When Michelle logged into her Access Bank app on Wednesday, she couldn’t see her transaction history. Afeez Tunde, another Access Bank customer, can’t even open his bank app. Days after Access Bank finalised a core banking upgrade that caused a service downtime over the weekend, many customers are having trouble accessing digital banking services, questioning the bank’s much-hyped phased approach to the upgrade.
“My USSD transactions kept failing for two days after the upgrade,” complained Chioma Alex, a trader based in Lagos.
Nigeria’s largest bank by assets hoped to avoid the catastrophic core banking upgrades that were a feature of 2024. GTCO, Sterling, Zenith, FCMB and other commercial banks upgraded or switched their core banking software at great pain to customers. For over four weeks, Sterling and GTBank customers could not use banking services without problems.
Upgrading their core banking software in stages was expected to solve the problem.
“We understood that a one-size-fits-all upgrade wouldn’t work given our diverse markets and operational complexities,” said a bank employee familiar with the upgrade who asked not to be named so he could speak freely told on Friday.
The final stage of Access Bank’s upgrade—an enhancement of its existing Oracle Flexcube platform—was completed on February 23, 2025, following temporary downtime of its digital services from 2 AM to 1 PM. But despite assurances that this strategy would minimize disruptions, some customers say they are still dealing with frustrating glitches.
“I thought it was a glitch, so I uninstalled and reinstalled the app, but the issue persisted,” Michelle told .
“My bank app hasn’t been opening. I had to look for alternative ways to make payments. If this was a phased upgrade to prevent disruptions, it didn’t work well for me,” Afeez Tunde added.
Access Bank has not publicly addressed these complaints.
A spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The upgrade is part of Access Bank’s broader push for digital transformation. The bank allocated ₦68.62 billion ($51.3 million)—20% of its latest capital raise—to technology infrastructure. With over 63 million customers across several African markets, the lender is betting big on digital expansion.
But the real test isn’t how much Access Bank spends—it’s whether these investments translate into reliable service.
For banks racing to modernize, the lesson is clear: No matter how carefully planned, system upgrades aren’t just about infrastructure—they’re about the people who rely on them.
