefine the digital payment landscape and empower small and Medium Scale Enterprises across Africa.
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