Nigeria’s digital finance ecosystem is entering a pivotal new chapter, according to Tosin Eniolorunda, Co-Founder and Group CEO of Moniepoint Inc, following the release of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) latest fintech report. The report comes at a time when the country’s fintech sector is transitioning from rapid experimentation to long-term institutional maturity.
Industry leaders note that many Nigerian fintechs are now crossing the decade mark, a milestone that signals more than longevity. According to Eniolorunda, it marks a structural shift in priorities—from proving that digital finance can work at scale to ensuring that it is resilient, inclusive, and built on strong governance frameworks.
“The conversation has evolved,” Eniolorunda noted in remarks featured in the report. “The focus is no longer just about innovation for innovation’s sake, but about building systems that can endure, protect consumers, and support sustainable economic growth.”
The CBN fintech report underscores this transition, highlighting the growing importance of regulatory alignment, risk management, and institutional integrity as digital financial services deepen their reach across Nigeria’s economy. For Eniolorunda, prudent oversight should not be seen as a brake on innovation, but as a stabilising force that enables responsible scale.
“This phase of fintech maturity requires a deeper commitment to governance, compliance, and risk management,” he said. “These are not obstacles to innovation; they are the structures that allow innovation to scale responsibly and endure.”
At Moniepoint Group, this approach has long been a core operating philosophy. The company has positioned compliance, strong internal controls, and governance not as regulatory obligations, but as strategic enablers—supporting long-term impact, reinforcing stakeholder confidence, and ensuring that financial inclusion initiatives are built to last.
As digital financial services continue to expand access for millions of underserved individuals and small businesses, trust has emerged as the sector’s most valuable asset. Eniolorunda stressed that without trust, scale becomes fragile and inclusion loses its meaning.
“In digital finance, trust remains the most valuable currency,” he said. “When trust is strong, scale becomes durable, inclusion accelerates, and the ecosystem grows with confidence.”
Industry analysts see the CBN’s latest report as a signal of increasing alignment between regulators and fintech operators—an alignment viewed as critical to Nigeria’s ambition of becoming Africa’s leading fintech hub. By emphasising stability, consumer protection, and governance, the report reflects a shared understanding that the next phase of growth must be anchored in institutional strength.
“When trust is strong,” Eniolorunda added, “digital finance doesn’t just expand—it becomes sustainable.”
With regulators and innovators increasingly working from the same playbook, stakeholders believe Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem is better positioned to deliver long-term economic impact, deepen financial inclusion, and compete globally from a foundation of credibility and resilience.
ANTHONY EMEKA NWOSU
