Guaranty Trust Bank (Ghana) Limited has set up a desk to enable Nigerians resident in Ghana and who have bank accounts in Nigeria to enroll for mandatory Bank Verification Number (BVN) scheme, introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The enrolment exercise, for now, is carried out from the bank’s Baatsona branch, on the Spintex Road, close to the Paloma Hotel at Community 18 junction.
The BVN scheme introduced by CBN requires all customers who have accounts with banks in Nigeria to undergo a biometric registration based on signature, fingerprints and picture. Customers are thereafter issued a unique number which can also be linked to every account that the customer has in all banks in Nigeria.
The CBN came up with the scheme in response to increasing compromise with security systems including customers’ passwords and PINs. Hence, the enrolment exercise is meant to give customers a unique identity that will address identity theft and eliminate accounts exposure to fraud.
Guaranty Trust Bank Plc., parent company of Guaranty Trust Bank (Ghana) Limited, embarked on the BVN enrolment exercise in all its branches in Nigeria where customers’ pictures and all 10 fingerprints were captured for authentication.
Also in GTBank UK, about 4,500 Nigerian bank account holders were enrolled unto the scheme.
Commenting on the BVN enrolment process, Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank (Ghana) Limited, Mr. Lekan Sanusi stated, “We are happy to extend this enrolment exercise to Nigerians resident in Ghana and who have accounts in Nigeria. This is a step further to protect customer transactions and inspire further confidence in Nigerian banking systems.”
He further stated that, “As a bank with strong and safe operating principles and systems, we are delighted to extend such support to customers and potential customers of our parent company, GTBank Plc.”.
General Manager of Guaranty Trust Bank (Ghana) Limited, Mr. Daniel Attah explaining the enrolment process said, “Each account holder is expected to submit a form of identification, which could be a passport or National ID. All they need to do is visit our Baatsona branch, fill out a form, and then their fingerprints can be taken”.
He further stated that, “The Bank Verification Number is an 11 digit code that will be given to the customer after the process has been completed.
The BVN enrolment exercise which begins in December at the bank’s Baatsona branch shall run till the end of January 2016 and is expected to cover Nigerians who are living and working in Ghana but operating accounts in Nigeria.
Guaranty Trust Bank (Ghana) Limited is a subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc in Nigeria, the first sub-Saharan African Bank to be listed on the London Stock Exchange. Presently in its 9th year of operations in Ghana, GTBank Ghana has established itself as role model and a reference point in the financial services industry in the country due to its strengths, safety and efficiency in delivering unrivaled banking solutions to customers. It currently operates from 33 branches spread across the length and breadth of Ghana.
Signed by:
Ben Ackah-Mensah
Group Head, Corporate Affairs