Telecom
Moniepoint Case Study Reveals Digital Payments Fuel Nigeria’s Vibrant Community Nightlife Economy
Moniepoint Inc., Africa’s leading all-in-one financial ecosystem, has released a new case study titled “The Business of Community Nightlife in Nigeria,” providing a rare, data-driven look into the country’s informal night economy.
Moniepoint
While high-end “Detty December” venues grab headlines with daily revenues of ₦360million and table prices reaching ₦1.2million, Moniepoint’s research shifts the spotlight to the “community nightlife” where roadside bars, suya spots, and neighborhood joints form the bedrock of social life for millions of Nigerians.
The robust study was drawn from transaction data across more than 27,000 clubs, bars, and lounges sitting on Moniepoint’s payment rails alongside fieldwork with nightlife operators and workers across the country.
Combining anonymised transaction data processed by Moniepoint with field interviews and observational research across multiple Nigerian cities, the study provides a rare, ground-level view of how money, labour, and social life intersect after dark.It is the latest in a series of sector-specific studies by the company aimed at bringing data visibility to Nigeria’s informal economy.
According to the report, in a stark contrast from wider informal economy trends, cash plays a diminishing role in nightlife payments. The report shows that bank transfers dominate, followed closely by card payments, with cash actively discouraged due to security concerns.
Moniepoint’s data shows that transfers outpace card payments by nearly 2 million transactions during peak nighttime hours across its network.
One of the study’s most operationally significant findings concerns the timing of spending. Nightlife in Nigeria runs long but economically, the night is decided early.
Transaction volumes begin climbing sharply from 8pm, peak before midnight, and then decline steadily even as venues remain full. By the time the night is at its longest, purchasing activity has already wound down.
However, for bar operators, this has clear practical implications – the most critical hours for staffing, stocking, vendor payment and cash flow management are the earliest hours of the day between midnight and 6am.
The report further underscores the sector’s role in employment, noting that local bars typically expand their workforce by 30-50% on peak nights. Conservative estimates suggest at least 54,000 people are engaged in nightlife labor every night across Nigeria.
“Nigeria’s local bars and night-time operators are not peripheral to the economy, they are a critical part of its architecture.
We see a substantial and sustained economic sector that employs hundreds of thousands of Nigerians every night and deserves the same attention we give to agriculture, healthcare, and retail. Our goal is to make sure every one of those businesses has the tools to grow.
From giving credit to finance renovations and sound systems to providing same-day settlement that allows vendors to restock and with tools like Moniebook that power inventory management and reconciliation, Moniepoint is ensuring that this vital artery of the nation’s economy remains viable and empowering,” said Tosin Eniolorunda, Co-Founder and Group CEO, Moniepoint Inc.
Other key interesting findings include:
The most common transaction narrations from the data sourced – “food”, “pay”, “sent”, “pos”, “cash” – reflect the full breadth of nightlife spending: street food, club entry, lounge tabs, transport, and afterparties. Digital payments have gained huge traction in Nigeria’s social space.
While alcohol remains a key revenue driver, the data shows that food is the quiet stabiliser of Nigeria’s night economy, particularly in local and informal settings. In several neighbourhood venues, bottled water and meals outsell beer and spirits, especially early in the evening.
Lagos leads in sheer concentration of nightlife establishments, with 4,856 bars, clubs, and lounges on the Moniepoint network. FCT follows with 2,515, then Rivers (2,362), Delta (1,930), and Edo (1,574).
Katsina leads the country in nighttime food truck payment value, with vendors pulling in over ₦130 million in the last 12 months. Kwara State leads in transaction count. Nigeria’s nightlife economy is distributed, not overly elitist.
On the lending side, the report notes that a significant share of loan requests from bar and lounge operators is directed toward renovations, furniture, lighting, and sound systems showing that investments intended to attract and retain customers in a competitive sector where ambience plays a decisive role.
Moniepoint continues to fuel this sector through innovative features like “POS Transfers” and by assigning a dedicated bank account to each terminal, the system provides an instant “audio-visual” confirmation, a signature “ping”, that allows service to continue without the friction of waiting for SMS alerts or verifying screenshots.
Furthermore, in addressing the unique safety needs of consumers, Moniepoint cards are designed without visible card numbers, expiry dates, or CVVs, ensuring that a customer’s financial information remains secure.
As Nigeria’s largest distributor of financial services, Moniepoint’s ongoing commitment to financial inclusion and economic development has positioned it as a catalyst for growth across Nigeria and beyond.
The company processes billions in transactions monthly and continues to expand its reach, supporting millions of businesses with payments, banking, credit, and business management solutions.
Telecom
Digital Encode Sponsors PAFON 3.0 as CVO Prof. Adewale Set to Deliver Keynote on Cybersecurity and Trust
Digital Encode Limited has emerged the lead sponsor of the upcoming third edition of the forum (PAFON 3.0), the organisers have announced.
PAFON 3.0
PAFON 3.0 is scheduled to take place on Friday, April 24, 2026, at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki Road, Lagos, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Themed “Fair Digital Payments as a Catalyst for Deepening Financial Inclusion in Nigeria,” PAFON 3.0 serves as a strategic platform for senior executives from banks, fintechs, regulatory agencies, and technology innovators to address the evolving digital payment landscape.
As Nigeria transitions toward a cash-light economy, the forum will focus on critical pillars of sustainability, including transparency, pricing integrity, and system resilience.
Bridging Cybersecurity and Financial Inclusion
Professor Adewale Peter Obadare, the Founder/chief visionary officer of Digital Encode will deliver a cybersecurity-focused keynote address that connects trust, resilience, fraud prevention, and consumer protection to financial inclusion.
His session will provide a specialized perspective on how information security serves as the bedrock of financial inclusion; exploring the vital links between building infrastructure that consumers can rely on, protecting the ecosystem to allow inclusion to scale, and ensuring equitable and secure access for all Nigerians.
Prof. Obadare is arguably the most Credentialed PAN-African Digital Trust Leader, CyberSecurity Strategist, GRC Thought Leader & Global Technopreneur.
He is a seasoned Multi-Award Cybersecurity & GRC expert with over 58 (Fifty-Eight) international professional certifications to his credit, Master of Science in Cybersecurity, Liverpool Unversity, UK, was awarded Honorarary Doctorate Degree in Cybersecurity from Trinity International University of Ambassadors Atlanta Georgia, United State of America and First Professor of Practice – Cybersecurity at Miva Open University, Abuja, Nigeria.
Prof. Obadare is a well-recognized subject matter expert with numerous successful engagements to his credit in Africa and the world. His skills and experience spans Data Privacy, Data Protection, CyberSecurity, Information Security, Vulnerability Management, Penetration Testing, Computer Forensics, Business Continuity, I T Governance, Risk Management and Compliance.
He is a Cybersecurity Advisory Board Member for Lagos State Government, a Platinum Team Member of Open-Source Security Testing Methodology Manual (OSSTMM), as well as a lifetime member of the Open Worldwide Application Security Project (OWASP). He is an alumnus of FATE Foundation and US Department of State Exchange program.
He is also a distinguished alumnus of executive education at Harvard Business School, Harvard School of Government, MIT Sloan School of Management, MIT Professional Education and Oxford University – Said Business School.
“Without trust in the security of digital payments, inclusion cannot scale. And we are happy to welcome Digital Encode as our Lead Sponsor this year. With what the company stands for and the personality of the CVO on a global scale, we have no doubt that attendees at this year’s PAFON will go home with lots of insights.”
“The theme for PAFON 3.0 was carefully selected because if digital payments are affordable, transparent, accessible, and trustworthy, more Nigerians, especially the underserved, will participate in the financial system”, Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi, the co-convener of Payments Forum Nigeria, noted, highlighting Digital Encode distinguished leadership in Nigeria’s cybersecurity ecosystem.
Other Confirmed speakers: Dr. Jameelah Sharrieff-Ayedun, Vice President, Fintech Association of Nigeria (FintechNGR) & CEO, Credit Registry; Uche Uzoebo, MD/CEO, Shared Agent Network Expansion Facilities (SANEF Limited): Special Guest of Honour; Mojeed Abayomi Agboola, National President, Financial Inclusion Agents Multipurpose Cooperative Society (FIAMCS); Dr. Obioha Otti, National President, Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria (AMMBAN); Chukwuemeka Enoch, Founder, Lagos Blockchain Week, and Sarafadeen Fasasi, National President, Association of Financial Inclusion Agents of Nigeria (AFiAN), amongst others.
The forum will feature speakers from across the financial spectrum, including mobile money operators, payment processors, and development institutions, to shape policy dialogue and industry standards.
PAFON is a premier industry gathering that aligns brand positioning with trust and innovation in Nigeria’s digital payments ecosystem. It provides a unique space for thought leadership, regulatory engagement, and market expansion within the payment infrastructure sector.
The era of treating cybersecurity as a mere IT problem is over. As AI-powered digital threats become more elusive and destructive, Nigeria is shifting its strategy toward “Total Resilience”—a multi-dimensional defense involving every level of society.
NITDA
At the 2026 GITEX Africa summit, NITDA DG, Kashifu Inuwa sounded the alarm on the changing nature of digital warfare, asserting that technology alone is no longer enough. Instead, Nigeria’s survival in the digital age now hinges on a strategic blend of policy, people, and proactive defense.
Speaking during a panel session on Cyber Resilience, Inuwa described the current global digital environment as being at a “critical turning point.”
He warned that emerging technologies are not only transforming industries and economies but are also reshaping the nature of cyber threats, demanding a proactive and multi-dimensional response from governments, institutions, and citizens alike.
“Cybersecurity is no longer just a technical issue. It is a strategic imperative for national development,” Inuwa stated. “We must think beyond technology alone and build resilience through people, processes, regulations, and infrastructure.”
Inuwa revealed that the focus of Nigeria’s cyber strategy is shifting from high-tech software to the people behind the screens. Pointing to data showing that 95% of all digital breaches stem from simple human mistakes, Inuwa argued that the world’s most advanced encryption is useless if the user is compromised.
“The most sophisticated technology cannot protect us if the human element is overlooked,” he noted. By prioritising human capacity and digital literacy, NITDA aims to turn every citizen into a “human firewall”, the first and most critical line of defense in a world where AI-driven attacks are the new normal.
In response, the Nigerian government has launched a comprehensive National Digital Literacy Programme aimed at achieving 95 percent digital literacy by 2030, with an interim target of 70 percent by 2027.
The programme emphasizes digital safety and cybersecurity awareness, equipping citizens with the knowledge to navigate an increasingly online world responsibly.
Inuwa highlighted initiatives such as the “3 Million Tech Talent” programme, designed to develop Nigerian expertise across key technology domains, including cybersecurity, data science, and AI.
The programme also leverages hackathons, innovation challenges, and mentorship schemes to channel young people’s skills into productive, lawful, and globally competitive ventures.
He argued that nurturing local talent is essential not just for national security but also for economic growth. “We want to create an environment where young Nigerians are innovators, not just consumers of technology,” he said.
Addressing concerns about Nigeria’s ranking in global cybercrime indices, Inuwa urged contextual understanding. “Countries with the most advanced digital economies also rank high in cybercrime because of the scale of their online activity,” he explained.
“Our focus is on redirecting talent towards innovation and solutions that protect our citizens while contributing to global digital advancement.”
On the legal and regulatory front, Nigeria continues to review and enhance the Cybercrime Act of 2015 to keep pace with the rapidly evolving threat landscape. The law underpins a structured National Cybersecurity Architecture coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
In addition, the country operates a 24-hour cybersecurity operations centre tasked with monitoring threats, issuing advisories, and providing real-time support to government institutions, businesses, and citizens. Advanced technologies, including dark web monitoring and AI-enabled threat detection, are being deployed to enhance situational awareness and improve response times.
Inuwa emphasized that effective cyber resilience requires collaboration between public and private sectors. NITDA is working closely with ministries, departments, agencies, and private sector stakeholders to secure critical infrastructure and strengthen national resilience.
“Cyber resilience is not a solo effort; it is a collective responsibility. By integrating people, technology, and regulation, we can build a secure, globally competitive digital economy,” he added.
As Nigeria navigates a digital-first future, initiatives such as the National Digital Literacy Programme, 3 Million Tech Talent, and strengthened legal frameworks underscore a commitment to turning cybersecurity challenges into opportunities for innovation and growth.
The country’s strategy reflects a broader understanding that in an era of AI-driven threats, preparedness is as much about people and processes as it is about technology.
Truecaller, the leading global communications platform, today announced the expansion of its Business Chat platform, making it accessible to global channel partners and enterprise solution providers. By “opening up” market access to its platform, Truecaller is empowering partners to transition their enterprise clients from legacy, low-trust SMS to a verified, smart, media-rich, and conversational communication experience.
Truecaller
Through this partner-led expansion, Truecaller empowers businesses to reclaim customer attention and establish immediate trust and credibility.
“The definition of success for modern enterprises has fundamentally evolved. It’s no longer just about delivery – it’s about earning attention, establishing credibility, and driving meaningful conversion,” said Priyam Bose, Global Head, GTM at Truecaller.
“By opening up market access to our global partners, we’ve created a powerful gateway for brands to engage with over 500 million active users where they already interact daily through communication that is contextual, trusted, free from clutter, and designed to initiate actions. For existing customers, the outreach opportunity extends to an additional high-impact channel, strengthening the overall customer experience journey.”
Truecaller Business Chat enables a clutter-free, high-trust conversational experience between businesses and consumers. The Business Chat platform equips partners with actionable insights, including real-time data and rich engagement metrics. This facilitates a more sophisticated, data-driven communication strategy that adapts at every stage of the customer journey.
Partners, including Gupshup and OneXtel, are already live in India along with Globe Teleservices, Cloudcom, and Sling Africa in other global markets, rapidly scaling the product in their respective regions. Global partners can now leverage Truecaller’s massive footprint to offer their clients a trustworthy engagement channel in an increasingly crowded digital world.
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