E-Financial
Sterling Launches Imperium Platform for Solar Energy Consumers

Sterling Bank Plc, Nigeria’s leading digital bank, has launched a new and innovative digital product, known as the Imperium Platform, in a bid to connect consumers and providers of renewable energy (solar solutions) as a viable solution to Nigeria’s electricity crisis.
The Imperium Platform was launched following the unveiling of the Nigerian electricity industry report entitled, “Powering Nigeria: How Solar Energy Can Become a Sustainable Electricity Alternative.”
The report was produced by Sterling Bank in partnership with Stears, a digital information company.
Dele Faseemo, Group Head, Renewable Energy at Sterling Bank, said in a statement issued by the bank that the Imperium Platform seeks to provide clean and affordable energy solutions to interested customers while providing different financing options to customers purchasing the solution outright or paying for the installation and operation of the solution.
Faseemo explained that Sterling Bank, in partnership with Stears Data, the data collection, analytics, and data access division of Stears, embarked on the study to tackle the problem of providing solar energy in the country.
The report showed that despite the privatization of Nigeria’s electricity industry, the country still has one of the lowest electrification rates in the world, as 43 percent of its population has no access to grid electricity, an indication that 85 million Nigerians are not connected to – and cannot receive electricity from – the Nigerian transmission grid.
He said the Imperium would provide a range of purchase options to consumers because solar energy solutions are not one-size-fits-all, so purchasing options should not be either.
According to him, Sterling Bank employs several purchase models to provide renewable energy solutions for its customers. This ensures that customers with different needs and purchase abilities can access solar energy solutions.
He listed the options to include outright purchase, lease to own, and power as a service. Using outright purchase as an example, he said that energy consumers could purchase products directly from vendors via the Imperium Platform, a dedicated e-commerce platform hosted by Sterling Bank.
In lease to own, Imperium provides financing at competitive interest rates for consumers with good credit scores or clean credit checks who are keen to own the assets. Under power as a service, Imperium offers fixed monthly energy-charge options to consumers, but the underlying assets are owned by Imperium as it (Imperium) purchases and owns the assets.
This saves clients huge capital outlay and maintenance worries, while the monthly energy charge is based on the capacity deployed.
In this regard, the bank has recently partnered with the Nike Art Gallery to install solar panels at the gallery via the bank’s Imperium outlet as part of its commitment to a renewable energy-powered Nigeria and the development of the nation’s tourism sector.
The development is a sequel to recent partnerships with the gallery to drive an appreciation and spotlight the investment opportunities available in Nigeria’s arts and tourism sectors.
The Nike Art Gallery, owned by Chief Nike Okundaye, is one of the largest of its kind in the West African sub-region, with a collection of about 8,000 diverse artworks from various Nigerian artists.
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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