CBN Chooses 5 Banks For Cash Swap Programme, Excludes Lagos, Abuja PoS Operators

CBN Chooses 5 Banks For Cash Swap Programme, Excludes Lagos, Abuja PoS Operators

  • The Central Bank of Nigeria has rolled out some conditions for its cash swap programme
  • The bank said money agents or PoS operators in Lagos and Abuja are excluded from participating in the programme
  • The CBN also named five banks in Nigeria that will participate in the scheme

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has named about five money deposit banks to participate in its cash swap initiative.

The development comes as the deadline for the expiration of old N200, N500 and N1,000 notes as legal tender approaches.

PoS operators, CBN, Cash Swap
Five banks selected for Cash Swap Programme Credit: Maurice Greene
Source: Getty Images

Lagos and Abuja PoS operators left out of cash swap programme

The information was contained in an Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document released by the CBN on Monday, January 23, 2023, where the it detailed the procedure for the cash swap programme.

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The banks chosen for the initiative include Zenith Bank, Access Bank, First City Monument Bank, First Bank and United Bank for Africa.

Also, the CBN barred PoS operators in Lagos and Abuja from participating in the programme.

According to the directive by the CBN, not all agents can participate as the initiative is open to only selected agents profiled by super agents or Mobile Money Operators (MMO) and participating banks.

The bank added that selected agents in all the states in Nigeria, excluding Lagos and Abuja, can participate in the programme.

It was learnt that PoS operators are barred from using the new notes for other transactions, just for the scheme.

The Punch reported that the document said agents can obtain the new notes from the selected banks but they must have accounts with the banks, and their super agents must have pre-registered the operator with the bank where they have accounts.

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Criteria for agents to participate

Each agent’s name, Bank Verification Number (BVN) and operator’s name are needed before the new notes are issued, adding that the participating banks should also verify the agent’s picture and fingerprint.

Agents must also have completed the KYC levels for the operator which includes name, phone number, bank, account number and amount.

The document also stated that there is no limit to the amount a customer can deposit but restricts withdrawals to N10,000 per customer under the cash swap scheme.

The apex bank asked agents to open a bank account or wallet for customers who have bank accounts.

Old Notes: ATMs and other ways to swap your notes before Jan 31

Recall that Legit.ng reported that Nigerian banks have cried out over the shortage of new naira notes despite the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) reporting that it has a surplus of the new notes in its vaults.

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The CBN, during its many sensitisation outings across the nation, stated that it is pleading with commercial banks to come for the new notes ahead of its January 31, 2023 deadline.

The apex bank vowed to penalise banks that continue to issue old naira notes or dispense the same through their ATMs.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Pascal Oparada avatar

Pascal Oparada (Business editor) For over a decade, Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment, and the economy. He has worked in many media organizations such as Daily Independent, TheNiche newspaper, and the Nigerian Xpress. He is a 2018 PwC Media Excellence Award winner. Email:pascal.oparada@corp.legit.ng