Business
Capital Inflow Worries CBN
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has expressed concern over the potential for capital reversal in the country.
According to the External Sector Development Report issued by the CBN, foreign inflows of capital increased 77% from $3.24 billion to $6.07 billion in the 3Q of 2012. Foreign portfolio inflows accounted for 76% of the amount, whilst 24% was foreign direct inflows.
The CBN stated, “The continued dominance of portfolio investment in aggregate foreign capital inflows suggests the need to put in place measures against capital reversal.
“The increase in the inflow of foreign direct investment and portfolio investment in Q3, 2012 was quite impressive. The current-account surplus rose to $5.03 billion, or 7.6 per cent of gross domestic product, from $5 billion in the second quarter, while exports rose by 4.2 per cent from the previous three months to $24.4 billion, with imports dropping by 22 per cent to $12 billion.”
Nigeria’s trade balance improved significantly from US$8.62 billion in Q2, 2012 and $1.59 billion in Q3, 2011 respectively to US$12.37 billion in Q3, 2012 as aggregate exports rose by 8.2 per cent from US$22.53 billion in Q3, 2011 to US$24.37 billion in Q3, 2012 while aggregate imports declined by 42.7 per cent to US$11.99 billion in the review period.
Business
Agency Gives Insight Into Its Inspection, Monitoring Operations
Business
BVN Enrolments Rise 6% To 67.8m In 2025 — NIBSS
The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) has said that Bank Verification Number (BVN) enrolments rose by 6.8 per cent year-on-year to 67.8 million as at December 2025, up from 63.5 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2024.
In a statement published on its website, NIBSS attributed the growth to stronger policy enforcement by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the expansion of diaspora enrolment initiatives.
NIBSS noted that the expansion reinforces the BVN system’s central role in Nigeria’s financial inclusion drive and digital identity framework.
Another major driver, the statement said, was the rollout of the Non-Resident Bank Verification Number (NRBVN) initiative, which allows Nigerians in the diaspora to obtain a BVN remotely without physical presence in the country.
A five-year analysis by NIBSS showed consistent growth in BVN enrolments, rising from 51.9 million in 2021 to 56.0 million in 2022, 60.1 million in 2023, 63.5 million in 2024 and 67.8 million by December 2025. The steady increase reflects stronger compliance with biometric identity requirements and improved coverage of the national banking identity system.
However, NIBSS noted that BVN enrolments still lag the total number of active bank accounts, which exceeded 320 million as of March 2025.
The gap, it explained, is largely due to multiple bank accounts linked to single BVNs, as well as customers yet to complete enrolment, despite the progress recorded.
