Cybersecurity Levy: All You Need to Know As CBN Issue Banks New Directives

Cybersecurity levy is the new directive given by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to banks and financial institutions in the country as contained in a circular released to the media on Monday.

ENigeria News reports that on Monday, the CBN directed deposit banks and financial institutions in the country to implement a cybersecurity levy on all banking customers.

The implementation of the cybersecurity levy which is to commence in two weeks would see banks charging an extra 0.5%, equivalent to half percent, on all electronic transactions, with only a few exemptions.

The circular read in part, “Following the enactment of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) (Amendment) Act 2024 and pursuant to the provision of Section 44 (2)(a) of the Act, a levy of 0.5% (0.005) equivalent to a half percent of all electronic transactions value by the business specified in the Second Schedule of the Act,’ is to be remitted to the National Cybersecurity Fund, which shall be administered by the Office of the National Security Adviser.”

The recent public engagements by the Office of the National Security Adviser on the above subject, also refers.

Following the enactment of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) (amendment) Act 2024 and under the provision of Section 44 (2)(a) of the Act, a levy of 0.5 per cent (0.005) equivalent to a half per cent of all electronic transactions value by the business specified in the Second Schedule of the Act, is to be remitted to the National Cybersecurity Fund which shall be administered by the Office of the National Security Adviser.

The CBN said that all banks, other financial institutions and payment service providers are now required to implement the directive, saying, “The levy shall be applied at the point of electronic transfer origination, then deducted and remitted by the financial institution. The deducted amount shall be reflected in the customer’s account with the narration, ‘Cybersecurity Levy’.

“Deductions shall commence within two weeks from the date of this circular for all financial institutions and the monthly remittance of the levies collected in bulk to the NCF account domiciled at the CBN by the fifth business day of every subsequent month.”

Full List of banking transactions exempted from CBN’s new cybersecurity levy

As the new Cybersecurity Levy directive prepares to take effect in two weeks, ENigeria News has enumerated a handful of transactions that are exempted from the levy.

According to the CBN’s communication on Monday, “The levy shall be applied at the point of electronic transfer origination, then deducted and remitted by the financial institution. The deducted amount shall be reflected in the customer’s account with the narration, ‘Cybersecurity Levy,’” the circular partly read.

Highlighted below are 16 banking transactions that are exempted from the CBN’s new cybersecurity levy:

1. Loan disbursements and repayments
2. Salary payments
3. Intra-account transfers within the same bank or between different banks for the same customer
4. Intra-bank transfers between customers of the same bank
5. Other Financial Institutions instructions to their correspondent banks
6. Interbank placements,
7. Banks’ transfers to CBN and vice-versa
8. Inter-branch transfers within a bank
9. Cheque clearing and settlements
10. Letters of Credits
11. Banks’ recapitalisation-related funding – only bulk funds movement from collection accounts
12. Savings and deposits, including transactions involving long-term investments such as Treasury Bills, Bonds, and Commercial Papers.
13. Government Social Welfare Programmes transactions e.g. Pension payments
14. Non-profit and charitable transactions, including donations to registered non-profit organisations or charities
15. Educational institutions’ transactions, including tuition payments and other transactions involving schools, universities, or other educational institutions
16. Transactions involving bank’s internal accounts such as suspense accounts, clearing accounts, profit and loss accounts, inter-branch accounts, reserve accounts, nostro and vostro accounts, and escrow accounts.

Source: ENigeria Newspaper