Nigeria: Finance and Banking

When the Central Bank of Nigeria revoked the operating licences of 46 microfinance banks in July 2026, fintech companies relying on these institutions for customer accounts and settlement infrastructure faced immediate operational disruption. This analysis examines the regulatory grounds for revocation, the deposit insurance framework administered by the NDIC, and the critical due diligence and resilience measures fintech companies must implement when their products depend on regulated banking partners.

Nigeria's Central Bank has issued new Baseline Standards requiring financial institutions to implement automated anti-money laundering solutions capable of real-time detection and reporting of suspicious activity.

Private equity, venture capital, and private credit markets in Nigeria are evolving rapidly, with disclosed deal values surging 84% to US$810.7 million in 2025. While venture capital dominates transaction volume and value, private debt is expanding its role in working capital, acquisition finance, and infrastructure. The critical question is not whether capital can enter Nigeria at scale, but whether it can stay, perform through cycles, and ultimately return to investors as distributions.