Banking Transactions Not Affected By New CBN Cybersecurity Levy

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has ordered all banks to start charging a 0.5 per cent cybersecurity levy on all electronic transactions within the country.

The CBN made this known in a circular signed by the Director, Payments System Management Department, Chibuzo Efobi; and the Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department, Haruna Mustafa, stating that the cybersecurity would commence two weeks from May 6, 2024.

The circular, directed to all commercial, merchant, non-interest, and payment service banks, among others; to start the implementation of the cybersecurity charges after two weeks of the information.

“The levy shall be applied at the point of electronic transfer origination, then deducted and remitted by the financial institution. The deducted amount shall be reflected in the customer’s account with the narration, ‘Cybersecurity Levy,’” .

However, the CBN listed 16 banking transactions exempted from the new cybersecurity levy.

They are:  1. Loan disbursements and repayments

2. Salary payments

3. Intra-account transfers within the same bank or between different banks for the same customer

4. Intra-bank transfers between customers of the same bank

5. Other Financial Institutions instructions to their correspondent banks

6. Interbank placements,

7. Banks’ transfers to CBN and vice-versa

8. Inter-branch transfers within a bank

9. Cheque clearing and settlements

10. Letters of Credits

11. Banks’ recapitalisation-related funding – only bulk funds movement from collection accounts

12. Savings and deposits, including transactions involving long-term investments such as Treasury Bills, Bonds, and Commercial Papers

13. Government Social Welfare Programmes transactions e.g. Pension payments

14. Non-profit and charitable transactions, including donations to registered non-profit organisations or charities

15. Educational institutions’ transactions, including tuition payments and other transactions involving schools, universities, or other educational institutions

16. Transactions involving bank’s internal accounts such as suspense accounts, clearing accounts, profit and loss accounts, inter-branch accounts, reserve accounts, nostro and vostro accounts, and escrow accounts.