E-Financial
Consumer Appetite for Digital Payments Takes Off in Nigeria- Mastercard New Payments Index Reveals
As the world went into pandemic lockdown in 2020, consumers shifted their spending habits to embrace contactless tap-and-go payments and online shopping.
As stores closed and social distancing took hold, retailers worldwide moved their businesses online, embraced e-commerce and explored the potential of new ways to pay.
More than a year later, research from Mastercard shows that the adoption of new payment technologies is rising, and consumer appetite for new, fast and flexible digital experiences continues to grow.
The Mastercard New Payments Index shows 96% of Nigerian consumers will consider using at least one emerging payment method, such as cryptocurrency, biometrics, contactless, or QR code, in the next year.
Over two-thirds of respondents (66%) agree they have tried a new payment method they would not have tried under normal circumstances, but the pandemic has galvanized people to try flexible new payment options to get what they want, when they want it.
With this interest and consumer demand also comes a greater expectation for businesses to provide multiple ways to shop and pay.
In fact, 81% of Nigerian consumers say they are more excited about shopping at retailers who offer the latest payment methods.
Additionally, (78%) Nigerian consumers say that digital payment methods help them save money.
“The pandemic made us think differently, partly out of necessity,” said Craig Vosburg, Chief Product Officer at Mastercard.
“To deliver the choice and flexibility that consumers need – and increasingly expect –retailers worldwide need to offer a range of payment solutions that are easy to access and always on.
“As we look ahead, we need to continue to enable all choices, both in-store and online, to shape the fabric of commerce and make the digital economy work for everyone.”
Contactless technology was the digital catalyst to explore new payment options because of its fast, secure, and touch-free experience.
Between the first quarter of 2020 and the same period in 2021, more than 100 markets saw contactless as a share of total in-person transactions grow by at least 50 percent.
A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, contactless is showing its staying power and dynamism – in the first quarter of 2021 alone, Mastercard saw 1 billion more contactless transactions worldwide as compared to the same period of 2020.
All signs point to a continued growth path for contactless, with nearly 7 in 10 consumers globally anticipating using a contactless card this year.
“The world as we now know it has changed dramatically since the outbreak of the pandemic, accelerating long-term shifts in consumer transaction and payment methods.
We continue to work with our merchants, fintechs and banking partners to rapidly innovate payment options that meet consumer needs while ensuring we drive financial and digital inclusion,” said Raghav Prasad, Division President, Mastercard, Sub-Saharan Africa.
Looking to the future, digital currencies and wallets, wearables, biometrics, contactless and QR codes are trending as emerging payments technologies as people’s comfort with them and understanding of them increases and the use of cash decreases.
In fact, 86% of consumers in Nigeria have more ways to pay compared to this time last year. The exploding interest in new payment technologies may encourage businesses to expand their options at checkout. The Mastercard New Payment Index found:
- Cryptocurrency1Gains Ground – Today consumers can buy, sell, and trade cryptocurrency as a commodity or investment. Consumers are also increasingly showing interest in being able to spend crypto assets for everyday purchases. As global interest in digital currencies continues to accelerate, 6 in 10 people (65%) in Nigeria say they plan to use cryptocurrency in the next year, with 76% noting they are more open to using it than they were a year ago. While consumer interest in cryptocurrency – especially floating digital currencies such as Bitcoin – is high, work is still required to ensure consumer choice, protection, and their regulatory compliance. Earlier this year, Mastercard announced that it will start supporting select cryptocurrencies directly on its network.
- Biometric Payments are More Trustworthy – Perceptions of safety and convenience have been front and center for people over the past year. 49% of Nigerian consumers say they plan to use biometric verification methods like gait or walk assessments and fingerprint authorization. In fact, over 6 out of 10 people (66%) feel safer using biometrics to verify a purchase than entering a pin.
- QR Codes are Cleaner and More Convenient – Growing markets are leveraging QR-based options as a clean and convenient way to interact with merchants. Consumer desire for clean and convenient ways to pay will remain post-pandemic. 54% of people in Nigeria expect to use more payment technologies like QR codes in the next year. Consumers also find that that QR codes are cleaner (75%) and more convenient (77%) for in-person payments and have a significant potential to reduce cost of payment acceptance and increase financial
- Digital Wallets Surge in Popularity – Nigeria is seeing a surge in the popularity of digital wallets. 73% of Nigerian consumers said they were likely to use digital wallets next year. 66% of shoppers even say that they feel safer storing their card information in one place such as a digital wallet.
To Meet People’s Demands, Businesses Forced to Jump into Emerging Payment Trends
With consumer interest around new payment technologies, the expectation for businesses to adapt for the long-term is here to stay. Over three in four Nigerian consumers (84%) say that they would shop at small businesses, if they offered more payment options, and 81% noted being more excited to shop at retailers that can offer the latest payment methods, and an equal proportion (81%) said they would be more loyal to retailers who offered multiple payment options.
This behavior shift is reinforced by the desire for consumer choice – with 89% saying that they expect to make purchases when they want and how they want. The businesses that can provide multiple ways to shop and pay are best positioned to meet these expectations.
As the demand for emerging payments and choice continues, it requires a wider range of payment solutions, insights, and products to meet the accelerating enthusiasm for the future state of pay.
Federal Capital Territory High Court has ordered Stanbic IBTC Bank Limited to pay N15 million in damages to two former customers after finding that the bank unlawfully retained and processed their personal information after they had terminated their banking relationship.
In a judgment delivered on July 29, Justice Kayode Agunloye also directed the bank to erase all personal data belonging to the claimants that it is not legally required to retain and restrained it from further processing or using such information without lawful authority or the customers’ consent.
The court held that the bank breached the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023, the claimants’ constitutional right to privacy under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA).
The suit, marked CV/2190/25, was filed by David Ogundipe and Salami Tolulope Ibrahim, who argued that Stanbic IBTC continued to process their personal data for marketing purposes even after they had closed their corporate account with the bank.
According to the claimants, the account was shut following unresolved issues with the bank.
Despite the closure, they alleged that Stanbic IBTC continued sending promotional emails and text messages to their personal and corporate email addresses as well as their telephone numbers.
The customers said their solicitors later wrote to the bank demanding that all marketing communications cease and that their personal data should no longer be processed for promotional purposes.
Although the bank reportedly acknowledged the request and assured them that the messages would stop, the unsolicited communications allegedly continued, prompting them to seek judicial intervention.
In his ruling, Justice Agunloye held that once the banking relationship had ended and the customers had withdrawn their consent, the bank no longer had any lawful basis to process their personal data for marketing activities.
The judge ruled that the continued use of the claimants’ information amounted to an infringement of their constitutional right to privacy and constituted an unfair trade practice under the FCCPA.
The court consequently ordered Stanbic IBTC to delete all personal information relating to the claimants that it is not legally required to retain and to cease every form of data processing except where permitted by law or regulatory obligations.
Justice Agunloye also granted a perpetual injunction restraining the bank, its officers and agents from retaining, processing, transmitting or using the claimants’ personal data for marketing, promotional or any other unauthorised purpose.
While the claimants sought N250 million as damages, the court awarded N15 million as general damages, describing the amount as adequate compensation for the persistent unsolicited communications, the bank’s failure to honour requests for data erasure and the violation of the customers’ privacy rights.
The bank was further ordered to pay N500,000 as the cost of the suit, while the claim for N7 million as litigation expenses was dismissed for lack of sufficient proof.
Justice Agunloye directed that all monetary awards would attract 10 per cent post-judgment interest annually until fully settled.
However, the court declined to order the complete deletion of every record relating to the claimants, holding that banks remain under statutory obligations to retain certain customer records in compliance with financial regulations and anti-money laundering laws.
Reacting to the verdict, counsel to the claimants, O.E. Oluwadamisi of Earnest Attorneys LP, described the decision as a landmark judgment for data protection in Nigeria.
He said the ruling reinforces the mandatory nature of compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act and makes it clear that organisations cannot continue processing customers’ personal information after consent has been withdrawn unless authorised by law.
One of the successful claimants, David Ogundipe, welcomed the judgment, saying it represented a victory not only for the litigants but also for millions of Nigerians whose personal information is held by corporate organisations.
He expressed hope that the ruling would encourage institutions across the country to strengthen compliance with data protection laws and place greater respect on customers’ privacy rights.
The number of Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) on the Nigerian banking industry’s fraud watchlist reached 13,117, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
This is coming as banks strengthen efforts to detect and prevent financial crimes.
According to the CBN’s 2025 Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, the number of BVNs on the banking industry’s fraud watchlist increased from 9,476 in 2024 to 13,117 in 2025. This represents a 38.4 per cent increase.
The apex bank explained that commercial banks, including Access Bank, Zenith Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), and other financial institutions, added 3,641 new BVNs to the watchlist during the year.
The report said the increase reflects stronger fraud monitoring, improved compliance, better risk management, and enhanced systems for detecting suspicious transactions.
It added that the higher number does not necessarily mean fraud has increased, but shows banks are becoming more active in identifying and blocking suspicious activities.
The report also revealed that consumer lending declined for the first time since 2019.
Outstanding consumer credit dropped by 19.89 per cent, falling from N4.72 trillion in 2024 to N3.78 trillion in 2025.
The CBN attributed the decline to high interest rates, which made borrowing more expensive for many Nigerians.
Personal loans recorded the biggest drop, falling to N1.85 trillion.
However, retail loans rose by 63.77 per cent to N1.94 trillion, making them the largest category of consumer credit for the first time in several years.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has ordered banks to refund a total N19.12 billion to customers for illegal deductions and poor complaint handling.
This is coming as bank customers lodged 23,129 complaints against financial institutions in 2025, representing 11 per cent increase over the previous year.
The apex bank also imposed N1.69 billion in penalties on financial institutions for regulatory breaches, poor complaint handling and failure to comply with its directives, according to its 2025 Annual Report.
The CBN attributed the increase in complaints to growing public confidence in its consumer protection framework rather than a deterioration in banking services.
The report stated: “The Bank received a total of 23,129 complaints from consumers of financial services in 2025, a rise of 10.53 per cent above the 20,925 in 2024. The trend reflected increased awareness and improved confidence in the Bank’s consumer complaint resolution process.”
The apex bank added: “A total of 18,824 complaints were resolved, indicating a 9.36 per cent increase over the 17,213 complaints resolved in 2024.”
On the value of disputed transactions, the CBN said: “Total claims in local currency increased to N40.61 billion from N17.13 billion in 2024. Foreign currency claims also rose, reaching $344.2 million compared with $1.06 million in the preceding year.”
According to the report, “Based on the resolved complaints, the sums of N19.12 billion and $329.3 million were refunded in 2025, compared with N9.66 billion and $0.67 million in 2024.”
The CBN said it strengthened enforcement against erring financial institutions during the year.
It stated: “During the review period, the Bank imposed 11 penalties on financial institutions totalling N1.26 billion for infractions ranging from regulatory breaches and failure to respond to regulatory queries.”
The report further disclosed: “In addition, the Bank imposed 21 penalties on financial institutions to the tune of N430 million for infractions ranging from delays in resolving customer complaints to failure to comply with the Bank’s directives.”
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