GTBank drops main replace that can impression all Clients

Guaranty Trust Financial institution (GTBank) has begun charging the ₦6.98 Unstructured Supplementary Service Knowledge (USSD) charge immediately from prospects’ airtime balances, ending the follow of debiting financial institution accounts for the service.

In textual content messages despatched early Wednesday, the lender knowledgeable prospects that the brand new billing mannequin takes impact instantly.

“Expensive Buyer, please be told that efficient 18 June 2025, the ₦6.98 USSD charge will likely be deducted out of your airtime stability, now not out of your checking account,” the financial institution stated.

The change aligns GTBank with a number of different deposit‑cash banks which have already migrated to the airtime‑deduction mannequin mandated by the Nigerian Communications Fee (NCC) in partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

For greater than 4 years, cellular‑community operators have pressed banks to settle excellent USSD service fees, which they stated bumped into tens of billions of naira.

In March 2021, the NCC and CBN launched a flat ₦6.98 per USSD session to streamline collections and forestall service disruptions.

Regardless of that framework, disagreements persevered over who ought to gather and remit the charge. Shifting the cost to airtime locations assortment squarely with telecom operators, eradicating banks from the billing chain.

Clients should guarantee they’ve adequate airtime earlier than initiating any USSD transaction (stability checks, transfers, invoice funds, and so forth.).

The core banking transaction itself stays freed from extra financial institution fees past current switch charges.

Failed USSD makes an attempt will nonetheless eat the ₦6.98 charge as soon as a session is established.

GTBank’s adoption means most tier‑1 banks now invoice the USSD charge by way of airtime—a transfer regulators say will get rid of future service interruptions and produce lengthy‑working telco–financial institution disputes to an in depth.