E-Financial
Nigeria on Bumpy Road to Recovery; Foreign Exchange Reserves in Focus
By Lukman Otunuga, Senior Research Analyst at FXTM,
The Nigerian economy still remains on a rocky road to recovery in the face of depressed oil prices, US-China trade uncertainty and fears over decelerating global growth.
Although the nation’s GDP expanded 1.94% during the second quarter of 2019, it is unlikely to meet the government’s 3% growth targets this year. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected Nigeria’s growth to expand 2.3% this year and 2.5% in 2020. Despite the ongoing push for economic diversification, 90% of foreign exchange earnings and 70% of government revenues are still attained from oil sales.
While the Central Bank of Nigeria can be commended on its effort to promote Naira stability, this has come at the expense of falling reserves which decreased to $42.1 billion in September. Much attention will be directed towards the pending foreign exchange reserves data for October scheduled for release on Wednesday. Further signs of reserves declining amid weak oil prices and intervention by the CBN is likely to weigh on the Naira.
Market mood brightens on trade deal optimism
The mood across financial markets continues to brighten after President Donald Trump said that Washington “was ahead of schedule” on a trade deal with China.
This encouraging news has certainly injected global equity bulls with a renewed sense of confidence as optimism increases that the two largest economies in the world will sign “phase one ” of the trade agreement soon. Shares across Asia are pushing higher on Tuesday amid the risk-on sentiment, after the S&P 500 hit an all time record high overnight on the back of trade hopes and prospects of lower interest rates by the Fed. The positive vibe from Asian markets should also support European stocks and potentially Wall Street later this afternoon.
Fourth time lucky? Johnson seeks snap election again
There was little to cheer about on Monday in Brexit news despite the European Union granting Britain a flexible three-month extension to the Brexit process until 31 January 2020.
Although this has prevented the UK from leaving the European Union on October 31 without a deal, it is simply kicking the can down the road. This sentiment is clearly being reflected in the British Pound which offered a fairly muted reaction to the third Brexit extension. With British lawmakers rejecting Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan for an early election in December, where do we go from here? While Johnson is expected to try again for an early election on Tuesday, history could repeat itself for the fourth time in two months. Until investors are offered proper direction and clarity on Brexit, Sterling’s rise may be capped below 1.30.
Dollar waits for FOMC meeting
The Dollar held steady against a basket of major currencies on Tuesday ahead of the FOMC meeting on Wednesday. With markets widely expecting the Fed to dish out another insurance rate cut in face of trade uncertainty and global growth concerns, much attention will be directed towards Jerome Powell’s press conference. Should Powell sound less dovish than expected, investors are likely to revaluate whether the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in December.
Gold in the spotlight
Gold has stumbled into the trading week under pressure thanks to the improving market mood and risk-on sentiment. Given how prices are trading below the $1500 level, further downside could be on the cards in the short term.
However, investor expectations over the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates in October coupled with Brexit uncertainty should stimulate appetite towards the precious metal in the medium term. The longer-term outlook will remain influenced by US-China trade developments and global growth concerns. Although most remain cautiously optimistic over the two largest economies in the world signing a “phase one” trade deal, there is still room for disappointment as talks have fallen apart in the past. Focusing on the technical picture, Gold is tracking sideways on the daily charts but the breakdown below $1500 should open a path towards $1485.
Nigerians lost N25.85 billion to digital payment fraud in 2025, according to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Though the figure represents a significant decline from the N52.26 billion recorded in 2024, CBN, said the losses remained substantial for payment service providers (PSPs).
According to the report, although the value of digital payment fraud declined significantly year-on-year, when compared to the N52.26 billion recorded in the previous year, the losses remained substantial for Payment Service Providers (PSPs), underscoring the need for stronger fraud prevention measures across the industry.
In the report, the CBN, also identified systemic risks, cyber threats, the dominance of a few systemically important payment service providers, and the activities of unlicensed payment companies as major concerns confronting the financial sector.
According to the report, although the value of digital payment fraud declined significantly year-on-year, the losses remained substantial for Payment Service Providers (PSPs), underscoring the need for stronger fraud prevention measures across the industry.
“Digital payment fraud in Nigeria stood at N25.85 billion in 2025,” the apex bank said.
It noted that while this represented a considerable improvement from the N52.26 billion lost in 2024, the amount remained significant.
“Though this was lower than N52.26 billion in the preceding year, it represented a substantial loss for PSPs,” the report stated.
The CBN attributed the reduction in fraud losses to enhanced security measures implemented across the financial sector.
It said, “The lower losses in 2025 reflected improvements in monitoring, BVN-NIN integration, and tighter controls.”
Beyond fraud, the report warned that Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital payments landscape faces increasing systemic vulnerabilities as banks and fintech companies become more interconnected through shared payment infrastructure.
According to the report, a major operational failure involving a single payment service provider could quickly spread across the financial system because of the growing dependence on integrated payment platforms.
The CBN observed that despite ongoing efforts to strengthen payment system integration, interoperability remains a significant challenge.
It disclosed that about half of fintech stakeholders continued to express dissatisfaction with the current level of system-wide interoperability.
The report stated that “about 50.00 per cent of fintech stakeholders continued to rate system-wide interoperability as poor, primarily due to the lack of universal APIs and data-sharing standards.”
The apex bank also expressed concern over the concentration of payment activities among a few Systemically Important Payment Service (SIPS) providers, warning that operational failures involving any of them could have widespread consequences.
It explained that the failure of such providers could trigger a “domino effect”, where insolvency or operational glitches in one payment service provider spread rapidly to others, disrupting the smooth functioning of the financial system.
Cybersecurity also featured prominently among the risks identified in the report.
The CBN warned that payment service providers remain vulnerable to ransomware attacks, data breaches and credential theft, noting that cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated in targeting financial institutions.
According to the report, “Banking and fintech institutions remained prime targets for ransomware, data leaks, and credential theft.”
It added that, “Cyber threats in Nigeria are no longer random cybercrimes, but increasingly targeted, organised, and identity-driven campaigns.”
The report further cautioned Nigerians against transacting with unlicensed payment companies, stressing that such entities operate outside regulatory oversight and expose users to significant financial risks.
It warned that customers using unlicensed PSPs are not protected by existing regulatory safeguards and that such operators could facilitate illicit financial activities.
“Users of unlicensed PSPs are not covered by regulatory protection that comes with effective oversight and supervision,” the CBN said.
It further warned that, “Unlicenced payment companies are gateways for money laundering which could undermine regulatory efforts and corrode public trust.”
The report underscores the growing importance of strengthening fraud detection systems, improving payment infrastructure interoperability, enhancing cybersecurity resilience, and intensifying regulatory oversight as Nigeria continues to expand its digital payments ecosystem.
Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) yesterday announced that medium and large companies in Nigeria that earn income from cryptocurrency and other virtual asset transactions will now be subject to a 30 per cent corporate income tax.
NRS stated this in its new guidelines setting out a tax framework for cryptocurrency and other digital asset transactions.
The guidelines cover registration, record-keeping, valuation, and tax treatment for VASPs, P2P operators, and individuals in the virtual asset space.
NRS said the move is aimed at encouraging voluntary compliance and improving transparency as Nigeria’s digital asset sector grows.
The Guidelines on the Taxation of Virtual Assets, provide a comprehensive framework for the taxation of virtual asset transactions and businesses operating within Nigeria’s digital economy.
The guidelines apply to companies, individual taxpayers, Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplace operators and other participants in the virtual asset ecosystem
The latest framework follows the signing of the Presidential Executive Order on Virtual Assets Coordination, 2026 by President Bola Tinubu, which established a coordinated regulatory structure for cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, tokenised assets and other digital assets across government agencies.
According to the NRS, companies that derive profits from virtual asset activities will be taxed under the provisions of the Nigeria Tax Act (NTA), 2025. While small companies will continue to enjoy applicable tax exemptions under the law, medium and large companies will be liable to the standard 30 per cent corporate income tax rate.
The agency stated that taxable income under the guidelines covers a broad range of virtual asset-related activities, including cryptocurrency trading, the operation of virtual asset exchanges, transaction fees, brokerage commissions, custody and wallet services, token issuance, mining, staking, decentralised finance (DeFi) activities, investment gains and other virtual asset business operations.
According to the guidelines, “Applicable rates under the NTA include progressive rates for individuals, and 30 per cent for companies other than small companies.”
The NRS said the guidelines were introduced to provide clarity, certainty and consistency in the administration of Nigeria’s tax laws as they apply to virtual assets, adding that the framework is intended to improve transparency, encourage voluntary tax compliance and support the development of an efficient tax regime for the digital asset sector.
The agency also clarified that merely holding cryptocurrencies or other virtual assets does not constitute a taxable event.
Any appreciation in the value of a digital asset while it remains in a taxpayer’s possession will not attract income tax until the asset is sold, exchanged or otherwise disposed of through a taxable transaction.
Similarly, transfers of cryptocurrencies or other virtual assets between wallets owned and controlled by the same individual are exempt from income tax, provided there is no change in beneficial ownership.
This means that moving digital assets such as Bitcoin or Ether between personal wallets will not trigger a tax liability.
However, the exemption does not extend to transfers involving companies, partnerships, trusts, unincorporated associations or other legal entities, where different tax rules may apply.
The NRS further explained that although these non-taxable transactions do not attract immediate tax, they establish the acquisition cost for future disposals.
Consequently, taxpayers are required to maintain adequate records of acquisitions, transfers and disposals to facilitate accurate tax computations when taxable events occur.
The guidelines also reaffirm that unrealised gains on cryptocurrencies and other virtual assets are not subject to income tax. Instead, tax liability arises only when a taxable disposal takes place, aligning Nigeria’s approach with internationally recognised principles for the taxation of digital assets.
The issuance of the guidelines is expected to provide greater regulatory certainty for investors, businesses and digital asset service providers, while strengthening the government’s efforts to expand the tax base and improve compliance in Nigeria’s growing virtual asset ecosystem.
As more Nigerians adopt digital financial services, fraudsters are also finding new ways to target unsuspecting users. Nigeria has recorded more than 24.1 million compromised online accounts since 2004, with hundreds of thousands of additional cases reported in early 2026. While these figures are not limited to financial accounts, they highlight the growing exposure of personal information and login credentials online.
Fraudsters often use phishing links, impersonation and other social-engineering tactics to trick people into revealing sensitive information such as passwords, OTPs, BVN or NIN details.
To help users strengthen the security of their accounts, PalmPay provides a range of built-in protection tools. One of these is the Transaction Guard.
The feature enables users to set single, daily, or monthly transaction limits. Whenever a transaction exceeds that limit, an additional verification step; facial verification- is required before it can be completed. This helps reduce the risk of unauthorized transfers, even if an account has been compromised.
Here’s how Transaction Guard helps keep your money safe:
- Keeps User in Control
The feature gives you greater control over your account by ensuring that higher-value transactions require your facial verification before they are processed. Transaction Guard requires facial verification before eligible transactions are completed, making it harder for unauthorized users to move your funds.
- Helps Mitigate Account Takeovers
Even if your login credentials or OTP are compromised, Transaction Guard helps limit potential losses by requiring an additional verification step that fraudsters cannot easily complete.
- Reduces the Risk of Fraud
By activating this security checkpoint, Transaction Guard helps protect users against common fraud attempts, giving them greater confidence when faced with scam attacks.
In a recent interview, Femi Hanson, Head of Marketing, PalmPay said: “Nigerians are increasingly embracing digital payments in their everyday lives hence maintaining trust and confidence of users must remain a top priority. Today, security is just as important as speed and convenience. That’s why PalmPa is continuously investing in solutions that give our customers greater control over their finances. Transaction Guard is one of those security features we’ve introduced to help users add an extra layer of protection to their accounts and mitigate fraud.”
How to Activate Transaction Guard
Activating Transaction Guard is quick and easy. Simply open the PalmPay app, go to Profile, tap Security Center, select Transaction Guard, switch it on, and complete the verification process.
As digital payments become embedded in everyday life, taking advantage of built-in security features can make a significant difference. By enabling Transaction Guard, PalmPay users can better protect their accounts and enjoy a safer, more secure digital banking experience.
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