AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
There is no public NIBSS service that lists every account linked to your BVN: its published USSD tools only return or validate the BVN itself. You can ask each bank for the accounts it holds under your BVN, and get a credit report from a licensed credit bureau, which shows loans and credit facilities reported against you but not ordinary savings or current accounts.
Why there is no single lookup
The BVN database is run by NIBSS under the CBN's 2021 Revised Regulatory Framework for BVN Operations and Watch-List. The framework restricts access tightly: access is approved by the CBN, foreign entities have no access, law enforcement needs a Federal High Court order, and individuals may access only their own BVN information through secured channels with authentication. The CBN may also set fees for accessing information from the database.
None of the self-service tools NIBSS publishes lists accounts. Its USSD validation page offers *565*0# to retrieve your BVN, *565*1# to validate a BVN and show the registered name, *565*5# to track recent NIP transfers from your own account and *565*11# for insurance validation, at ₦20 each as at November 2025. Treat any website or agent claiming to show "all accounts on your BVN" for a fee as suspect.
The routes that do exist
| Route | What it shows | What it misses |
|---|---|---|
| Ask each bank | Every account that bank holds under your BVN, including dormant ones | Accounts at other banks |
| Credit bureau report | Loans, overdrafts and credit facilities reported by lenders | Ordinary savings and current accounts; lenders that do not report |
| Fintech and wallet apps | Wallets you open in each app | Anything outside that app |
| NDIC, after a bank closes | The NDIC says it uses BVNs to locate depositors' accounts when paying insured deposits | Only applies to failed banks |
| Court order | What the court directs | Only for legal proceedings |
Asking a bank
Write to each bank you have used, or visit a branch with ID, and ask for a list of all accounts held under your name and BVN, including closed, dormant and joint accounts. Banks can search their own systems by BVN. Ask for the answer in writing.
Getting a credit report
Licensed credit bureaus hold loan records linked to your identity. CRC Credit Bureau, for example, says on its site that individuals are entitled to one free credit report a year, using the code FREEREPORT at checkout, with paid reports for more frequent checks. Other bureaus have their own offers; check each bureau's own site for current prices. A credit report will show loan accounts, including any taken in your name that you do not recognise, which makes it the best tool for spotting identity fraud.
What a bank's answer will and will not tell you
A bank searching by BVN will normally find accounts where you are the account holder, a joint holder or a signatory, because the CBN framework requires signatories' BVNs to be linked to joint and corporate accounts. It will not tell you about accounts at other banks, and it may not volunteer details of business accounts where you were once a signatory but have since been delinked. Ask specifically about:
- Closed accounts, and the date and balance at closure.
- Dormant or inactive accounts.
- Joint and business accounts where your BVN is linked as a signatory.
- Domiciliary accounts in foreign currency.
Steps if you suspect an account you did not open
- Get a credit report from at least one licensed bureau and look for lenders or loans you do not recognise.
- Ask each bank you have ever used for a written list of accounts under your BVN. If you need the number first, see how to retrieve a forgotten BVN.
- If an unknown account or loan appears, write to that bank or lender immediately, ask for its account opening records and say you did not open it.
- Report identity theft to the police and keep the report.
- Escalate to the CBN Consumer Protection Department, which handles BVN complaints, if the institution does not respond.
- Protect the phone line on your BVN record: ask your network about SIM swap safeguards, since that line receives verification codes.
Worked example
Example only: Ifeoma wants to trace accounts from her university years. She writes to the four banks she remembers, besides the bank where she banks today. One reports a dormant account holding ₦18,500; another reports an old savings account holding ₦3,200. Her total traced balance is ₦18,500 + ₦3,200 = ₦21,700 across the two older accounts. Her free annual credit report shows one old overdraft, already repaid. She reactivates the dormant account with ID and links her NIN.
For how the BVN ties these together, see how the BVN works, and for safe sharing, is it safe to share your BVN.
Questions people ask
How can I check all accounts linked to my BVN?
There is no public NIBSS lookup. Ask each bank for accounts under your BVN in writing, and get a credit report to see loans and credit facilities.
Is there a USSD code to see accounts linked to my BVN?
Not on NIBSS's published list. *565*0# returns your BVN and *565*1# validates it, at ₦20 each as at Nov 2025.
Can someone open an account with my BVN?
Banks verify identity with biometrics and documents, but fraud happens. A credit report and written requests to banks help you spot accounts or loans you did not open.
Does a credit report show my savings accounts?
No. It shows loans and credit facilities reported by lenders.
Sources
- NIBSS: USSD Validation Service (*565) (page modified 12 Nov 2025) · accessed Oct 2026
- CBN Revised Regulatory Framework for BVN Operations and Watch-List (October 2021), text reproduced by Proshare · accessed Oct 2026
- CRC Credit Bureau: consumer reports and free annual report · accessed Oct 2026
- NDIC: home page (deposit insurance; BVN used to locate depositors' accounts) · 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.