Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) said that the value of electronic payment (e-payment) transactions has risen to N65.6 trillion in the first quarter of the year (Q1 ’21).
This increase, the report says indicate a 82 per cent increase from N36.02 trillion in the corresponding period of 2020 (Q1’2020).
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Industry analysts have indicated that the development is connected to remote transactional relationship imposed on businesses and the general public by COVID-19 protocols which has already created a new normal in financial transaction.
Data on the four major e-payment channels released in the report show that the surge is driven by a 80 per cent increase in volume of transactions to 54.07 billion from 30.04 billion in Q1’2020.
The e-payment channels are Point of Sales (PoS), NIBSS Instant Payment (NIPs), Mobile Interscheme and NIBSS Electronic Transfer (NEFT).
Banks’ income from e-payment rose sharply by 52 per cent to N53.4 billion from N35.2 billion in Q1’2020.
Analysis shows that the growth in e-payment transactions in Q1’21 was led by transactions through Mobile Money Operators (Mobile Inter-scheme), which recorded 100 per cent and 183 per cent growth in volume and value of transactions respectively to 486.36 million and N1.29 trillion in Q1’21 from 244.16 million and N451 billion in Q1’2020.
NIBSS Instant Payment (NIP) transactions paired in volume growth and came second in value growth at 100 per cent and 88 per cent increases respectively to 734 million and N58.85 trillion in Q1’21 from 366.9 million and N31.24 trillion in Q1’20.
PoS transactions also recorded significant growth of 60 per cent and 48 per cent increases in volume and value of transactions respectively to 223.45 million and N1.49 trillion in Q1’21 from 139.62 and N1trillion in Q1’20.
Transactions through NIBSS Electronic Transfer (NEFT) recorded mixed performance.
Though the volume of transactions fell by 12 per cent YoY to 4.47 billion in Q1’21 from 5.11 billion in Q1’20, the value of transactions rose by 19 per cent YoY to N3.96 trillion in Q1’21 from N3.32 trillion in Q1’2020.