E-Financial
Sterling Bank Signs MoU with Optometrists on Funding, Capacity Building

Sterling Bank Plc, Nigeria’s leading commercial bank, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Optometrist Association (NOA) to automate operations, enhance capacity and provide funding at competitive interest rates for members of the association.

L-R: President of Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA), Dr. Obinna Awiaka; Group Head, Health Finance, Sterling Bank Plc, Ibironke Akinmade; Vice President NOA, Dr. Ogechi Nwokedi and Health Finance Manager, Sterling Bank Plc, Obiora Ezike at a signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Sterling Bank and NOA in Lagos recently.
Speaking at the signing ceremony of the MoU in Lagos recently, Mrs. Ibironke Akinmade, Group Head, Health Finance of Sterling Bank, said the initiative is part of the bank’s vision to be the leading bank for businesses in the health sector.
She said, “We have adopted a community approach in engagement with stakeholders in this sector. This will not only give us leverage to develop tailor-made propositions for the community, but it also creates an inroad for engagement of their members through a cluster approach.”
Akinmade said the bank recently engaged the NOA in a bid to scale on its offerings to the health sector, which include access to finance (template credit), access to digitalisation (payment platforms and Electronic Medical Records) as well as advisory services, among others.
The Head of Health Finance said the rationale behind the partnership with NOA is to further position Sterling Bank as the bank of choice for businesses in the health sector, adding that this means more business collaboration and partnership with stakeholders in the health space.
She said the bank has earmarked N10 billion for the entire health care sector in the country and would accommodate any level of funding that members of the NOA may require. Under the MoU, members of the association will be able to borrow from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) intervention for the health sector at five percent as well as obtain template credit from the bank within 48 hours at competitive interest rate of 20 percent, which is below the prevailing rate in the banking industry, she said.
Since 2018, Sterling Bank has concentrated investment in five sectors of the economy under its HEART’s strategy in a bid to make impact in the country’s economic development. The five sectors in the HEART’s strategy include health, education, agriculture, renewable energy and transportation.
Also speaking, Dr. Obinna Awiaka, President of NOA, said the association wants a bank that would help its members to grow and discovered that Sterling is the only bank that has passion for the healthcare sector.
He said the relationship between members of his association and the bank will build the economy because once the healthcare industry is built the economy will also be built.
Dr. Awiaka said the NOA is satisfied with the relationship with Sterling Bank because in no distant time the bank, in conjunction with healthcare professionals, will help to develop the sector, which will translate to a better future for the country.
He said the development will make Nigerian professionals that are leaving the country in droves to return to the country to practice and this will reduce medical tourism among the country’s leaders.
He thanked Sterling Bank for coming on board and taking the bull by the horn to support the healthcare industry.
The NOA was established in 1968 and is the prime umbrella association representing over 5,000 doctors of optometry across the 36 states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, as well as all other optometric interest groups in Nigeria.
E-Financial
Moniepoint: More Customers Lament after Police Exposed Scammers Who Stole over N400m

Nigerian customers of Moniepoint, a fintech bank, have expressed widespread frustration and discontent with the company’s operations, citing numerous difficulties and challenges, according to PM News.
These complaints are coming on the heels of a recent revelation by the Nigerian Police Force, which exposed a scam involving two Nigerians who stole over N400 million using Moniepoint profiles
One such customer, Suleiman Abubakar Audu, shared his ordeal with the medium, revealing that his account, containing N522,000, had been inexplicably closed for over ten weeks.
Audu noted that despite providing all necessary documentation and repeatedly reaching out to the bank, his account remains inaccessible.
He further lamented that the situation has left him under significant financial stress.
Audu said: “Moniepoint blocked my account for over 10 weeks. I have provided all the necessary information but till now they didn’t release my account.”
He claimed that the bank also failed to provide any meaningful update.
Audu further lamented, saying: “I messaged them via all the handle begging for their reply and they keep telling me issues have been prioritised. I call them via phone call almost each and every day. They are just promising that it will be resolved and update will be provided via mail and till now no any update in the mail. They are just playing me around and I don’t even know the dimension of the issue.”
However, Audu’s experience is not an isolated incident as further investigations by PM News uncovered multiple customers facing similar challenges with Moniepoint.
Busayo Busayo, another disgruntled customer, reported that N50,000 had been deducted from her account since October 2024, with no refund forthcoming.
“Moniepoint na ole (are thieves). Since Oct, my 50k still dey with no refunds. Every time I chat them, different story,” she exclaimed.
Kelvin Doris, a student, also shared her frustrating experience, stating that a refund from Moniepoint to his UBA account had been delayed, leaving him without funds for his school fees.
“I did a refund on Monday from my Moniepoint to UBA, but I have not seen the money,” Doris stated.
Adeboye, another customer, alleged that Moniepoint had allowed someone to use his phone number to open an account in his name, raising concerns about the bank’s security measures.
He said: “Someone is using my number and account for moniepoint, OTP was sent to me twice when I didn’t request for it. I just ignored because I know it’s a work of scammers. next I see is congratulations your password was reset, and I was told that the account has been upgraded to merchant level.”
Orimisan Olakolegan, a Facebook user, also shared his experience, stating that his money had been stuck in Moniepoint since February 4, 2025, without any resolution.
“My money have stuck in moniepoint and their client since 4th February 2025 without any review,” Orimisan alleged.
In light of these allegations, customers urged the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Central Bank of Nigeria to investigate Moniepoint’s operations and address the numerous challenges faced by its customers.
The affected individuals also called for prompt action to rectify the situation and prevent further hardship.
E-Financial
CBN Orders Bank Directors with Insider Bad Loans to Resign

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has ordered bank directors with non-performing insider-related loans to step down immediately, as part of efforts to strengthen corporate governance and enhance risk management in the banking sector.

Olayemi Cardoso, Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria
The directive was issued in a circular signed by Adetona Adedeji, acting director of Banking Supervision.
Insider loans are the credit facilities granted by the bank to its executives, directors, employees, major shareholders, or other related parties.
The apex bank also directed banks to recover outstanding debts by enforcing collateral recovery and seizing shareholdings of affected directors.
Furthermore, banks must regularise all insider-related facilities within 180 days, particularly those that exceed limits prescribed in Section 19 (5) of the Banking and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA), 2020, and were previously approved without specific timelines.
The CBN stated: “Directors with non-performing insider-related facilities are required to step down immediately from the board, while the bank should commence immediate remediation of the loans through the recovery of the collaterals, including the shareholdings of the affected directors.”
It also stressed the importance of compliance with Section 19 of BOFIA 2020, which limits insider-related loans:
“Banks are required to regularise within 180 days, all insider-related facilities above the limits prescribed in Section 19 (5) of BOFIA, 2020.
“Individual director-related facilities must be brought within the 5 per cent paid-up capital limit, while the aggregate insider facilities for the bank must not exceed 10 per cent of its paid-up capital.”
The CBN emphasized that compliance with these directives is effective immediately to uphold regulatory standards and corporate governance best practices.
E-Financial
CBN Orders Banks to Publish Details of Dormant Accounts, Unclaimed Balances

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed commercial banks and other financial institutions to publish the name of the account, the type of account, the name of the bank, and the branch where the dormant account is domiciled on their official websites.
According to CBN, a dormant account refers to a bank account that has remained inactive for at least one year.
This is disclosed in a circular entitled, ‘Guidelines On Management Of Dormant Accounts, Unclaimed Balances And Other Financial Assets In Banks And Other Financial Institutions in Nigeria’ and signed by MichaeL C. Akuka, for: director, financial policy and regulation department, CBN.
As part of the new regulations, financial institutions are required to display key details such as the names of individuals authorized to operate the accounts, the type of account, and the branch where it is domiciled.
This information must be made available on their official websites.
For other financial institutions (OFIs) that do not have dedicated websites, CBN has mandated that the information be published on the website of their respective industry associations.
“In furtherance thereof, and in response to enquiries from stakeholders regarding the possible breach of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDPA), banks and other financial institutions are required to note the following,” CBN stated.
“1. Section 25 (b) of the NDPA permits justifiable deviations from the general principles of the Act. Also, Section 72.
“ (ii) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act mandates the Central Bank of Nigeria to issue Guidelines on the administration of unclaimed funds in banks and other financial institutions.
“2. Information to be published on banks’ websites as well as the association’s website (where applicable) shall include the name of the account, the type of account, the name of the bank, and the branch where the account is domiciled ONLY.
“Information to be published annually in at least two national daily newspapers or the premises of State and Unit microfinance banks, shall also convey the details as listed in (2) above.”
This directive follows an earlier order issued by CBN on July 19, 2024, requiring banks and financial institutions to transfer unclaimed balances and dormant account funds to the apex bank’s designated accounts.
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