Nigeria NQR: NIBSS QR Code Standard for Merchant Payments

1. What Is NQR

NQR is the national QR payment standard operated by Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS). It follows the EMVCo merchant-presented specification, with Nigeria-specific fields.

2. Payload Fields

The payload follows the standard TLV EMV structure. Key additions include the CBN-assigned merchant identifier and bank-specific sub-tag for the account routing. Currency code is 566 (Nigerian naira) and country code is NG.

3. Merchant Onboarding

Merchants register through their bank or fintech provider. The QR is generated and certified by the participating institution, not self-generated.

4. Consumer App

NQR works with mobile banking apps and licensed payment apps. The consumer scans, reviews the amount and merchant name, then authorises using their PIN or biometric.