1. What is e-BillsPay?

This is an acronym for Electronic Bills Payment which is a collection platform managed and operated by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS) that accepts payments from customers via Internet Banking, Bank Branch, and USSD channels.

e-BillsPay is used to facilitate the payment of different Bills, Fees, Levies, Premiums, Airtime, and Subscriptions, etc. by the banking public through electronic payment channels provided and managed by Banks.


2. How can a biller be onboarded?

Customers are onboarded through the following options:

  • Back-end configuration – No validation (Simple Integration)
  • API Integration via Secure Connection (VPN) – Validation & Notification (Complex Integration).

 3. How long does it take to onboard a biller?

  • Simple integration – 7 working days after management approval
  • Complex integration – 1 month after management approval


4. What are the connection requirements?

e-BillsPay is securely hosted at NIBSS from where all banks, billers and biller aggregators connect to it via a secure network tunnel called the Virtual Private Network (VPN).

e-BillsPay connects to the billers to validate data and notification of successful payments, and connects to the Bank for customers to view list of billers and payment receipt after a successful transaction.

 

5. What payment channels are available on e-BillsPay?

The following payment channels are currently available:

  • Bank Channels (Branch & Internet Banking)
  • USSD Channel - *565*6*Biller Code#

6. What is the pricing and fee sharing model?

CURRENT PRICE

DISTRIBUTION

REMARK

Branch & Internet Banking FIXED - N100 (min) MAX N1200

VARIABLE - 0.5% min capped at

N1200

Biller Introducer(BANK/PSSP) - 10 Acquirer - 60

NIBSS - 30

 

USSD

FIXED - N75

FIXED

Payer Bank – 33.75 NIBSS - 15

Telco – 18.75

USSD Aggregator – 5.25 SMS – 2.25

Biller Introducer - Mark-up

 

 

 

AGGREGATORS AND INTRODUCERS WILL BE ADVISED TO MARKUP FEES WHERE NECESSARY.

VARIABLE - 1.5%

VARIABLE

Payer Bank - 45% NIBSS - 20%

Telco - 25%

USSD Aggregator - 7% SMS - 3%

Biller Introducer - Mark-up

 

 

7. Do I need to know the account number or bank details of the biller I am paying to?

No, beneficiary account numbers are automatically configured by the system operators. All you need to do is provide the accurate information as requested during transaction processing.

 

 8. How are the transaction fees charged and settled?

Transaction fees agreed with biller is configured on the platform and fee is generated automatically upon payment confirmation. The biller has the liberty to bear the charges or pass the fees to its customers.

On a weekly basis, NIBSS generates billing per bank and debits each bank to credit the different parties.

 

 9. How will the biller know I have paid?

Transactions reflect on the e-BillsPay Transaction Query System (TQS) where billers can view transactions as they occur online real time. Also email and API notifications are sent to billers upon successful payment.

The product also generates a receipt of transaction as payment confirmation to customers.


10. What is TQS?

TQS is an acronym for Transaction Query System.

This is a portal based reporting system used for viewing all transactions in real-time. The portal can be accessed by Banks and Billers on the e-BillsPay service.

 

 11. How many banks are available on e-BillsPay?

Bank

Bank Branch

Internet Banking

USSD

Access

Yes

No

Yes

Citi

Yes

Yes

No

Diamond

Yes

Yes

Yes

Eco

Yes

Yes

Yes

Fidelity

Yes

Yes

Yes

FBN

Yes

Yes

No

FCMB

Yes

Yes

Yes

GTB

Yes

Yes

No

Heritage

Yes

No

Yes

Jaiz

Yes

No

No

Keystone

Yes

Yes

Yes

Providus

Yes

No

Yes

Skye

Yes

No

Yes

Stanbic

Yes

No

Yes

Standard Chart.

Yes

No

No

Sterling

Yes

No

Yes

Suntrust

Yes

No

Yes

Union

Yes

No

Yes

UBA

Yes

No

Yes

Unity

Yes

Yes

Yes

Wema

Yes

Yes

Yes

Zenith

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

12. What is the enrollment requirement for payers via USSD?

Bank

Enrol. requirement

Access

DOB (mmddyyyy)

Diamond

DOB (mmddyyyy)

Ecobank

DOB (mmddyyyy)

Fidelity

DOB (mmddyyyy)

FCMB

DOB (mmddyyyy)

Heritage

DOB (mmddyyyy)

Keystone

DOB (mmddyyyy)

Providus

DOB (mmddyyyy)

Skye

DOB (mmddyyyy)

Stanbic

Last 4 digits of Card


Sterling

DOB (mmddyyyy)

Suntrust

DOB (mmddyyyy)

Union

DOB (mmddyyyy)

UBA

DOB (mmddyyyy)

Unity

DOB (mmddyyyy)

Wema

DOB (mmddyyyy)

Zenith

Last 4 digits of Card

 

13. How can I search for a biller on e-BillsPay?

Type the first 3 letters of the biller on eBillsPay search bar, e.g., to search for Promasidor, type “Pro”.

 

 14. Do I require to have airtime on the phone to use the USSD channel?

No, the USSD session is ‘zero-rated,’ meaning airtime is not required to process an e-BillsPay transaction.

 

 15. What is the duration of the USSD transaction?

A typical USSD session should last for 60 seconds. However, the duration is also dependent on the network availability of the Telecommunications Operator.

 

 16. What is the payment confirmation model for the USSD channel?

A flash screen notification is displayed, and an SMS notification is sent to the phone of the payer as payment confirmation.

Also, transactions reflect on the Transaction Query System (TQS) where billers can view transactions as they occur online in real time.

 

 17. What type of phone can be used for the USSD transaction?

USSD Transactions can be processed on any feature or smart mobile phone.

 

 18. When do billers receive value on e-BillsPay?

e-BillsPay rides on the NIBSS Instant Payment (NIP) infrastructure, so billers get instant value for transactions.

19. What is the settlement process for Banks on e-BillsPay?

Settlement for banks takes place at 8:00 am and 2:00 pm daily in line with the NIP settlement framework.

 

20. Who can be a biller on e-BillsPay?

The platform is designed for payment collections of all forms, so businesses that require payment from their customers are suited for the product, typical examples are:

  • Utilities
  • Government and MDAs
  • Educational Institutions
  • FMCGs
  • Religious Entities
  • Travels/Transportation and Logistics Companies
  • Events, Entertainment and Ticketing Companies
  • e-commerce
  • Infotechs
  • Sports and Gaming
  • Associations and Cooperatives
  • Insurance and HMO
  • SMEs etc.

 

 21. What can I do when a process a transaction and it fails?

In cases of a failed transaction that resulted to an account debit, the name of the biller and details of the transaction should be sent to the Bank of the customer that initiated the transaction. The bank will further engage NIBSS for resolution.

 

 22. Is there a Dispute Resolution Process?

Yes, there is a platform used to log dispute(s) called the Dispute Resolution System (DRS). This is an automated process for dispute resolution which allows a Beneficiary/Receiving Bank to accept or deny dispute claims sent by the Sender Bank.

The TAT for dispute resolution is 72 hours.

 

 23. I initiated a transaction with the wrong amount, is it possible to reverse the transaction so I can re-initiate?

Yes, it is possible, details of the transaction should be sent to your bank, who will further engage NIBSS for resolution. NIBSS will engage the biller and beneficiary bank to ensure the amount is reversed.