CBN’s Data Localisation Mandate: What Nigerian Fintechs Need to Know
Introduction For over ten years, Nigeria’s fintech companies have grown rapidly by storing their data and running their apps on massive foreign tech platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. These global platforms, usually based in Europe or America, made it very easy for local startups to scale up smoothly, protect […]
Employee Share Schemes in Nigeria: Legal, Tax and Governance Issues for Startups
Nigerian startups operate in an increasingly globalised and competitive talent market. Experienced technical, product, finance, and commercial professionals now have access to opportunities with local companies, foreign startups, remote-first employers, and global technology businesses. For many startups, cash compensation alone is no longer sufficient to attract and retain senior talent. This is where Employee Share […]
NCC’s New Compensation Framework: What Mobile Subscribers and Operators Need to Know
Nigeria’s telecoms sector has long operated on a familiar assumption that when service quality falls short, the subscriber usually bears the burden of pursuing redress. The Framework for Compensation of Consumers (the “Framework”), recently issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), changes that logic. Under the Framework, network quality is no longer a service […]
Nigeria’s Airtime Lending Shake-Up: Regulation, Litigation and the New Market Opportunity
Nigeria’s airtime and data credit market is undergoing a significant regulatory reset. What was once treated largely as a telecoms value-added service is now being regulated within the broader digital consumer lending ecosystem. Following the implementation of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s Digital, Electronic, Online and Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025 (“DEON Regulations”), […]
Regulatory Sovereignty: The New Competitive Frontier for Nigerian Fintech
The first era of Nigerian fintech rewarded speed. Companies that could process payments faster, designed cleaner interfaces, and deliver smoother onboarding captured users and attracted capital. But the market has moved. Speed and user experience remain necessary, but they are no decisive advantages. The next phase will be defined by whether a company has the […]
Beyond Delisting: The CBN’s Automated AML Standards and Nigeria’s Shift to Continuous Compliance
Following reforms to its anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, and counter-proliferation financing (AML/CFT/CPF) framework, Nigeria was removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) list of “Jurisdictions Under Increased Monitoring” (Grey List) in 2025. Subsequently, in January 2026, the European Commission (EC) followed with a formal delisting of Nigeria from its list of “High-Risk Third Country […]
Beyond Credit Scores: The Rise of AI-Driven Lending in Nigeria
Nigeria’s credit challenge is often misunderstood. The issue is not that Nigerians are inherently poor borrowers. Rather, the difficulty lies in how creditworthiness has traditionally been assessed. Traditional credit scoring models rely heavily on formal credit histories and bureau data. In Nigeria, however, such data covers only a limited portion of the population, leaving many, […]
Cutting Costs, Not Corners: A Legal Playbook for Layoffs in Nigeria’s Tech Sector
Introduction Across global tech ecosystems, the shift from “growth at all costs” to disciplined, efficiency-driven operations is unmistakable. Major companies have reduced headcount, restructured teams, and doubled down on profitability and productivity. This global reset is not happening in isolation. Nigerian founders, operating in a capital-constrained environment, are facing similar pressures to extend runway, optimise […]
Compliance as a Competitive Advantage in African Fintech
Most fintech founders treat compliance the same way many Nigerians treat car insurance: get the bare minimum coverage, pay the premium, hope you never need it, and try not to think about it too much. That mindset is quietly undermining a lot of promising companies. Philip Kimonge, Business Development Lead for Financial Crime Compliance at […]
Contactless Payments and the Future of Retail Finance in Nigeria
Nigeria’s fintech story has been built on transfers. From USSD to instant bank transfers, Nigerian Fintechs have engineered a system that moves money fast, but not without friction. Network latency, failed sessions, manual input errors, and OTP delays remain embedded in everyday transactions. In high-traffic retail environments, those seconds compound into measurable inefficiency. Contactless payments, […]
