Nigeria: Financial Services

A pattern is emerging, one where private-owned monies are being diverted for public borrowing without the notice or express consent of the legal owners. In August 2026, President Bola Tinubu proposed the use of unclaimed dividends and dormant accounts funds to fund the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (“NELFUND”). Dr. Maruf Alausa, the Minister of Education, informed the public that cross ministerial efforts have commenced between the Ministries of Education, Finance and office of the Attorney-General of the Federation towards removing legal hurdles and operationalising this directive.2

The Nigerian Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has conditionally approved MTN Group Limited's acquisition of IHS Holding Limited, requiring MTN to divest 30 percent of IHS's Nigerian business to local investors. This decision addresses vertical competition concerns arising from MTN's transition from minority shareholder and customer to controlling owner of a telecommunications infrastructure provider that serves multiple mobile network operators.

Nigeria's Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed comprehensive rules for online Forex trading and Contracts for Difference (CFDs), establishing a regulatory framework that extends beyond brokers to encompass technology and platform providers. The proposed regulations introduce stringent capital requirements, operational standards, and compliance obligations for businesses providing trading infrastructure, raising critical questions about registration, data localization

Nigeria's fintech ecosystem continues to attract significant local and foreign investment, but navigating its complex and overlapping regulatory framework remains critical to deal certainty, change of control and exit planning.

The Nigerian Exchange Group has unveiled plans to allow Nigerian companies with significant foreign exchange revenue and free trade zone enterprises to issue and list bonds and stocks denominated in US Dollars. This initiative aims to provide an avenue to meet the foreign exchange needs of such companies while enhancing investment opportunities in Nigerian capital markets.

Nigeria's Central Bank has launched a new regulatory sandbox track specifically for virtual assets, marking a significant shift in the country's approach to cryptocurrency oversight.

Nigeria is modernizing its financial markets through two major regulatory developments: a Presidential Executive Order establishing coordinated oversight of virtual assets, and proposed SEC rules governing cross-border securities trading. These reforms aim to create a more transparent investment ecosystem while balancing innovation with investor protection and regulatory clarity.

Nigeria has taken another significant step towards bringing virtual assets, cryptocurrency businesses and blockchain-enabled financial services within a more coordinated regulatory framework. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Presidential Executive Order on Virtual Assets Coordination, 2026 should not be viewed as another attempt to prohibit digital assets. Nor does it replace the existing powers of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Nigeria Revenue Service or other relevant agencies.

The Central Bank of Nigeria has mandated that all payment transaction data generated within the country must be stored locally by January 2027, marking a significant shift in how financial institutions handle sensitive information. This directive raises critical questions about Nigeria's infrastructure readiness and the practical steps banks, mobile money operators, and payment providers must take to comply. With less than six months until the deadline, organizations face urgent decisions about data governa