The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has cleared additional Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) for admission into its Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Programme (ARIP).

Among the newly cleared is BC Access Nigeria Limited (Blockchain), marking an important step in the company’s long-term commitment to Nigeria and its broader expansion across Africa.

Nigeria is one of Africa’s most important digital asset markets, where crypto increasingly plays a practical role in how people access, hold and move.

Value Admission into ARIP means Blockchain has satisfied the SEC’s initial requirements to participate in the programme and is authorised to operate within its defined sandbox scope, subject to the Commission’s ongoing compliance obligations, testing parameters, and regulatory conditions.

Through ARIP, Blockchain can work directly with the SEC as the Commission evaluates digital asset business models, tests. appropriate safeguards and develops its long-term regulatory framework for the market.

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Speaking, General Manager for Africa, Blockchain, Owen Odia, said: “Nigeria is one of Africa’s most important digital asset markets and participating in the SEC’s ARIP is an important step forward in our long-term commitment to the country.

“The programme gives us the opportunity to work directly with the SEC in a controlled environment, bring our global experience to the Nigerian market and help support a framework that protects consumers while enabling responsible innovation. We appreciate the SEC’s proactive approach and look forward to contributing to a safe, transparent and well-regulated digital asset ecosystem.”

Blockchain’s participation in ARIP forms part of a broader global strategy to engage constructively with regulators and build within established regulatory frameworks.

Over the past year, Blockchain has secured several formal licenses and registrations globally, including the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), EU Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), and Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) License. Participating in Nigeria’s ARIP sandbox builds on that experience, bringing global standards in compliance, security and consumer protection to its local operations.

For Blockchain, ARIP provides a structured environment to test services for the Nigerian market, strengthen consumer protections and work directly with regulators and local stakeholders.

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The company sees Nigeria as an important market in its African strategy, with strong existing demand for digital assets and an increasingly clear regulatory pathway for responsible operators. The company’s strategy materials specifically identify Nigeria as an important market for its African expansion.

ARIP was established by Nigeria’s SEC as a controlled regulatory sandbox for VASPs and fintech innovators. The programme allows the SEC to observe live applications of digital asset technologies, study operational risks, and establish tailored investor protection and anti-money laundering (AML) standards before final regulatory rules are codified.

Blockchain is pleased to participate in ARIP as we work alongside regulators to support responsible innovation, consumer protection and market integrity.

Founded in 2011, Blockchain is one of the world’s longest-standing digital asset companies with more than 95 million wallets, more than 44 million confirmed accounts and over $1.2 trillion processed.

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Leadway Assurance has unveiled the Leadway Lifetime Plan, a one-of-a-kind whole-of-life insurance solution designed to extend financial protection beyond the immediate household to the wider family circle.

The newly introduced plan unveiled at a press briefing in Lagos reinforces Leadway’s commitment to building lasting financial security, preserving wealth, and delivering meaningful, long-term protection for the people who matter most.

The Leadway Lifetime Plan responds to the increasingly complex financial responsibilities faced by many working adults, particularly members of the Sandwich Generation individuals who simultaneously provide financial support for ageing parents while raising children and planning for their future.

With family responsibilities now extending beyond the traditional nuclear household, the Leadway Lifetime Plan is designed to offer broader, long-term protection that reflects the realities of modern Nigerian families.

Speaking on the new insurance plan, Olufunmilayo Amanwa, executive director, Technical & Operations, Leadway Assurance, said the product reflects the insurer’s recognition that family structures and financial responsibilities are evolving, and that insurance solutions must evolve with them.

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“Financial responsibility no longer stops at the nuclear family. Today, one individual may be supporting children, a spouse, ageing parents, and in some cases, parents-in-law or siblings, all at once. That reality demands a different approach to protection.

The Leadway Lifetime Plan was built around this reality. It gives customers a way to extend continuous protection to the extended family, ensuring the people who depend on them are covered, while also delivering meaningful benefits to policyholders within their own lifetime. This is the Leadway way, designing solutions that respond to how people actually live, not recycling old products with new names”

Beyond traditional life protection, the Leadway Lifetime Plan incorporates a range of living benefits designed to provide financial support during critical stages of life.

Following five years of complete premium payment and subject to the policy terms, the policyholder and spouse may access up to 50 per cent of their current sum assured upon diagnosis of a covered critical illness. This benefit can provide valuable financial support at a time when a serious health event may place pressure on income, savings and overall household stability.

The plan also provides greater long-term financial flexibility. Eligible policyholders may access up to 50 per cent of the policy value for significant life goals after the premium payment term plus five years, subject to applicable policy conditions.

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While Leadway’s existing Family Benefit Plan provides family-focused whole-life protection, the Lifetime Plan has been developed as a more expansive, multi-generational solution that combines lifelong protection with financial value that can be accessed during the policyholder’s lifetime.

Explaining the thinking behind the product, Rosetta Aryeetey, head, Life Underwriting and Life Business, Leadway Assurance said the solution was developed around the changing needs of customers. “The starting point for the Leadway Lifetime Plan was the customer.

We looked closely at how families are structured Today, how financial responsibilities are shared and the challenges customers face when they are responsible for several generations at the same time. What emerged was a need for a solution that does more than pay a benefit after death. Customers need protection for the people who depend on them, but they also need support when critical life events occur and flexibility as their financial priorities evolve.”

She added that the combination of multi-life protection, living benefits, long-term value and flexibility makes the Lifetime Plan relevant across different stages of a customer’s financial journey.

The plan also offers flexibility to enhance financial protection over time through an Escalation of Sum Assured feature. This allows customers to increase their benefits by a fixed percentage, giving them the flexibility to align their level of protection with their evolving financial needs and circumstances.

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With the launch, Leadway Assurance is reinforcing its commitment to developing insurance solutions that respond to real-life needs while helping families build resilience, preserve financial stability and create lasting legacies.

Mastercard and TeamApt Ltd., a subsidiary of Moniepoint Inc. and a provider of financial infrastructure and payment solutions, have entered a strategic collaboration to strengthen digital payment capabilities for businesses and financial institutions across Africa.

As part of this collaboration, TeamApt will operate directly on Mastercard’s global payments network as a non-bank acquirer, enhancing its ability to onboard credible and licensed entities to deliver seamless payment acceptance, transaction processing and acquiring services. This will further expand its card acceptance infrastructure, allowing more merchants to accept Mastercard payments across in-store, online and mobile channels.

The collaboration integrates TeamApt’s switching infrastructure with Mastercard’s network to facilitate secure, high-volume transactions across online and in-store channels. With Nigeria being home to more than 40 million micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and small businesses identifying digital solutions as vital to scaling, according to Mastercard’s 2026 SME Confidence Index, expanding payment acceptance remains an important opportunity for growth.

By combining TeamApt’s deep local market expertise with Mastercard’s global scale, businesses and individuals will benefit from more reliable transactions, stronger security and faster, safer and more accessible digital payment experiences.

“Expanding digital payment acceptance is one of the fastest ways to support small businesses across Africa to compete, grow, and reach more customers. By working with TeamApt, we are equipping MSMEs and informal sector businesses in Nigeria with robust, secure infrastructure to seamlessly process transactions across multiple channels. This collaboration brings more businesses into the digital economy, unlocking vital new opportunities for growth, credit access, and cross-border trade,” said Folasade Femi-Lawal, country manager, West Africa at Mastercard

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“This collaboration with Mastercard represents an important step forward in our commitment to removing barriers within the payments ecosystem. For years, TeamApt has focused on building infrastructure that helps financial institutions and businesses grow with confidence. By working closely with Mastercard, we are extending those capabilities, enabling businesses to accept payments more seamlessly and giving users the freedom to transact securely both locally and internationally,” said Dennis Ajalie, Chief Executive Officer of TeamApt.

The collaboration also delivers international value, enabling Mastercard cards supported by TeamApt’s infrastructure to be used across millions of merchant locations worldwide. Customers gain the convenience of secure global payments, while merchants can more easily serve both local and international customers.

A Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)-licensed switching and processing company, TeamApt has, for over a decade, built and operated critical financial infrastructure that powers banks, fintechs and other institutions. The company’s technology supports secure and reliable transaction processing across multiple payment channels, enabling businesses and consumers to participate more easily in the digital economy.

This collaboration further underscores the strength of Moniepoint’s ecosystem. With operations and agent coverage across all 774 local government areas in Nigeria, Moniepoint has established one of the nation’s most extensive financial services networks, positioning the group to drive meaningful scale and adoption of digital payment solutions.

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