NIBSS ROLLS OUT QUERY SERVICE AS BVN ENROLMENT HITS 20MILLION CUSTOMERS.

The Nigeria Inter Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS)
says over 20 million customers have been enrolled by
banks in the ongoing Bank Verification Number (BVN).
The organisation said in a statement issued on Sunday
in Lagos that the milestone was achieved in the quest
to ensure the success of the exercise.
It said NIBSS had already begun collaboration with
telecommunication firms to create a platform through
which bank customers could confirm their registration
status.
The statement stated that, ”Already, NIBSS has
collaborated with one of the country’s telecoms service
providers, Etisalat, to roll out the BVN Query Service.
”The service, unveiled at the NIBSS headquarters
recently, is designed to help the banking Nigerian
public query their BVN on-the-go via their mobile
phones.”
According to a statement, the initiative is due to the
extended deadline for the BVN registration which ends
on Oct. 31 nationwide.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that the
BVN registration was a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN’s)
directive to all commercial banks to register all
customers’ biometrica data in furtherance of the Know
Your Customer (KYC) policy.
The statement quoted the Managing Director of NIBSS,
Ade Shonubi, as saying, ”The initiative is in response to
growing public demand for confirmation of BVN status
by those who have enrolled on the platform.”
Shonubi said that the BVN Query Service would boost
such efforts like KYC for banks.
Chief Marketing Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr Francesco
Angelone, said the partnership with NIBSS was in line
with the telecom’s commitment to continue to create
value for the consumers.
Angelone said that the customers cut across all
sectors, including the banking and telecoms industries.
“We are happy to be the first to offer this product
among the operators because we believe that
innovation is the way the telecoms industry must lead,”
he said.
He explained that Estisalat believed that offering value
to the banking public was another way it could show
the telecoms industry the way forward.
Angelone said that the integration with the banking
industry was a pillar for development.
He said, ”Etisalat subscribers can check their BVN
registration status and number by dialing a dedicated
code for an instant response at a cost of N10 per
query.
”The query service is based on instant-request-
instant-response and aims at providing utility for those
who have enrolled on the BVN platform of the
CBN.” (NAN.