Nigeria’s fintech operators have laid out clear expectations for the Central Bank of Nigeria as the regulator charts the next phase of oversight for one of the country’s most dynamic sectors.
On Monday, the CBN released its first Fintech Report titled Shaping the Future of Fintech in Nigeria: Innovation, Inclusion and Integrity.
The report draws from stakeholder surveys, closed-door workshops and roundtables held with fintech operators across the country, offering rare insight into how industry players assess regulation, infrastructure and the operating environment.
The feedback reflects a sector at a crossroads. While half of the respondents described the regulatory environment as enabling, the other half said it remains restrictive.
Operators pointed to licensing delays, unclear guidance and inconsistent application of rules as key sources of friction.
Access to capital also emerged as a major constraint, with macroeconomic volatility, foreign investment approval delays and currency risk weighing heavily on investor appetite.
Against this backdrop, Nairametrics outlines specific actions fintech operators want the CBN to take to support smoother operations and long term growth.
Here are the 10 key requests.
Access to finance remains a major bottleneck. While acknowledging that the CBN cannot run venture funds, the fintechs want the CBN to convene public-private stakeholders to assess the feasibility of a fintech-specific growth fund, credit guarantee scheme, or blended finance model.
They want the CBN to convene partners such as the Development Bank of Nigeria or InfraCredit to structure blended finance and risk sharing models aligned with PSV2025.
