Like other emerging markets across Africa, the payment industry has led the way with technological advancement in Nigeria. However, while several sectors of the industry have been decentralized, the card and token sector have stood out considerably, with the same key players innovating consistently to advance the sector over the years, writes Emma In the beginning, there were no indigenous players in the Nigerian payment industry that was dominated by debit and credit cards.
It has been over 12 years since Verve was launched in Nigeria and the card scheme has achieved several remarkable feats, further demonstrating the ability of the Central Bank of Nigeria to regulate the industry in a sustainable manner and support local advancement.
This was a strategic effort by the Verve brand, which is the biggest payment card brand in Nigeria with more than 30 million payment tokens, to increase its acceptance across the African continent. The latest development may have compounded the debates and analysis some more, while seemingly complicating the situation. Partnering with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System , the Central Bank is set to unveil a new card scheme, in January 2023. This singular development may have triggered genuine concerns and questions about CBN’s actions, even if their intentions and strategies were well thought out.