Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is set to raise N700 billion through a Nigerian Treasury Bills auction scheduled for May 7, marking its first issuance for the month in line with its second-quarter borrowing plan.

Details from the tender notice, issued on behalf of the Debt Management Office (DMO), show that the offering will be split across three maturities using the Dutch auction system.

The apex bank plans to issue N100 billion in 91-day bills, N50 billion in 182-day bills, and N550 billion in 364-day bills, with the longer-tenor instrument expected to attract the strongest investor demand due to higher yields.

The auction forms part of the Federal Government’s broader domestic borrowing strategy aimed at managing liquidity and funding short-term obligations.

It also kicks off two planned NTB issuances for May, with another N650 billion auction scheduled later in the month.

Investor participation is expected to remain strong, supported by favourable system liquidity and sustained interest from institutional players such as pension fund managers and financial institutions.

Analysts say the auction outcome will offer key insights into yield direction and overall market sentiment as the second quarter progresses.

Recent activity in the Treasury bills market highlights the government’s aggressive borrowing pace.

In April alone, total allotments exceeded initial targets, signalling robust demand and the government’s willingness to take advantage of market conditions.

By John Kokome

Across Africa, cryptocurrency has evolved from a fringe experiment into a serious financial instrument. From remittances and cross-border trade to inflation hedging and digital savings, millions of Africans now interact with crypto not as speculation, but as utility.

Yet while the market is maturing, many African crypto brands are still communicating like Silicon Valley startups, fast, flashy, informal, and overly obsessed with hype. That approach may have worked in the era of early adoption. It will not sustain trust in the era of mainstream finance.

The future belongs to crypto brands that communicate like banks.

This does not mean becoming boring, bureaucratic, or detached. It means understanding that financial services are built on trust, clarity, consistency, and accountability. Customers can forgive a fashion brand for vague messaging. They cannot forgive a financial platform for uncertainty.

Across the continent, trust remains one of the biggest barriers to financial innovation. Consumers have witnessed collapsed schemes, frozen wallets, rug pulls, and overnight disappearances disguised as “investment opportunities.” Many people do not distinguish between legitimate blockchain businesses and opportunistic fraudsters. To the average customer, they often look the same: sleek logos, social media promises, referral bonuses, and aggressive influencer marketing.

That is where communication becomes strategic.

Banks spend decades refining the language of confidence. They explain risk. They publish policies. They reassure customers during uncertainty. They understand that silence during a crisis can trigger panic. Crypto brands operating in Africa must adopt the same discipline.

When customers ask where their funds are stored, how transactions are processed, what happens during delays, or how disputes are resolved, the answers should not be buried in jargon-filled FAQs. They should be visible, simple, and repeated consistently across channels.

In practical terms, this means moving away from the startup culture of “move fast and explain later.” Financial trust does not work that way. If a platform experiences downtime, users should hear from the company immediately. If regulations change, brands should educate users calmly and clearly. If there are risks, they should be disclosed honestly, not hidden beneath marketing slogans.

African regulators are also paying closer attention to the digital asset sector. From the Central Bank of Nigeria to the Securities and Exchange Commission, institutions increasingly want visibility, compliance, and consumer protection. This should not be seen as hostility. It is a signal that crypto is entering the serious room of finance.

And in serious rooms, communication standards matter.

The brands that will thrive are not necessarily the loudest on social media. They will be the most credible. They will issue timely updates, publish transparent policies, train customer-facing teams, respond professionally to complaints, and speak with the calm authority expected of custodians of value.

Take remittances as an example. Many Africans use crypto rails because traditional transfers can be expensive or slow. But if a user sending school fees from United Kingdom to Nigeria encounters a delay, speed is no longer the only concern. Assurance becomes everything. A prompt explanation can retain a customer. Silence can lose them forever.

This is where African crypto brands have a strategic advantage. They understand local realities better than many global competitors. They know the pain of currency volatility, settlement delays, and fragmented payment systems. But local relevance alone is not enough. They must pair innovation with institutional-grade communication.

At FlashChange, for instance, the broader lesson is clear: in a trust-sensitive market, users do not only buy rates or speed. They buy confidence. Every message, update, customer response, and public statement contributes to that confidence.

The next growth phase of crypto in Africa will not be won solely by technology stacks, token listings, or referral campaigns. It will be won by reputation.

Banks learned long ago that money moves where trust lives. Crypto brands on the continent must learn the same lesson, and fast.

Because if you are handling people’s value, their savings, or their transfers, you are no longer just a startup. You are a financial institution in the public mind. Communicate accordingly.

John Kokome is the Corporate Communications Manager at FlashChange, a fintech platform redefining secure digital asset exchange. With experience across fintech, cryptocurrency, telecoms, and development communications in Africa.

Access Bank has said that scammers are impersonating, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, former group chairman, with fraudulent WhatsApp investment groups and warned Nigerians to avoid and report groups.

The fake WhatsApp investment groups masquerading under the name “Value Growth Club,” lure unsuspecting members of the public into investment schemes.

In a public disclaimer issued yesterday, the bank said the fraudsters were falsely presenting themselves as associates of Aig-Imoukhuede and linking his name to Gotham Capital in a calculated bid to lend credibility to the scam.

Access Bank said checks had confirmed that Aig-Imoukhuede has no affiliation whatsoever with the WhatsApp groups or any related investment platform, stressing that the respected banker neither created, endorsed, nor authorised any initiative known as “Value Growth Club.”

The lender emphatically stated that its former chairman was not involved in any WhatsApp-based investment competition, trading group, or financial initiative tied to Gotham Capital or any similar entity, and described the representations as false, misleading, and fraudulent.

It urged members of the public not to join the groups, or send money, or disclose personal or financial information to anyone claiming to be associated with the purported platform.

The bank also advised individuals who may have encountered the groups to exit immediately, report the accounts through appropriate channels, and ignore further contact from the operators.

The warning comes amid heightened regulatory concern over the proliferation of digital investment scams in Nigeria.

Earlier this year, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) similarly flagged the Value Growth Platform, warning that the entity displayed characteristics consistent with a Ponzi-style operation.

The commission said the platform had portrayed itself as a sophisticated investment service offering market intelligence, portfolio guidance, and third-party trading services, but investigations showed that its claims were misleading and potentially unlawful.