The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has again prolonged the suspension of processing fees on cash deposits till March 31, 2025.
With the extension, cash deposits of more than N500,000 by individuals and N3million by companies will continue to attract no charge.
The processing fees were previously set at 2.0 per cent for individual accounts and 3.0 per cent for corporate accounts.
A review yesterday showed that banks have started sending out notifications to their customers, informing them of the extended grace period.
Analysts described the extension as a continuation of CBN’s efforts to ease the burden of transaction costs on large cash deposits, initially announced earlier this year.
The suspension of fees on large cash deposits dated back to May 2024 when the CBN announced that it was halting the application of the charges outlined in its “Guide to Charges by Banks, Other Financial Institutions and Non-Bank Financial Institutions,” originally issued in December 2019.
The processing fees were briefly reinstated on May 01, 2024 and were met with strenuous complaints by bank customers, prompting the apex bank to swiftly issue a new circular on May 06.
Signed by Adetona Adedeji, Director of Banking Supervision, the circular suspended the fees until September 30. The suspension has now been extended to March 31, 2025.
Market analysts said CBN’s decision to extend the suspension has come at a critical time for Nigeria’s banking sector.
