The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday said a new banks with regional, specialised and non interest banks would emerge with different categories of capital base. As a result of this, there have been divergent views over the new policy.

Tunde Popoola, the managing director of CRC Credit Bureau and season banker welcomes the new policy but was of the opinion that the CBN would have to cope with the problem of skill manpower both from within the regulators and the industry.

CBN through its director of banking supervision, Samuel Oni said banks would be made to concentrate on banking activities under the new setting as separate licenses would be issued to commercial banks, microfinance bank, mortgage bank and investment bank.

"Any bank that wants to go international or national would also have a separate license. There would also be separate license for banks that would want to concentrate on small and medium enterprises or funding of agriculture. The new policy is to create room for financial activities to have a model where banks would not divert their capitals and deposits into speculative activities or high risk venture", he said.

But Popoola said: "Looking at the history of the banking sector in the United States, banking sector was regionalised with specialised banks but when Bill Clinton came, mega banks emerged and the whole formation changed. Even with that, we still have over 8,000 banks in the US today some are mega banks, others are specialised banks"

He said the conventional banking structure in Nigeria has not been helpful as only a few people have access to fund, adding that there have been challenges for coping as universal or commercial banks due to lack capacity such as lack of fund, skills staff.

"There should be specialised banks. Take for instance, Nigerian Development Bank which basically deals with infrastructural development though it is owned by the federal government, yet it has done well. We have microfinance banks which also focus on the poor", he said.

Also, Opeyemi Agbaje an economist said he was not convinced that the CBN has fully thought through the proposed bank scheme.

"I am not convinced that the CBN has fully thought through the proposed bank categorisation scheme. I fear that we may be rushing into a policy of this huge significance and risks. I would have wanted the CBN to release, for discussion purposes, a draft of the proposed framework so that stakeholders can fully examine the merits or otherwise of the proposal. One is unable to agree or disagree with the proposal given the scanty details on the policy content", he said.

Agbaje said the global financial crisis brought to the fore the dangers in banks engaging in highly speculative investment banking transactions with retail depositors' funds with the result that the government and regulators are forced to save them when they fail to protect depositors

He said the banking regulators should take into account the level of risk a bank is bearing before deciding on capital levels, deposit insurance premiums, regulatory scrutiny

"It is also important that banking regulators take into account the level of risk a bank is bearing before deciding on capital levels, deposit insurance premiums, regulatory scrutiny etc. Categorisation for such purposes may offer some value.

Agbaje however urged CBN to provides full details of its regulatory direction to ensure we don't again rush into a policy that we haven't fully discussed and debated

"Nevertheless, we would prefer that the CBN provides full details of its regulatory direction to ensure we don't again rush into a policy that we haven't fully discussed and debated", he said

An economist and former deputy governor (Economic Policy) of CBN Dr. Obadiah Mailafa said if the new policy was to effectively regulate the sector, it is welcome one.

He however said that Universal banking is what is in vogue in most parts of the world.

"The trend is still universal banking, this is what is obtained in United States of America and in the Europe", he said.

He said CBN may have taken the decision in the best interest of the country.

A university lecturer at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Dr. Bashir Kurfi said the decision would introduce professionalism in the banking sector.

He said the decision by the former CBN Governor Soludo Chukwuma to have uniform capital base for all banks was wrong.

"Nobody should tell you that banks should operate with same capital base. You don't grade banks with policy statement by the CBN. The implication of the universal banking system is that the level of professionalism may reduce", he said.

He advised CBN to be steady fast in the regulation of the banks.

"They should research very well in what they are doing. I support the policy and we are lucky that Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi does not belong to those people that have worked in government before or those World Bank fanatics", he said.