Bank Verification Number (BVN) enrolments in Nigeria rose to 67.8 million by December 2025, according to new data released by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS).
The figure represents an increase of more than 4.3 million registrations from 63.5 million in 2024, reflecting continued growth in the country’s biometric identity database.
NIBSS data shows steady annual growth over the past five years, rising from 51.9 million in 2021 to 67.8 million in 2025, a year-on-year increase of about 6.8 percent.
The expansion has been driven by policy measures from the Central Bank of Nigeria, including directives to freeze bank accounts without BVN and National Identification Number (NIN) from April 2024. The rollout of the Non-Resident BVN initiative has also enabled Nigerians in the diaspora to enrol remotely.
Analysts say the growing BVN database strengthens fraud prevention, improves KYC and anti-money laundering compliance, and supports financial inclusion. However, the number still trails Nigeria’s more than 320 million active bank accounts, highlighting continued challenges around unenrolled customers and multiple accounts per individual.
