Business

EXPLAINER: OPay is not replacing phone numbers with standard account numbers

Published

1 week ago

September 28, 2026

A social media claim that OPay has stopped using customers’ phone numbers as account numbers and is now issuing standard bank account numbers has sparked confusion among users of the fintech platform.

The claim, which circulated among social media users, urged OPay customers still using their phone numbers as account numbers to visit OPay agents to have their accounts updated.

“OPay is no longer using phone numbers as account numbers. They’re now issuing standard account numbers, so if you’re still using your phone number as your OPay account number, hurry to an OPay agent to get yours updated,” an X user, Israel Gharee, posted.

However, an OPay official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told PREMIUM TIMES that the claim is inaccurate, adding that the company would communicate any major changes to its customers through its official communication channels.

“I have seen the tweet. But even from the comments you will see people are already correcting him. If we have any update or news, we will always share through our communication channels,” the official said on Sunday.

Clarification

The official said the claim may have been prompted by OPay’s My BizPayment feature, which provides users with a separate account number for business transactions.

The feature is available to existing OPay users who want to use their accounts for business purposes. It allows users to provide information about their businesses and, after completing the process, receive a merchant account number.

The existence of the merchant account number does not mean OPay has replaced the phone-number-based account details used by its regular customers.

The business account number is associated with the user’s existing OPay account and is intended for business-related transactions.

BizPayment account

My BizPayment is a business feature within the OPay app, and it’s not a recent update.

Users can access it through the “Me” section of the app and provide information about their businesses, including the nature of the business and how it operates.

The process includes different business categories and operating models. Once the required information is provided, eligible users can proceed to generate a merchant account number.

ALSO READ: Eight years on, OPay keeps Nigerian businesses moving

The account number generated through this process may therefore look different from the phone-number format associated with a regular OPay account.

That distinction appears to be at the centre of the social media claim.

No instruction to change existing accounts

There is no indication from OPay that ordinary customers have been instructed to visit agents to replace their existing phone-number-based account details.

The company said any change to its account system would be communicated through its official channels.

The OPay official said the availability of a separate merchant account number through My BizPayment should not be interpreted as an announcement that OPay has discontinued the use of phone numbers for regular customer accounts.

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Zenith, Fidson, NEM top stock pick this week

Published

7 hours ago

October 5, 2026

PlateauReports

Nigerian stocks slightly depreciated last week, sliding by 0.5 per cent as sell pressure on bank equities weighed on the main stock index.

All but the insurance index dropped out of the five sector indexes tracked by the Nigerian Exchange.

“Investor positioning ahead of Q3:2026 earnings should provide additional support, particularly as expectations build around the Tier-1 banks’ results,” analysts at Meristem Securities said in a note to investors ahead of the week.

“The ongoing impact of Nigeria’s FTSE Russell reclassification should also keep trading activity elevated and sustain interest in eligible large-cap stocks,” they added.

The release of companies’ Q3 earnings reports is expected to begin soon.

PREMIUM TIMES has assembled some stocks with sound fundamentals, adopting rigorous approaches to save you the risk of picking equities at random for investment.

The pick, a product of an analytical market watch, offers a guide to entering the market and taking strategic positions, with the expectation that selected stocks will record reasonable price appreciation with the passage of time.

This is not a buy, sell or hold recommendation but a stock investment guide. You may need to involve your financial advisor before taking investment decisions.

READ ALSO: DN Tyre & Rubber, Greif Nigeria delisted from Nigerian Exchange

Zenith Bank

Zenith tops this week’s list for its strong fundamentals and for trading below its intrinsic value. The net profit ratio (NPR) of the lender is 21.8, while the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio is 5.3x. Its 14-day relative strength index (RSI) is 68.

Fidson Healthcare

Fidson appears on the pick on the basis of its attractive fundamentals. The NPR of the pharmaceutical company is 7.8, while the PE ratio is 18.8x. The 14-day RSI is 51.2.

NEM Insurance

NEM makes the selection for its strong fundamentals and for trading below its intrinsic value. The insurer’s NPR is 15.7, while the PE ratio is 5.6x. Its 14-day RSI is 43.2.

Stanbic IBTC Holdings

Stanbic IBTC makes the cut for its sound fundamentals. The NPR of the banking group is 34.5, while PE ratio is 5.9x. The 14-day RSI is 69.5.

Aradel Holdings

Aradel makes the cut for its sound fundamentals. The NPR of the energy company is 28.4, while the PE ratio is 8.7x. The RSI is 50.8.

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Business

NAIPE 11th Annual Conference Moves to 12 Noon as 28 Stakeholders Back Event

Published

15 hours ago

October 5, 2026

PlateauReports

About 28 insurance and pension regulators and operators have backed the upcoming 11th edition of the Nigerian Association of Insurance and Pension Editors (NAIPE) Annual Conference, scheduled to hold in Lagos.

This is even as the timing of the event scheduled to hold on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, has been shifted from 9:00am to 12:00pm same day.

This is to allow Insurance operators, who will be attending Insurers Committee meeting earlier that day, conclude their meeting and attend the conference.

The national conference with a focus on the emerging market dynamics in Nigeria’s insurance and pension sectors, follows the just concluded recapitalisation exercise in the insurance sector and ongoing exercise in the pension industry.

Themed: “Post-Recapitalisation and Market Dynamics in Insurance & Pension Sectors,” the Chief Executive Officer of United Capital Asset Management Limited, Dr. Odiri Oginni, will deliver the keynote address, focusing on the insurance perspective while Mr. Oguche Aguda,
Founder and Managing Partner of HRISP Partners, will equally deliver a paper on the theme, focusing on the pension perspective.

The Group Managing Director of Custodian Investment Plc, Mr. Wole Oshin, will chair the event.

According to NAIPE, the conference is coming at a critical period for the two sectors, as insurance operators have just concluded their recapitalisation exercise, while pension operators are expected to conclude theirs in 2027.

The high level discourse will therefore examine how funds raised through recapitalisation can be strategically invested and deployed to generate stronger returns, deepen market confidence and improve service delivery to shareholders and policyholders.

Expected dignitaries include the Commissioner for Insurance & Chief Executive Officer of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Mr. Olusegun Omosehin; Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Ms. Omolola Oloworaran; chief executives of insurance companies, broking firms, investment and securities companies and Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs), as well as regulators, labour unions, students and other stakeholders.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Chairperson of NAIPE, Mrs. Ebere Nwoji said, the annual gathering provides a platform for insurance and pension journalists to contribute to the development of both sectors by promoting greater public understanding of insurance and pension as instruments for financial security and protection against old-age poverty.

Nwoji expressed appreciation to operators and regulators in the two sectors for their continued support for the conference, stressing that, the benefits derived from the annual event outweigh the resources committed to organising it.

She described this year’s theme as timely, given the significant structural changes taking place in the insurance and pension industries through recapitalisation.

She noted that, the insurance industry concluded its recapitalisation exercise on July 31, 2026, while the pension industry is currently undergoing a similar process expected to be completed next year.

The NAIPE chairperson, particularly, commended the leadership of NAICOM for successfully concluding the insurance industry’s recapitalisation exercise, describing it as a major achievement for Omosehin.

According to her, the Commissioner ‘took the bull by the horns’ in breaking what she described as the longstanding cycle of inconclusive recapitalisation exercises in the insurance industry.

She also expressed optimism that the pension industry, under the leadership of Ms. Omolola Oloworaran, would achieve a seamless and successful recapitalisation exercise.

“The conference would provide operators with an opportunity to gain insights into prudent and judicious investment of the capital raised through the recapitalisation process.

“I am confident that speakers at the event would provide practical perspectives on how insurance and pension operators can deploy their strengthened capital bases to deliver superior investment returns while enhancing value for investors, shareholders and policyholders” she affirmed.

Meanwhile, NAICOM, PenCom, SanlamAllianz, Veritas Kapital and 24 others have offered their support and partnership towards the conference.

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