The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced plans to roll out a new regulatory policy aimed at improving debit card issuance and Automated Teller Machines operations across the banking sector.
The announcement was made by the CBN Governor, Yemi Cardoso, through his Special Adviser, Fatai Karim, at the 2026 Committee of Heads of Bank Operations Conference held at the weekend.
The move is part of efforts to tackle persistent cash access challenges and restore public confidence in electronic payment systems.
According to the apex bank, the proposed policy will align the number of debit cards issued by banks with their deployed ATM infrastructure, a measure expected to reduce congestion, frequent downtime, and uneven cash availability across the country.
The CBN observed that recurring ATM failures and cash shortages continue to weaken trust in digital payment channels, despite the rapid growth of electronic transactions within the banking system.
“Very soon, the Central Bank will be coming up with another policy to sanitise and improve the situation, particularly around how many cards banks issue relative to the number of ATMs they support. When cash access fails, whether due to prolonged ATM outages or uneven distribution, the credibility of the entire payment system is weakened,” the bank said.
