By Abubakar Yunus Abuja
Banks in Nigeria recorded a total of 4.8 million new Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) in 2022, this is according to data released by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS).
According to the data seen by Peoples Daily, this brings the total number of registered BVNs in the country to 56.5 million. As of December 2021, the BVN database stood at 51.7 million.
In the data, the 2022 figure showed a slowdown in the BVN database growth compared with 2021 when the database increased by 6 million from 45.7 million in December 2020 to 51.7 million.
NIBSS explained further that active bank accounts in the country stood at 133.5 million as of December 2021.
However, data for 2022 has yet to be released; the figure is expected to be higher than that of the preceding year, which shows a wide gap between the registered BVN and the number of bank accounts.
Meanwhile, Peoples Daily learnt from industry analysts that since multiple accounts can be linked to a single BVN, the difference between the number of BVNs and bank accounts may not be much. According to NIBSS, the BVN gives bank account owners a unique identity that can be verified across the Nigerian banking industry, while it ensures that customers’ bank accounts are protected from unauthorised access. Emphasising the security benefits of the BVN, NIBSS stated.
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