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As a result of increased incidents of conventional
security systems (such as passwords and PIN) being
compromised in Nigeria, there has been a high demand
for more secure banking platforms. Keeping this
objective in mind, the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement
System (NIBSS) Plc, established in 1993, and owned
by licensed banks including the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN) and discount houses, in February 2014,
was assigned the responsibility to manage the Bank
Verification Number (BVN) enrolment for Nigerian bank
account holders in Nigeria and globally.
The BVN scheme is a centralised biometric identification
system for Nigerian bank customers. The aim of
introducing BVNs is to create a stronger ‘Know Your
Customer’ (KYC) process to uniquely verify every bank
account holder’s identity, and to strengthen the various
security platforms in place, thereby facilitating increased
lending as customer identity doubts are reduced.
Bank Verification Number programme for Nigeria bank customers
operational in 9 countries
Biometric enrolment centres set up for Nigerian bank account holders
A VFS Global BVN Enrolment Centre in Toronto, Canada
Key strengths:
Speed and Agility: Centres were set up
within a short timeframe, about 2 to 4 weeks
Infrastructure: Leveraged on existing
infrastructure and resources to speedily
setup the centres
Robust Security: Centres were setup in
accordance with VFS Global’s stringent
quality and security standards
Trained Staff: Existing staff with experience
in biometric enrolment were deployed in
most locations to professionally manage
the centres
8.2
IDENTITY & CITIZEN SERVICES
