The value of transactions on the eNaira has increased to N4 billion since its launch on October 25, 2021, according to CBN Governor Mr. Godwin Emefiele. He made this statement at the 2022 eNaira hackathon’s grand finale in Abuja.
At the 2021 Annual Bankers Dinner and Lecture hosted by the Enugu State branch of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria in December of last year, Ch’Edozie Okonjo, the CBN Controller for the Enugu branch, stated that the CBN had recorded over 34,000 transactions on the eNaira platform with a total value of over N188m.
Okonjo had said, “So far, we have recorded over 583,000 consumer wallets and about 83,000 merchant wallets downloads, with downloads occurring in over 160 countries (per Google Play Store and Apple Store data). We have also recorded over 34,000 transactions amounting to over N188m. These numbers suggest the adoption rate has been excellent.”
This then shows an increase of 2,027.66 per cent from December to August, according to the CBN officials. During the 2022 eNaira Hackathon, the CBN governor also said that there had been about 840,000 downloads and 200,000 transaction volumes.
Emefiele said, “Since the launch of this great initiative, the eNaira has reached 840,000 downloads, with about 270,000 active wallets comprising over 252,000 consumer wallets and 17,000 merchant wallets. In addition, volume and value of transactions on the platform have been remarkable, reaching above 200,000 and N4bn, respectively.”
The CBN governor further disclosed that from next week, banked and unbanked Nigerians would be able to open an eNaira wallet and conduct transactions through the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data code by simply dialling *997# from their phones.
The apex bank governor added, “Shortly after this, both merchants and consumers with bank accounts can use the NIBSS Instant Payment to transfer and receive eNaira to any bank account.
“This will further deepen the integration of the eNaira with the existing national payment infrastructure.”
Emefiele also said that the apex bank targeted about eight million active users for the next phase of the eNaira project.
Also speaking, the Deputy Governor, of Economic Policy of the CBN, Dr Kingsley Obiora, hailed the eNaira initiative, stressing the dynamic shift into a paperless economy. According to him, the CBN has reduced the minting of currencies over the last couple of years to ensure a cashless economy.
In his remarks, the Group Head, of Africa FinTech Foundry, Daniel Awe, a technical partner to CBN, commended the apex bank for transforming from a traditional regulator to a smart, innovative one. The eNaira hackathon recorded a sizeable interest from young and innovative Nigerians with a total of 4,667 registrations, comprising 4,082 male and 582 female applicants
