CBN restricts merchant acquiring and consumer issuing market concentration

Central Bank of Nigeria issued market structure circular / regulatory constraint on June 1, 2026.

Primary

Central Bank of Nigeria

Structure

market structure circular / regulatory constraint

Date

June 1, 2026

Sub-sector

Payments

CBN limits any institution to max 15% merchant acquiring if holding >25% consumer issuing, forcing fintechs to choose market segments over ecosystem dominance.

Primary company

Central Bank of Nigeria

Counterparty

Not disclosed

Amount

Not disclosed

Event date

June 1, 2026

Sub-sector

Payments

HQ

Not disclosed

Structure

market structure circular / regulatory constraint

Source published

July 20, 2026

Publisher

TechCabal

Source: techcabal.com