Access Bank Plc has dismissed as false and malicious a fabricated shutdown notice circulating widely across WhatsApp, X and Facebook, announced it is working with law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute those behind the disinformation campaign, and warned the public against forwarding messages that could cause financial panic.
The viral message, which falsely impersonated Access Bank's official communication channels using the bank's logo, colours and branding, claimed the institution would cease all banking operations on September 23, 2026, and urged customers to close their accounts and withdraw their funds while assuring them their money would be safe during the transition. Fact-checkers who investigated the post confirmed it was entirely fabricated, with no basis in any regulatory action, official announcement, or actual development at the bank.
Access Bank described the message as misleading and designed to create unnecessary panic and disrupt business activities, stating its management confirmed the bank was "safe, financially strong and fully operational across all our subsidiaries." It added that it was collaborating with relevant regulatory authorities and law enforcement agencies to identify those responsible for creating and circulating the false publication, and cited Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act 2024, which covers the dissemination of false information capable of causing panic in the financial system, as the legal basis for prosecution.
Access Holdings, the bank's parent company, also issued a separate rebuttal, noting that the fabricated reports suggested the bank was facing insurmountable regulatory and liquidity hurdles that would force a cessation of operations, describing the claims as entirely baseless and standing in stark contrast to the bank's aggressive continental acquisition strategy, including its recent move to acquire the National Bank of Kenya from KCB Group.
The fake notice is a textbook example of financial disinformation: it mimics an institution's visual identity, creates a plausible deadline, generates urgency around a financial decision, and spreads through platforms where verification is rarely attempted before forwarding. Its targets are the roughly 60 million customers Access Bank serves across its pan-African operations, many of whom may have encountered the message without access to the bank's official rebuttal.
Access Bank's response, on speed and assertiveness, was appropriate. A shutdown rumour circulating unchallenged for even 24 to 48 hours in a market where financial confidence is a continuous project, not a permanent condition, can cause deposit outflows that become self-fulfilling. The bank was right to respond the same day, right to invoke the Cybercrimes Act publicly as a deterrent, and right to tell customers explicitly not to forward the message rather than simply asking them to disregard it. What happens to the perpetrators, when identified, will determine how credible the deterrence actually is.
Stay Informed: Visit our website for Breaking News, Intelligence, and Insight.