The Central Bank of Nigeria has proposed new rules requiring banks and other financial institutions to refund victims of Authorised Push Payment fraud within 48 hours of investigations being concluded.
This is according to the draft “Guidelines for Handling Authorised Push Payment Fraud” issued by the apex bank and dated November 26, 2025, but released on the bank’s website on Tuesday.
The document states that “reimbursement, where applicable, shall be made within forty-eight (48) hours from the conclusion of a documented APP fraud investigation.”
The CBN said the framework is aimed at curbing the rising incidence of fraud carried out through social engineering, impersonation, deception and other techniques that pressure victims into authorising transfers to fraudsters.
It noted that APP fraud had become increasingly difficult to detect because it “exploits the customer’s trust and the finality of digital transactions,” leading to financial losses and weakening public confidence in electronic payments.
Under the proposed rules, banks will be required to complete investigations into reported APP fraud cases within 14 working days and immediately inform customers of the outcome.
