FinTech in Nigeria Set to Grow
Nigeria is set to become Africa’s FinTech hub after experiencing a boost in mobile money operations last year that has helped catapult the country to the forefront of media attention as it demonstrates its advancements in the sector. According to a report from Finextra, in 2011 mobile money operations in Nigeria grew from an average monthly transaction value of $5 million to $142.8 million in 2016. A key factor to this growth is down to the fact that Nigeria is experiencing a growing population. UN estimations predict that the population in Nigeria is expected to be greater than that in....
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A new report from KPMG, a global network of professional firms providing tax, audit, and advisory services, has revealed that investment in Nigerian FinTech companies over the last two years has exceeded more than $200 million. The report, “FinTech in Nigeria – Understanding the Value Proposition” [PDF], states that the past three years have been formative for the sector in Nigeria, which has seen the emergence of many startups, incubators, and investments. While putting the report together, KPMG engaged with 56 FinTech companies and seven incubators and accelerators in the country. Of the....
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has recently suspended the provision of the bank validation number (BVN) service to all fintech and third-party partners. The decision means non-banks entities include crypto startups “have lost one of the most comprehensive means of identity verification in the country.” New Identification System Before the latest decision, the CBN accepted the use of the BVN alongside any other acceptable identity documents for KYC purposes. According to the apex bank, this service helped to “check risk and determine whether or not there is an element....
The Nigerian fintech Flutterwave has said the switching and processing license it recently received from the Central Bank of Nigeria allows it to “deliver an improved experience to our customers.” The new license is said to allow Flutterwave to “connect every single store of value in Nigeria to global commerce.” New License Said to Be a ‘Game Changer’ The Nigerian fintech unicorn, Flutterwave, has been granted a switching and processing license by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), a statement released by the payments firm has said. The new license....
The Nigerian financial services sector has experienced some major technological developments within the last two decades. How much impact have these changes and FinTech advancements had on her neighbours within the West African subregion? How dependent on Nigeria are its neighbours, considering future technological improvements? While delivering her speech after a meeting with the President and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Chairperson of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde emphasised how dependent on Nigeria....
The African fintech industry has grown rapidly over the past few years and this has caught the attention of some well-resourced venture capital (VC) firms. As one would expect, Nigerian fintech startups have dominated the continent in terms of funds raised or the number of transactions performed.
Nigeria’s Burgeoning Fintech Scene
This dominance has convinced VCs to pour tens of millions of dollars into different Nigerian fintech projects. In fact, a few fintech startups that originated in Nigeria, the continent’s most populous country, have managed to secure....