CBN Orders Banks To Operate 1 ATM Per 7,500 Payment Cards By 2028

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has ordered banks and other card issuers to expand the deployment of Automated Teller Machines, ATMs, across the country, mandating a minimum ratio of one ATM for every 7,500 payment cards issued by 2028. CBN Director of the Payments System Policy Department, Musa I. Jimoh, in a circular, dated March 13, 2026, issued the directive, specifically, addressed to banks, other financial institutions and payment service providers. The CBN Guidelines on the Operations of Automated Teller Machines, ATMs, mandated that “All card issuers shall deploy ATMs, of at least 1 ATM per every 7,500 payment cards issued.”