The Central Bank of Nigeria has announced the postponement of the proposed launch of its digital currency, e-Naira.
This was contained in a statement issued by the apex bank’s Director of Communications, Osita Nwanisobi, on Friday.
He said the launch, which was earlier scheduled for October 1, was postponed due to other activities lined up to commemorate the country’s 61st independence anniversary.
Nwanisobi said the CBN and other partners were working round-the-clock to ensure a seamless process that would be in the overall interest of customers, especially the unbanked population.
He said with the e-Naira, Nigerians would be able to carry out peer-to-peer transfer to another person’s e-Naira wallet as well as pay for goods and services at selected merchants.
He added that the e-Naira would also help to reduce the use of cash and ensure the stability of the Nigerian economy.
The Director assured Nigerians that financial institutions in Nigeria remained key actors and a critical part of the CBN Digital Currency.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that some financial experts had earlier cautioned the apex bank to be a bit cautious and not hasten to launch the digital currency.
Okechukwu Unegbu, a past President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, had advised the CBN to engage more stakeholders in consultations and to carry out adequate sensitisation before launching the e-Naira.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
