Nigeria: Finance and Banking

Nigeria's Central Bank has proposed sweeping reforms to its financial holding company framework, introducing stricter capital requirements, enhanced governance standards, and tighter controls on intra-group transactions. Will these changes strengthen the resilience of banking groups or impose excessive regulatory burdens on an already complex financial sector?

The Central Bank of Nigeria has issued new guidance clarifying that suspensions of payment obligations and termination rights under financial contracts involving Nigerian banks will not exceed two business days. This interpretative circular addresses a critical gap in the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act, 2020, providing certainty for counterparties trading derivatives, repos, and other financial instruments with CBN-regulated institutions.

Nigeria's Central Bank has released an exposure draft proposing sweeping changes to how financial holding companies must be structured, capitalised, and governed. The revised framework introduces stricter ownership requirements, enhanced capital thresholds that could exceed current levels by 20%, and significant restrictions on intra-group transactions and shared services. These proposed regulations could fundamentally reshape the operational landscape for banking groups and financial conglomerates operatin

One of the challenges encountered while trying to enforce monetary judgments in Nigeria by way of garnishee proceedings is that often, garnishee banks feel obligated to stonewall the judgment enforcement process by asserting certain rights or interests over judgment sums standing in the credit of judgment debtors in their custody.

The age-old legal maxim: interesse rei publicae ut sit finis litium, meaning “it is in the public interest that there be an end to litigation,” does not always reflect the post-judgment reality in Nigeria.

The age of automated decision-making ("ADM") has arrived in Nigeria. Banks and fintech platforms deploy credit-scoring models to determine lending outcomes, and public institutions increasingly rely on data-driven systems in the exercise of statutory functions.

Nigerian banks have long prioritized land as collateral for lending, but this orthodoxy increasingly fails to serve businesses whose real value lies in receivables, inventory, and working capital cycles. As manufacturing, distribution, and logistics companies drive economic activity without substantial land holdings, the financial sector's rigid collateral requirements may be stifling growth in the very enterprises that power Nigeria's economy.

A ship mortgage is one of the principal instruments through which vessels are financed in international and domestic trade.

Land or property acquisition through mortgages in Nigeria is an attractive option for individuals who prefer to spread payments for the property over time rather than pay the full price up front. A mortgage is a long-term loan secured for the purpose of acquiring land or property. It is a legal arrangement where the property serves as the collateral for the loan, with the lender having the right to enforce or sell the property if the borrower defaults in repaying the loan over the agreed period(s).

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed a Presidential Executive Order establishing Nigeria's first coordinated national framework for virtual assets regulation. The Order creates a Virtual Asset Council comprising the CBN, SEC, NRS, NFIU and ONSA to harmonize oversight, clarify regulatory responsibilities, and eliminate fragmented supervision across digital asset activities. How will this institutional restructuring impact VASPs, market participants, and the broader Nigerian digital assets ecosystem?

Nigeria's Presidential Executive Order on Virtual Assets Coordination, 2026 introduces a coordinated regulatory framework for digital assets, establishing a Virtual Asset Council to strengthen cooperation among existing authorities while preserving their statutory mandates.

One of the challenges encountered while trying to enforce monetary judgments in Nigeria by way of garnishee proceedings is that often, garnishee banks feel obligated to stonewall the judgment enforcement process by asserting certain rights or interests over judgment sums standing in the credit of judgment debtors in their custody.