The Central Bank of Nigeria has increased the share capital of Bureau De Change operators (BDCs) to N2 billion and N500 million for Tier 1 and Tier 2 licences.
The currency operators were previously charged N35 million for a general licence.
This was contained in the draft paper of “Revised Regulatory and Supervisory Guidelines for Bureau De Change Operations in Nigeria,” published by the apex bank on Friday.
The new guidelines contain several new changes to the guidelines for BDC operations in the country.
If approved, it will go into effect on a date that the CBN chooses.
Recently, the operations of currency operators have suffered heavy backlash following the free fall of the naira against the dollar.
Government officials have severely blamed the black market operators for this fall, though liquidity remains a huge challenge.
This week, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrested over 250 BDC operators in Abuja and many more in other states of the federation.
Under the minimum capital requirements, the central bank is introducing a two-tier licence for BDC operators in the country.
The guidelines read, “A Tier 1 BDC that is authorised to operate on a national basis can open branches and may appoint franchisees, subject to the approval of the CBN.
“A Tier 1 BDC (which is the franchisor) shall exercise supervisory oversight over its franchisees. All franchisees shall adopt their franchisor’s name, branding, technology platform, and rendition requirements.
“Also, a Tier 2 BDC is authorised to operate only in one state or the FCT. It may have up to three locations: a head office and two branches, subject to the approval of the CBN. It is not permitted to appoint franchisees.”
“Under Tier 1, operators are expected to have N2bn as minimum share capital while also depositing a Mandatory Caution Deposit of N200m.
“The application and licence fee are also N1 million and N5 million, respectively.
“Under Tier 2, operators are expected to have N500 million as minimum share capital while depositing a Mandatory Caution Deposit of N50 million. The application and licence fee are also N250,000 and N2 million, respectively.”
The apex bank also stated that the prescribed minimum capital of BDCs and any subsequent capital injection shall be subject to verification by the CBN.
