E-Financial
Mobile Phones Key Driver of Financial Inclusion – MasteCard

Mrs. Omokehinde Adebanjo, Vice President and Area Business Head, West Africa, MasterCard said the mobile phone was a crucial tool that would drive financial inclusion.
Adebanjo spoke on Wednesday at the Cashless Africa Expo 2017 held in Lagos with the theme: “Future of Finance”.
“More households in Africa own a mobile phone than has access to electricity or clean water.
“Nearly 70 per cent of the poorest of the population in developing countries own a mobile phone.
“Mobile transcends demographics, economic disparity and location and proven to be a crucial tool for driving financial inclusion,” she said.
Adebanjo said that one of Africa’s most important resource to its people, especially the younger generation was to have a digital revolution.
She said that Africans needed to tackle one of its biggest challenge over the past five years, which was how to reconcile the demands of its youths.
She said that there was need to expose tomorrow’s leaders to critical thinking and radical innovation, nurture and inspire them to join in the journey of digital and financial inclusion.
“In order to develop a digital economy, all citizens need to get behind the shift toward digital solutions. “We all have one common enemy and that is cash. There is need to focus on driving cash out of the economy and ensure smarter and secure solutions are introduced, adopted and correctly supported.
“Digital payment solutions are here to stay and usage will explode in the coming years with the adoption of mobile solutions,” she said.
Adebanjo said that being financially included would give people opportunity to protect their future and give business owners the opportunity to grow and for the youths to achieve their dreams.
She said that the challenge of the future was not finding solutions to solve challenges facing the country but to ensure that once solutions were identified, they would be supported and implemented.
Mr. Ayo Olademeji, the Director at E-Tranzact said that the future of transaction would be through the mobile phones as such people and businesses should position themselves in the right space.
He urged businesses to leverage on what consumers want by giving solutions that would solve present and future needs.
”The essence of economic activity is to create value and there be should solutions that will provide seamless services to the target to achieve financial inclusion. There is need to create awareness by leveraging in the National Youth Service Corps,” he said.
Dr Tayo Adesoji, the Executive Director, Grooming Centre, a microfinance institutions said that to talk about financial inclusion was about knowing people that would be included. ”
There is need to feel the pulse of the people, their social issues and the value that will be added to them.
“Things should be made simple for the common man or woman and whatever will be done should be leveraged on what they are used to,” he said.
Mr Uwana Ekanem, an official of Netplus said that collaboration would enhance the way people do their services.
Mr. Adeyinka Shorunbiased, an official of Ecobank said that cashless was not for financial institution but for the benefit of the economy and customers He said that interoperability was important to make the process work.
“We need to educate people on the cost of cash; it being imported and for them to understand that electronic money is the same as ones cash,” he said.
The Cashless Africa Expo highlights the challenges and opportunities in the Financial Technology (Fintech) space in Africa.
It will provide knowledge and networking platform that will bring the African Fintech industry at par with its counterparts across the globe. The summit will empower stakeholders to devise strategies that will help them keep pace with the evolving financial eco-system in this digital age.
E-Financial
NAICOM Signs MoU with BPP to Deepen Insurance Compliance in Public Procurement

The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) for collaboration and strengthening of the insurance industry, in the area of public procurement processes.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Olusegun Ayo Omosehin, welcoming the Director-General of BPP, Adebowale Adedokun, and his delegation to NAICOM for a working visit, during which the agreement was signed, highlighted the role of NAICOM as the statutory regulator charged with supervising, regulating and promoting the growth of Nigeria’s insurance industry.
He further stated that NAICOM’s current reform priorities include policyholder protection, regulatory capacity building, legal modernisation, recapitalisation, and increasing insurance penetration.
He emphasised that the collaboration would reinforce the principles of public procurement and insurance practice in Nigeria. He noted that achieving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of transforming Nigeria’s economy into a one-trillion-dollar economy required strong inter-agency cooperation.
He stressed that the commission’s reform objectives could not be fully realised without strategic collaboration with agencies such as BPP. The Commissioner further disclosed plans to establish a platform to monitor and verify insurance coverage for public procurement items and assured that insurance operators would strictly adhere to established rules and standards.
In his remarks, the Director-General of BPP, Adedokun, commended the ongoing transformation in the insurance industry, describing the Commission’s environment as serene and reflective of its readiness to support the Federal Government’s economic growth agenda.
Adedokun, welcomed the partnership and highlighted implementation as the critical next phase: “Signing MoU is only the beginning — what matters is delivery. BPP has moved to a fully digital submission model to speed approvals and reduce opportunities for corruption”, he stated.
E-Financial
Binance Cuts Illicit Activity Exposure by 96%, Leads Global Crypto Compliance Push

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has reported a 96 per cent drop in direct exposure to illicit activities between January 2023 and June 2025, underscoring its commitment to regulatory excellence and user safety amid Nigeria’s growing digital finance sector.

Binance
The exchange highlighted investments in a robust compliance framework, including over 580 global compliance professionals and 970 staff in related roles, advanced transaction monitoring, stringent Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols, and anti-money laundering (AML) systems.
These measures align with evolving regulations across key markets, including Nigeria, where crypto adoption surges despite Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) guidelines.
Binance’s Chief Compliance Officer, Noah Perlman, said: “At Binance we’ve built a system that doesn’t just react to threats, it anticipates them. A 96% reduction in illicit exposure is a testament to our infrastructure and the 1,500+ professionals working behind the scenes to protect our 300M users.”
Key achievements include a 96.8 per cent plunge in sanctions-related exposure—from 0.284 per cent in January 2024 to 0.009 per cent in July 2025.
In 2025 alone, Binance responded to over 71,000 law enforcement requests, helping seize more than $130 million (over ₦200 billion) in illicit funds.
Collaborations with agencies like Europol, DEA, UK’s NCA, and national cybercrime units have dismantled ransomware groups, darknet markets, and trafficking networks.
Binance co-CEO Richard Teng added: “Our mission has always been to increase the freedom of money, but that freedom is only sustainable if it is built on a foundation of trust. By integrating compliance into our product DNA, we are proving that the world’s largest exchange can also be the most secure.”
The platform engages regulators and policymakers to shape balanced rules supporting innovation while prioritising transparency and financial integrity. Since 2017, Binance has served over 300 million users, publishing regular compliance updates to build trust.
Industry watchers note Binance’s efforts resonate in Nigeria, where crypto trading volumes exceed $50 billion annually, but challenges like fraud and regulatory scrutiny persist. The exchange’s progress could bolster confidence as the CBN refines fintech policies.
Binance reaffirmed its dedication to a safer crypto ecosystem through ongoing investments and partnerships.
E-Financial
Nigeria’s VAT Jumps 34%, CIT Soars 48% to ₦14trn in 9M’25 – NBS

Nigeria’s non-oil tax collections posted robust growth in the first nine months of 2025, with Value Added Tax (VAT) rising 34 per cent to ₦6.4 trillion and Company Income Tax (CIT) jumping 48 per cent to ₦7.72 trillion, bolstering federal revenue amid oil price volatility.

NBS
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed VAT climbing from ₦4.77 trillion in 9M’24, reflecting stronger domestic consumption and imports. Quarterly trends indicated a slight 1.4 per cent dip to ₦2.03 trillion in Q2’25 from ₦2.06 trillion in Q1’25, followed by a 10.66 per cent rebound to ₦2.28 trillion in Q3’25—a 28.1 per cent year-on-year gain.
In Q3’25, local VAT hit ₦1.12 trillion, foreign VAT ₦680.23 billion, and import VAT ₦479.79 billion. Sectorally, Administrative and Support Services led with 89.28 per cent quarter-on-quarter growth, trailed by Arts, Entertainment and Recreation (82.49 per cent) and Human Health (32.4 per cent). Real Estate contracted sharply by 51.33 per cent. Manufacturing dominated contributions at 25.89 per cent, followed by Information and Communication (18.77 per cent) and Mining/Quarrying (14.85 per cent).
CIT followed suit, surging from ₦5.22 trillion in 9M’24. It stood at ₦1.98 trillion in Q1’25, leaped 40 per cent to ₦2.78 trillion in Q2’25, and grew 5.7 per cent to ₦2.96 trillion in Q3’25—a 67.19 per cent year-on-year rise. Domestic CIT reached ₦1.21 trillion in Q3, while foreign CIT hit ₦1.75 trillion, underscoring multinational firms’ role.
Economists attribute the uptick to improved tax administration, digital tracking, and post-reform consumption, though sectoral disparities signal real estate headwinds. The gains support President Tinubu’s revenue diversification drive, reducing oil dependency as global crude fluctuates.
NBS data highlights non-oil taxes’ potential to fund infrastructure and social programmes, with analysts eyeing sustained momentum into 2026.
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