NIBSS partners with Etisalat to let Nigerians check their status on their phones

The Nigerian Inter Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS) in an announcement issued yesterday in Lagos has said that it has begun collaboration with telecoms firms to create a platform through which customers can check their BVN status on the go via their mobile phones.

The NIBSS said the move was in response to Nigerians wanting to check their BVN status without going to the bank and also to boost Know Your Customer (KYC) efforts for banks.

"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,” read the statement.

READ: Apex bank extends BVN registration deadline

“The initiative is in response to growing public demand for confirmation of BVN status by those who have enrolled on the platform,” Managing Director of NIBSS, Ade Shonubi said, according to the statement.

Reacting to the collaborative effort, Mr. Francesco Angelone, Chief Marketing Officer for Etisalat Nigeria said, “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.”

According to the NIBSS, over 20 million Nigerians have already been enrolled in the ongoing BVN registration exercise by banks.

BVN registration is compulsory for all account holders, regardless of which bank they use and the deadline for registration was recently shifted to October 31, 2015.