E-Financial
FirstBank Expands African Footprint with FBNBank DR Congo
First Bank of Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of FBN Holdings PLC and Nigeria’s most valuable bank brand hasunveiled FBNBank DR Congo, formerly registered as Banque Internationale de Credit (BIC).
In 2011, FirstBank acquired 75% equity interest in BIC and immediately reinforced it as one of the strongest banking institutions in the DRC.
Following the recent approval by Central Bank of Congo (BCC), the Banque Internationale de Credit has now become FBNBank DR Congo, a subsidiary of First Bank of Nigeria Limited. FBNBank DR Congo is strategically positioned to foster greater collaboration and provide better service for the country’s public and private sector clients, and the general public at large.
The launch further consolidates FirstBank’s position as the largest corporate and retail banking financial institution in sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) with presence in Ghana, Guinea, Gambia and Senegal as well as presence in the UK and representatives offices in Johannesburg, Paris, Abu Dhabi and Beijing, China.
The expansion represents FirstBank’s strategic objective to maintain significant market share, expand its pan-African footprint and diversify earnings while delivering value to shareholders.
With over 35 branches in DRC, FBNBank DR Congo leverages FBN’s international network, business expertise, which is part of the diversified synergies of the FBN Group to offer innovative, convenient and secure banking services to its customers and better seize the emerging opportunities of the market
Speaking on this development, Bisi Onasanya, GMD/CEO of FirstBank, said: “The launch of FBNBank DR Congo fulfills one of the critical stages of our ambition to steadily broaden and build a more diverse footprint across Africa. We are committed to developing a multi-local business model that broadens our geographic revenue base while providing enhanced service delivery to our new customers and equity participation to local investors.”
Commenting further, Cheikh-Tidiane N’Diaye, Managing Director, FBNBank DR Congo said “Having built value for Nigeria over the last 120 years, FBNBank DR Congo is poised to do even more in the DR Congo financial markets.
FBNBank DR Congo will provide customers with a bouquet of banking solutions that make their financial lives less cumbersome and stressful whilst providing a delightful service experience.
FBNBank has a history of leading the market with banking solutions that set the pace for other players in the financial landscape.
The orientation of FBNBank towards co-creation means it is constantly listening and inputting feedback received from customers in development of products and services that are relevant, N’Diaye added.
Also speaking, Folake Ani-Mumuney, Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, enthused; “the refreshed launch of FBNBank DR Congo represents a milestone in our journey to be the largest financial services brand in Sub-Saharan Africa and since our brand is at the heart of the holistic experience we seek to deliver to our stakeholders, an essential part of retaining patronage and the competitive edge that keeps us at the coveted position of market leader.
Launching the FBNBank DR Congo is a major milestone in a wider strategic plan to expand our African footprints and as part of the drive to ensure that the group is more efficient and effective in meeting the needs of its customers as reflected in our value proposition of placing the highest priority on the needs of our customers.” As embodied by the new pay-off line, ‘You First’.
Improper Implementation to Account for 5 Percent of Card Fraud on EMV by Year End –Report
Following some high-profile data breaches in 2014, criminals have taken advantage of poor implementations of EMV chip payment applications, committing extensive fraud that defeats EMV controls for everyone in the payment card ecosystem.
In her research note “Avoid Pitfalls with Payment Card Security Technologies and PCI,” Avivah Litan, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner, points out some of the hidden problems with payment card security technologies and the payment card industry (PCI). By year-end 2015, at least 5 percent of card issuers will suffer fraud on EMV cards due to improper implentations, up from a handful today.
In her blog post, Ms. Litan shared some of the findings from her report. Ms. Litan said: EMV chip cards, already adopted in the rest of the world, have proven to dramatically reduce counterfeit card fraud because they are significantly harder to clone than magnetic stripe (magstripe) cards, which are still used throughout the U.S.
Nevertheless, the adoption of EMV is relatively slow and as a result, payment card network participants must prepare for at least five more years of support for EMV chip as well as magstripe protocols on a single payment card.
Card data breaches have pushed U.S. banks, card networks, mega-retailers and other payment card acceptors into more aggressively adopting two further key security technologies in addition to EMV cards – tokenization and point-to-point encryption (P2PE).
Although these three security technologies have been around for years, interest in them soared after the breaches, and many enterprises have developed much more aggressive implementation timetables than they would have otherwise.
However, in the march to rollout these enhanced security systems some vulnerabilities and conflicts have surfaced.
This calls out the need for all players in the payment ecosystem to work together on open security standards, streamlined certification processes and shared education on best implementation practices.
EMV tokens, as first implemented by Apple Pay and the payment card networks, are based on different protocols than the tokenization systems merchants use to limit the scope of PCI audits, leading to potentially conflicting token implementations.
Merchants who use their own tokenization system, and also accept Apple Pay or other EMV token payments, will end up with multiple tokens for one card number, defeating a major reason why many merchants adopted tokenization in the first place.
As far as point-to-point encryption (P2PE) is concerned, P2PE can usually be turned on within 3 months if the solution uses remote key injection and management. Physically injecting keys into each card reader in a “safe room” under its own “lock and key” obviously takes much longer.
Once deployed, P2PE can help protect all card transactions against data breaches. Retailers we regularly speak with say they will turn on EMV acceptance “later”. They rightfully view EMV as mainly helping the card brands and issuers, although when EMV becomes ubiquitous it will help everyone.
Nigeria’s Bank Verification Number (BVN) database expanded to 69.55 million as of July 5 2026 from 69.32 million in June 2026, according to latest data released by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS).
BVN is an 11-digit biometric identification system introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria and managed by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) to secure customer accounts and reduce fraud.
This means that BVN enrolments increased by 228,947 between June and July 5 this year.
With the BVN database standing at 67.8 million as of December 31, 2025, it also means that the database grew by 1.75 million between the end of last year and July 5, 2026.
Specifically, with less than 1.8 million BVN enrolments so far recorded for this year, it is looking highly unlikely that BVN registrations at the end of 2026 will come close to the 4.3 million total registrations recorded in 2025.
Analysts note that while the expansion in the BVN database last year was largely driven by the introduction of the NonResident Bank Verification Number (NRBVN) initiative, which enables Nigerians in the diaspora to do their BVN enrolment remotely, thereby removing physical barriers and boosting cross-border financial engagement, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in March this year, announced a revised BVN regulatory framework, that saw it introducing stricter controls on suspected fraudulent transactions, BVN enrollment, and data access within the banking system.
According to the regulator, the amendments to the BVN framework, which came into effect on May 1, 2026, were aimed at strengthening fraud monitoring, improving identity management within the financial system and safeguarding the integrity of banking transactions, by strengthening identity verification and ensuring that BVN registration aligns with legally recognised age thresholds.
Thus, under the revised BVN framework, the apex bank introduced a stricter age requirement for BVN enrolment, limiting registration to 18-year-old individuals and above.
Also, under the new framework, customers will only be allowed to change the phone number associated with their BVN once. The CBN further stated: “Under the new guidelines, financial institutions are required to establish and maintain a temporary watch-list for BVNs linked to suspected fraudulent transactions reported within the banking system.
“A BVN may remain on this temporary Watch-list for a maximum period of twentyfour (24) hours, during which the BVN owner shall be contacted to provide clarification regarding the identified transaction(s).”
Launched on February 14, 2014, by the CBN in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee, the NIBSS, and the German firm Dermalog, the BVN scheme was designed to capture the biometrics of all bank customers and provide each with a unique 11-digit identification number that can be verified across the Nigerian banking industry.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reaffirmed that the standard N100 banknote remains legal tender across the country, warning that its rejection by individuals, businesses and institutions violates the law.
The clarification follows reports that some members of the public have refused to accept the standard N100 note over concerns about its legal tender status following the introduction of the commemorative N100 banknote issued to mark Nigeria’s centenary.
In a statement signed by Mrs. Hakama Sidi-Ali, acting director of Corporate Communications, the apex bank stressed that “both the commemorative N100 banknote and the standard N100 banknote are valid legal tender and must be accepted for all transactions nationwide.”
The CBN explained that the commemorative N100 note was introduced to celebrate Nigeria’s centenary and did not replace the existing standard N100 banknote.
The CBN cautioned individuals, businesses, financial institutions and other economic agents against rejecting the standard N100 note, noting that such action contravenes the provisions of the CBN Act and undermines public confidence in the national currency.
It warned that appropriate enforcement measures would be taken against any person or organisation found violating the law.
The apex bank reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the integrity of the naira, maintaining confidence in all duly issued banknotes and ensuring the smooth circulation of currency across the country.
The CBN also urged members of the public to continue accepting and transacting with all banknotes legally issued by the Bank and advised anyone seeking further clarification to use its official communication channels.
FCMB Asset Management Limited (FCMBAM), the asset management arm of FCMB Group Plc, has received an upgrade to its national scale long-term and short-term issuer ratings of A(NG) and A1(NG), from A-(NG) and A2(NG), by GCR Ratings, a leading pan-African credit rating agency.
The outlook on the ratings remains stable, said the rating agency.
The upgrade is anchored on FCMBAM’s competitive resilience and financial discipline, alongside the strengthened credit profile of FCMB Group.
GCR highlighted FCMBAM’s decade-long track record of strong performance, well-established brand franchise, diversified product suite and robust distribution network as key drivers of its standalone strength.
These are further supported by consistent earnings growth and a disciplined, unleveraged balance sheet, it said.
According to GCR, FCMBAM’s competitive position is supported by “its relatively long track record, strong brand franchise, established product and geographical distribution network and cross-selling opportunities,” with the rating agency noting that FCMBAM ranks among the top five asset managers in Nigeria, with an estimated five per cent share of a fragmented market as of 31 December.
The Company’s financial performance underpinned the upgrade, with revenue growing by 30 per cent and operating cash flow increasing by 13 per cent, enabling the business to be fully funded without recourse to debt.
Liquidity strengthened further, with liquidity sources versus uses improving to 5x as of December 2025, from 3.6x a year earlier, while the EBITDA margin edged up to over 58 per cent.
Commenting on the upgrade, the Chief Executive Officer of FCMB Asset Management, James Ilori, said: “This upgrade is an important external validation of a strategy we have pursued with discipline over many years: building an investment franchise that performs reliably, governs itself rigorously, and earns trust in every market cycle. It speaks to the strength of our membership of FCMB Group and to a culture that holds itself to local and global standards of risk management and capital stewardship.
“As Nigeria’s asset management industry enters a new era of higher capital thresholds and rising investor expectations, we intend to lead from the front – ahead of regulatory timelines, ahead in digital transformation and ahead in the outcomes we deliver for the clients who trust us to assist them in achieving their investment objectives.”
Court Adjourns Alleged Binance Tax Evasion Case over Settlement Talks
Fixed Wired Internet Market Lags as Mobile Gains Ground
Xenophobic Attacks: OYC Threatens to Picket MTN Nigeria Offices
New NIMC Act Strengthens Data Protection, Privacy – Director
BON Establishes Six Ad Hoc Committees to Modernize Broadcasting
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
Mobile Internet Gender Gap Widest in Africa – GSMA
Nigeria Launches FreeTV Nationwide
CANAL+ Partners Samsung to Pre-Load DStv Stream on New Samsung TVs In Nigeria, Other African Countries
Lebara Nigeria Launches Lebara Play, Africa’s First Telecom-Owned Micro-Drama Platform
News3 days agoNRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
News3 days agoNSITF Partners South African Insurer on Digital Transformation
E-Financial3 days agoFCT-IRS Unveils New Digital Platform, Taxporta
General News3 days agoKPMG Urges Africa’s Most Innovative Tech Entrepreneurs to Enter the Global Tech Innovator 2026 Competition
E-Business3 days agoFG Suspends New Internet Regulations to Prevent Overlapping Rules
E-Business3 days agoNIN Enrollment Hits over 136m as New ID Law Takes Effect
Telecom2 days agoNCC Seeks Cost-Based Pricing Framework for Ducts
E-Business3 days agoPlateau PCC Collects Nigerians’ Data without Privacy Policy – FIJ