Nigeria: Capital Adequacy/BASEL

The Central Bank of Nigeria has issued new guidance clarifying that suspensions of payment obligations and termination rights under financial contracts involving Nigerian banks will not exceed two business days. This interpretative circular addresses a critical gap in the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act, 2020, providing certainty for counterparties trading derivatives, repos, and other financial instruments with CBN-regulated institutions.

Nigeria's Central Bank has released an exposure draft proposing sweeping changes to how financial holding companies must be structured, capitalised, and governed. The revised framework introduces stricter ownership requirements, enhanced capital thresholds that could exceed current levels by 20%, and significant restrictions on intra-group transactions and shared services. These proposed regulations could fundamentally reshape the operational landscape for banking groups and financial conglomerates operatin

On 10 June 2026, the Central Bank of Nigeria ("CBN") released an Exposure Draft of the Revised Guidelines for Licensing and Regulation of Financial Holding Companies in Nigeria (the "Guidelines"). The proposed Guidelines are aimed at strengthening the regulatory framework governing Financial Holding Companies ("FHCs"), addressing governance and operational issues that have emerged under the current regime, and promoting greater consistency in the supervision of banking groups and financial conglomerates.

In March 2024, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced new minimum capital requirements for Non-Interest Banks (NIBs), marking a decisive step toward strengthening the resilience of Nigeria's banking sector.

In Part 1 of our Neobanking Series, we explored some of the strategic considerations that make Nigeria a compelling destination for global Neobanks.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has mandated a significant increase in the minimum capital requirements for commercial, merchant, and non-interest banks operating in Nigeria.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) being the apex bank in the country has as one of its key objectives to promote a sound financial system stability.

Credit Guarantee Schemes have been widely considered as one of the means of addressing the challenge of limited access to credit by Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

It was long anticipated, and it eventually happened on 28th March, 2024. So, it was not a surprise for many watchers of the Nigerian banking sector, what was a surprise, however, was the nature of the new requirement that excluded a large portion of a bank's shareholders' funds.