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The short answer
A transfer stuck 'in progress' or 'pending' usually means your bank sent it over NIBSS Instant Payment but did not get a clear success or failure reply, so it is querying the status. Your bank should then either confirm the credit or reverse you; the 2018 CBN instant transfer regulation set a ₦10,000 fine on a bank that does not reverse a failed transfer within 24 hours of your complaint.
You sent money, you were debited, the app says "pending" or "processing", and the recipient says nothing has arrived. Few things in Nigerian banking cause more anxiety. Understanding what is happening inside the transfer helps you decide whether to wait, complain or resend (usually: do not resend). For the basics of the system, see how NIP instant payments work.
What happens when you press send
An interbank transfer in Nigeria normally runs on NIBSS Instant Payment (NIP). NIBSS describes the flow in outline: your bank first runs a name enquiry to confirm the beneficiary's account; it then sends the transfer; the receiving bank credits the beneficiary in real time and sends back a response. Settlement between the banks happens later, across 12 settlement sessions a day. NIBSS also lists a Transaction Status Query (TSQ), which is the tool a bank uses to ask "what happened to this transfer?" when the response is missing or unclear.
Why a transfer shows 'in progress'
A transfer hangs when your bank has debited you but has not received a clear success or failure response. Common causes:
- Timeouts. The receiving bank or the switch did not respond in time, often during heavy traffic or outages.
- The receiving bank is down. The request reached NIBSS but the destination bank could not process it.
- The recipient's account is restricted or at its limit. Kuda's help pages, for instance, say inflows to accounts that have not completed BVN (and, above ₦50,000, ID) verification are held until the account is upgraded.
- A review on your side. Some apps hold transfers for a fraud or compliance check before sending.
How one bank describes the states
NIBSS does not publish customer-facing status names; each bank uses its own. Kuda's help article (5 August 2026) is one of the clearest public descriptions:
| Kuda status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Initiated | Transfer created in the app |
| Sent | Passed to NIBSS |
| Completed | Receiving bank confirmed the credit |
| Failed | Receiving side rejected it |
| Reversed | Money returned to the sender |
| Transaction Review | Held for checks |
Kuda says NIBSS sends two responses about a minute apart; where the result is unclear, it retries for up to two hours and then queues the transfer for manual reversal. Other banks and fintechs work differently, but the logic is similar: query, then either confirm or reverse.
When the bank must act
The CBN's Regulation on Instant (Inter-Bank) EFT Services took effect on 2 October 2018. ThisDay reported at the time that a failed instant transfer not reversed within 24 hours of a customer's complaint would attract a ₦10,000 fine on the bank. We could not confirm current enforcement. The practical point: the 24-hour clock runs from your complaint, so complain early rather than waiting silently.
Steps when your transfer is stuck
- Do not resend yet. If the first transfer later completes, you will have paid twice and will need the recipient's cooperation to get one back.
- Ask the recipient to check their account statement, not only their alerts. SMS alerts can fail even when the credit landed.
- Check the status yourself. NIBSS's USSD service lists *565*5# as a NIP tracker for transfers in the last 48 hours, dialled from the phone number tied to the sending account, at ₦20 per request (NIBSS page modified 12 November 2025).
- Complain to your bank in writing with the session ID, amount, time and beneficiary. Ask it to run a status query and either confirm the credit or reverse you.
- If neither happens, escalate. The CBN complaint guide asks you to allow two weeks; after that, write to the CBN Consumer Protection Department at cpd@cbn.gov.ng.
If you are the one waiting to be paid
Sellers and landlords see the other side of a stuck transfer: a customer shows a debit and a "pending" screen, and asks you to release goods or keys. A pending screen is not payment. Wait until the credit shows on your own statement, or until your bank confirms it. Fake pending and fake success screens are a known trick; see how to spot a fake credit alert. If the customer's bank later reverses them, you would have no claim on that transfer.
What to check first
- Session ID copied from the alert or receipt.
- Exact time of the transfer.
- The recipient's statement, not their alerts.
- Whether you or the recipient hit a daily or tier limit; see bank transfer limits in Nigeria.
- Whether your bank has already reversed you as a separate credit, which is easy to miss.
Once a reversal or completion is confirmed, keep the record. If a failed transfer was reversed and later also credited to the recipient, the recipient now holds money that is not theirs, and the steps in CBN refund timelines by channel and the wrong-transfer guides apply.
Questions people ask
Why is my transfer pending in Nigeria?
Usually because your bank sent it over NIP but did not receive a clear success or failure response, often due to a timeout or the receiving bank being unavailable. The bank should query the status and then confirm or reverse.
How long does a pending transfer take to reverse?
It depends on the bank. The 2018 CBN regulation set a ₦10,000 fine on banks that do not reverse a failed instant transfer within 24 hours of a complaint. Kuda, for example, retries for up to two hours before queuing a manual reversal.
How can I check if my transfer was successful?
Ask the recipient to check their statement, ask your bank to run a status query with the session ID, or use the NIBSS NIP tracker *565*5# for transfers in the last 48 hours.
Should I resend money if the transfer is pending?
It is safer not to. If the first transfer completes later, you will have paid twice.
Sources
- NIBSS: NIBSS Instant Payment (NIP), page modified 17 Apr 2026 · accessed Oct 2026
- Kuda Help: What happens when you send money (5 Aug 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- NIBSS: USSD Validation Services (*565#), page modified 12 Nov 2025 · accessed Oct 2026
- ThisDay: CBN announces fines for failed transaction reversals (18 Sep 2018) · accessed Oct 2026
- CBN: How to Lodge a Complaint (CPD/GEN/GUIDE/03, 24 Jan 2022) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.