CBN revokes licenses of 7 Payment Service Providers

CBN has revoked the licenses of 7 payment service providers and 1 switch service provider.

By Chidi Emenike

The Central Bank of Nigeria has revoked the licenses of seven (7) payment service providers and one (1) switch service provider due to their inability to meet up with their statutory obligations and

conditions, wherein they were formed.

This is according to an Official Gazette of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, seen by Nairametrics.

Although the statutory obligations that the affected firms failed to fulfil were not mentioned, Nairametrics, however,  understands that the recent revocation might be connected to CBN’s renewed drive to strengthen and ensure a credible payment system in Nigeria amidst the new wave of Fintechs in the country offering varying but often nuanced services.

Recall that Nairametrics had earlier reported that CBN had approved new license categorizations for the Nigerian payment system.

Checks into the latest disclosure by the apex bank revealed that the affected institutions will for a period of six months consecutively, cease to carry on in Nigeria, the type of business for which their licenses were granted.

What you should know

From the Gazette, Nairametrics gathered that the affected institutions are categorized into 2 schedules, with the first comprising of the 7 PSPs whose licenses were revoked, while the other comprised of a PSP whose Switch license was revoked.

• The 7 affected payment service providers (PSPs) whose licenses were revoked as contained in Schedule I are; Easifuel Limited, Transaction Processing System (TPS), Grand Towers Limited, Paymaster Limited, E-Revenue Gateway Limited, Eartholeum Network Limited and Globasure Limited.
• As contained in Schedule II, the sole payment service provider whose switch license was revoked is; 3Line Card Management Limited
• It is also pertinent to state that the affected firms are not barred from conducting businesses in Nigeria, however, their licenses to operate in their previous capacities as PSPs and Switch operator is what is revoked for the time being.
• According to an earlier modified guideline released by CBN two weeks ago, the minimum capital requirements to operate in Payment Service Providing and Switching/Processing capacities are N100 million and N2 billion respectively.
• Some of the services provided by a Payment Service Provider and Switch operators include; POS terminal deployment and services, PTAD, Merchant/agent training and support, switching, card processing, transactions clearing and settlement agents etc.

What they are saying

Excerpts of the press release reads:

• “I, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, in exercise of the powers conferred on the Central Bank of Nigeria under Sections 60 and 62 of BOFIA, CAP B3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 hereby revoke the licenses of the payment service providers listed in Schedule I and the switch licence of payment services providers listed in Schedule II attached hereto.”