Business
Banks Step Up Biometric Registration Of Customers
Deposit Money Banks
(DMBs) under the aegis of the Bankers’ Committee have stepped up the biometric registration of customers across the country in the effort to reduce the rising cases of banking related frauds in the country.
The biometric registration of bank customers will lead to the issuance of a unique identity called Bank Verification Number to all members of the banking public.
It is one of the key initiatives introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Bankers’ Committee to tackle the spate of frauds including those involving customers in the financial sector.
Banks issue the BVN to every customer they have registered in the financial system using the biometric technology.
The unique number helps customers’ bank account to be more secure as transaction will have to be carried out with the use of a finger print.
The BVN is an initiative aimed at protecting bank customers and further strengthening the nation’s banking system.
According to a paper from the bankers’ committee which was obtained by our correspondent, the BVN will also encourage financial inclusion as those who have typically stayed away from mainstream banking due to low literacy levels will be able to open and access their bank accounts using their biometric information rather than traditional identification methods.
The paper reads in part, “The BVN is a unique identifier for each bank customer across the financial industry, making it possible to build and track customer financial history and activity”.
As part of efforts to encourage enrolment on the BVN, the CBN recently directed banks to only honour transactions over N100 million from customers with BVN effective March 2015.
Such transactions according to the CBN include but not limited to money transfers, loans and contingencies, amongst others.
The CBN has been advising customers to register and get the BVN by June 2015, warning that customers without the BVN would be deemed as having in adequate know-your-customer requirement at the expiration of the deadline.