The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has commenced a self-paced course aimed at optimising credit strategies for financial institutions.

The institute said credit is widely regarded as the lifeblood of financial institutions, irrespective of their specialisation, whether microfinance, commercial banking, mortgage lending, or others.

However, it lamented that poor credit decisions remained a major challenge for some of the financial institutions, often leading to substantial financial losses and undermining the stability of the broader financial ecosystem .

The programme, according to the bankers’ body, is designed to equip delegates with contemporary strategies and necessary skills to proactively analyse decisions before administering credits and pragmatic measures for total debt recovery.

With a launch date for August 20, 2025, the institute said its target audience was for credit risk managers, analysts, CROs, portfolio managers, and financial executives seeking to enhance their strategic approach to credit risk.

It said the programme was equally for regulatory professionals, consultants, and fintech leaders who aim to leverage advanced analytics, optimise credit strategies, and stay ahead of evolving risk frameworks and industry best practices.

At the end of the course, it said learners would gain an in-depth analysis of credit risk management and the macroeconomic environment.

It added that the programme would pinpoint early warning signals and guard against them; master how to structure and restructure loans, and also master the use of credit bureau and open banking application programming interfaces (APIs) to mitigate non-performing loans.