Chai! My people, Naija banks don dey run like Usain Bolt as dem dey try meet CBN capital requirements before deadline wey dey comot for March 31, 2026.
Dem don set “standard” wey be ₦500 billion for international banks and ₦200 billion for national banks, no be small matter o. E mean say if your bank no fit raise this kind money, dem fit downgrade dem una license or even merge.
As di matter be now, about 22 banks don succeed to gather dem capital, e don increase from 19 wey we hear before. Na real hustle as some banks dey merge or look for private equity to shine.
Without any doubt, CBN set this one up to make banking sector strong and resilient for di economy wey dey grow. We still dey remember wetin happen for 2004 when banks enter serious wahala because dem nose no meet di capital standard and dem reduce from 89 to 25 banks sha.
Now, we can see Access Bank, Zenith Bank, UBA and Fidelity Bank don show say dem fit meet di requirement. Access Bank raise ₦351 billion, Zenith get over ₦350 billion, even UBA and Fidelity no wan carry last.
But as all these banks dey rush, dem also dey face serious wahala o. From technology issues to cultural clashes, e no go easy as dem dey join hands. Some experts don even talk say adoption of AI for banking go fit help dem navigate this new terrain.
Na true say we wan see di banks transform into super-apps wey go fit handle flight booking, food delivery, and all di hustle wey Naija people dey face day to day.
Although some small banks dey struggle, dem fit merge or raise capital before di deadline. As e be, na serious business wey dey happen for di banking sector, and we dey expect more consolidation before di year run down.
Anyone wey get money for bank dey suppose dey collect di money no matter wetin happen, but di hustle no too dey easy for smaller banks, we go keep our eye for dem as all dis merger actions dey unfold.
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