BVN validation: CBN reportedly suspends Paystack, other non-bank financial institutions

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reportedly suspended finTechs and other third-party partners from offering Biometric Verification Number (BVN) validation service.

This was made known in an email from Paystack to customers which stated, “We’ve recently been made aware of a regulatory directive from the primary custodian of Nigeria’s BVN service to all their partners to suspend the provision of the BVN validation service to their third-party partners.

“This directive affects every non-bank in Nigeria that offers BVN Validation services. In light of this news, we’re hereby informing you that the BVN Resolve service will be temporarily unavailable starting at midnight, April 8, 2021.”

This suspension could mean that non-banks will have to look for alternative ways to carry out identity verification (KYC) for their users through NIN, Voters ID, Driver’s license, among others.