E-Financial
Nigerians Ignore EFCC Warnings, Invest Billions in MMM

Fallen on difficult times amid the country’s first recession in decades, millions of Nigerians have turned to Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox (MMM), a Ponzi scheme with roots in Russia, which promises unreasonably high returns on investments, according to Quartz.
Originally set up in the late 1980s by Sergei Mavrodi, a Russian ex-convict, the scheme has become popular in Nigeria where it has operated for a year.
According to the Nigerian website, MMM is described as a “mutual aid fund where ordinary people help each other.”
Essentially, registered participants pledge and donate money to help other participants who request it and expect them to return the favour at a later date.
As a catch, the scheme promises 30% monthly returns for participants who donate.
Put another way, a participant who donates money is eligible to request for the amount donated plus 30% interest after a month. That request is then fulfilled by another participant.
Lagos-based economist, Tunji Andrews, likens it to a game of musical chairs. “Mr. A lends help to Mr. B, hoping that Mr. C pays him his own help before it crashes,” Andrews tell Quartz. “Now, knowing that it eventually will, every single payout, is paid for by those who get caught in, when the music stops.”
It seems a fairly obvious ruse. The website even states a warning: “There are no guarantees and promises! Neither explicit nor implicit,” it reads.
“And in general, you can lose all your money.” But that hasn’t stopped the 2.4 million Nigerians who are registered from participating.
For much of the past year, Nigeria has been stuck in a rot. Its economy, once regarded as one of the world’s fastest growing, is mired in a recession that shows no signs of abating.
IMF forecasts the economy to contract by -1.7% this year. Inflation has also hit an 11-year high with prices of goods inching up every month.
As a result, times are incredibly difficult for many Nigerians. With investors pulling out and businesses shutting up shop, unemployment is also an urgent problem.
A recent recruitment drive by a government agency helps put Nigeria’s unemployment problem in context.
Advertising for only 500 positions, Nigeria’s federal tax agency received 700,000 applications—2,000 of which were by graduates with first class honours degrees.
Similarly, in February, the Nigerian Police Force received almost a million applications for 10,000 listed positions.
With millions of unemployed people seeking means of livelihood, a scheme which promises high returns has appeared to be a beacon of hope.
The government admits this much. Saheed Fijabi, a federal lawmaker, says MMM is leveraging “the high level of unemployment and poverty to deceive unwary Nigerians.”
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has also warned Nigerians to be careful about committing money to “fraudsters” promising high returns at a time when “the economy has suffered some decline.”
But such warnings have irked MMM participants who accuse authorities of having ulterior motives.
Ogadi Ngozi, a highly ranked MMM participant based in Delta state, in southern Nigeria, says the authorities only disapprove of MMM because the scheme is costing local banks some customers. “Nobody goes to the banks for loans anymore,” Ogazi tells Quartz.
“Why go there and collect loans at outrageous interest rates when you can help one or two persons in MMM and be smiling with a 30% reward?” Ogazi also insists participants are aware of “participating at their own risk.”
Given the tough economic woes, MMM participants staunchly defend their involvement in the scheme citing the government’s inability so far to make life better for Nigerians.
And that reality is making the scheme even more popular as, at the time of writing, rankings by Alexa, a web traffic data and analytics company, show MMM’s websites are the fifth and 14th most visited in Nigeria, only behind Google’s global and Nigerian sites, YouTube, Yahoo but ahead of Facebook.
Julie, a Lagos-based participant, plans to continue to risk her money despite the government’s warning. “The government can say what they like. If they can’t assist us, they should leave us alone.”
For its part, the Nigerian government has tried to crack down on the scheme. EFCC, Nigeria’s economic and financial crimes watchdog, says it has begun investigations. But it also admits it could be a tough ask as the scheme is “faceless.”
By design, the scheme does not run a сentral bank account which holds all the money. Instead, participants transfer money to each other directly “without intermediaries“.
The Central Bank has tried to crack down on bank accounts with any cash deposits involving MMM but participants are also finding a way past that.
While the government has not had much luck so far trying to rein in the scheme, Andrews believes it is only a matter of time before, like most similar schemes, MMM dies a natural death.
“In 2007, there was a different set of Ponzi schemes, just as there where a different set in the early 2000s.
They all crashed eventually as MMM will,” Andrews told Quartz. “I think one went on for almost three years before crashing, but eventually they all do.”
E-Financial
NRS Accredits Afri Invoice as Access Point Provider to Drive Nigeria’s Mandatory e-invoicing

Ahead of the July deadline, the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) has accredited Afri Invoice as an official Access Point Provider (APP) in a major move for digital tax compliance across Nigeria.

This sovereign endorsement thrusts the emerging fintech leader into an elite tier of technology firms trusted to handle the nation’s fiscal data infrastructure.
With the July deadline looming, this offers an opportunity for Nigerian Businesses to get adequate onboarding support.
Crucially, this landmark certification comes on the heels of Afri Invoice also recently being licensed as an official Systems Integrator by the NRS—granting the company rare dual-licensed status within the national ecosystem.
BAs Nigeria rapidly transitions to a transparent, real-time fiscal economy, Afri Invoice now serves as a fully unified, secure gateway.
With this double mandate, the platform is uniquely positioned to both seamlessly integrate legacy corporate networks and directly validate, digitally sign, and transmit automated electronic invoices straight into the central NRS Merchant Buyer Solution (MBS) infrastructure.
The NRS launched the MBS platform to combat tax evasion, boost state revenues, and mandate transaction transparency across Africas largest economy.
Operating as a centralised real-time ledger, the platform intercepts and logs B2B and B2G transactions right at the point of sale.
Speaking on this milestone, Mark Odenore, Founder of Afri Invoice, said: “This accreditation represents one of the most significant moments in Afri Invoice’s journey.
“For years, we have believed that compliance should not be a financial burden that only large corporations can afford.
“The NRS has handed us the opportunity to be the bridge connecting Nigeria’s entire business community to this new era. We view e-invoicing as a launchpad for modern corporate efficiency, transparency, and growth.”
Large taxpayers transitioned during the initial rollout phase, and the NRS is actively expanding the mandate to medium and small enterprises. Because direct connection to government servers demands rigid compliance, APPs serve as the vital intermediaries.
To earn this license from NITDA, Afri Invoice underwent extensive evaluation, proving its technical resilience, software architecture quality, OAuth 2.0 security protocols, and strict alignment with the international PEPPOL interoperability framework.
A Sovereign Endorsement for Afri Invoice is not merely a commercial credential; it is a profound operational responsibility. Inclusion in the official NRS Solutions Provider Directory means businesses can confidently deploy Afri Invoice to shield themselves from compliance risks.
For Nigerian enterprises navigating these shifting tax laws, Afri Invoice eliminates technical friction by automating the full invoice lifecycle.
The platform seamlessly handles Native ERP Integration, synchronises data across international standard formats like JSON, manages real-time data submission, digital signing, and certificate lifecycles, and provides clear audit trails and dashboards for CFOs to eliminate manual human error and speed up close cycles.
Crucially, the platform supports all NRS-mandated tax categories, quantity codes, and payment statuses, future-proofing businesses as global cross-border invoice interoperability rolls out.
Ms. Fatimata Niang, the Director of Strategy &Operations, noted: “Our architecture was engineered to the highest global standards for security, interoperability, and scale.
“Every invoice running through our system is cryptographically secured and fully traceable from the millisecond it is generated. As the mandate expands to millions of taxpayers, our infrastructure is primed to handle massive volume without compromising on speed or security.”
Afri Invoice is a premier Nigerian financial technology company building modern digital invoicing and fiscal infrastructure.
Through robust API-driven solutions aligned with NRS, NITDA, and international PEPPOL protocols, the company empowers enterprises and SMEs to achieve effortless compliance with minimal technical overhead.
E-Financial
Reps Committee Recovers N521m Unremitted VAT from CBN

House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) says it has recovered over ₦521 million in unremitted Value Added Tax (VAT) from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

This is part of an ongoing investigation into revenue leakages and outstanding funds owed to the federal government.
Bamidele Salam, chairman of the Committee, disclosed this while providing an update on the probe into transactions conducted through the Remita platform.
According to Salam, the investigation was initiated following a resolution of the House of Representatives to examine alleged revenue leakages, non-compliance with standard operating procedures and breaches of service level agreements linked to the Remita payment platform.
He said the committee had uncovered several outstanding liabilities and led to multiple recoveries.
Salam revealed that the committee discovered that the CBN failed to remit VAT amounting to ₦521,765,134.17, representing tax deductions on fees earned from Remita transactions.
He described the recovery as evidence of the effectiveness of legislative oversight in promoting accountability and safeguarding public resources.
The lawmaker maintained that the committee would recover all outstanding funds due to the Federal Government and blocking avenues for revenue leakages across public institutions.
It added that the CBN has been directed to remit the outstanding amount into the Federal Government Treasury and provide evidence of compliance.
The Public Accounts Committee is expected to continue its hearing on the matter on Monday, June 8, 2026, at the National Assembly in Abuja.
E-Financial
CBN Imposes N100m Penalty on Dealing Bank Inadequate Processing of Forex Documents

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said that any authorised dealer bank the processes foreign exchange (forex) transactions without proper documentation will be fined N100 million.

In addition, the bank will pay N10 million for each transaction involved.
The sanctions are contained in the fourth edition of the Foreign Exchange Manual, which serves as a guide for participants in Nigeria’s forex market.
According to the CBN, the updated manual aims to improve compliance, increase transparency, and strengthen confidence in the foreign exchange system.
Banks are now required to obtain, verify, and keep all necessary documents before releasing foreign currency to customers.
Similar documentation requirements apply to forward and swap transactions, where proof of the underlying trade or obligation must be provided before settlement.
For import transactions, importers must continue to provide documents such as Form M, invoices, certificates of origin, packing lists, and shipping documents.
They must also submit Exchange Control Documents within 90 days after negotiating shipping documents through overseas correspondent banks.
The CBN warned that failure to meet documentation requirements will attract escalating sanctions.
A first violation will result in a 90-day suspension from forex transactions, a second violation will attract a 180-day suspension, and a third offence will lead to a one-year suspension.
A fourth violation could result in a complete ban from participating in forex transactions.
Banks that fail to report cases of default to the CBN will also face sanctions.
The apex bank further tightened reporting requirements. Institutions that submit required daily or monthly returns late will be fined N500,000, while those that fail to submit returns at all will pay a minimum of N5 million, plus an additional N500,000 daily until compliance is achieved.Afternoon Paper Subscription
The revised manual also strengthens oversight of banks’ foreign currency exposure.
Financial institutions that exceed approved Net Open Position limits will receive a warning for the first offence, a 10-working-day suspension from the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market for the second offence, and a 90-day suspension for the third violation.
The CBN also imposed sanctions on unauthorised reallocation of foreign exchange funds. Any bank found engaging in such practices will be fined N10 million per transaction and may face additional disciplinary action under the Bankers’ Committee ethics framework.
According to the CBN, the new measures are aimed at promoting transparency, strengthening market discipline, reducing abuses, and improving investor confidence in Nigeria’s foreign exchange market.
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