E-Financial
PAPSS Set for Expansion To Boost Intra-Africa Payments

The Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) which was launched to make cross-border transactions seamless, is set to capture more markets in Africa.
The plan was disclosed last week by the Chief Executive Officer of PAPSS, Mr. Mike Ogbalu, during a stakeholders’ forum held in Lagos.
Ogbolu, who was represented, said Fintech across the continent of Africa can operate more seamlessly and widely with the assistance of PAPSS.
According to him, “Currently, there are numerous impediments and challenges facing intra-African trade payments. Banks must navigate sometimes conflicting local, multi-country and multiregional regulations to enable the seamless movement of funds on behalf of their diverse customers across the continent. Operational inefficiencies and onerous compliance requirements are time-consuming impediments.”
In his opening remarks, Mr. Patrick Akinwunta, Ex Ecobank Group Managing Director & Regional Executive at Ecobank Nigeria, said banks, their customers and anyone or business involved in financial transactions across the continent of Africa stand to benefit massively from the PAPSS system.
“The essence of PAPSS is to help in cross-border financial settlement with ease, speed and precision. It is a practical process of instant delivery and a major aggregator that brings everybody together. We all need a connecting point; and PAPSS is the big umbrella.
As a centralized Financial Market Infrastructure that enables the efficient flow of money securely across African borders, minimizing risk and contributing to financial integration across the regions, PAPSS works in collaboration with Africa’s central banks to provide a payment and settlement service to which commercial banks and licensed payment service providers across the region can connect as ‘Participants’.
In his presentation, Mr. Osita Ugwu, Chief Technology Officer at PAPSS, disclosed that 60 banks have already gone live on PAPSS platform, while another 60 are doing integration.
According to him, “By year end, we are expecting 23 banks to be integrated. As of today, 60 banks are doing integration and another 60 banks are going live.
Since its launch by the African Union and the Afreximbank in 2022, several commercial banks have been onboarded on its system.
PAPSS is a pan-African payment system facilitating instant cross-border payments in local African currencies. It is a centralised platform that connects central banks, commercial banks, and other financial institutions across the continent.
The platform was launched in January 2022 by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the African Union (AU). At launch, it was sold as a system that could reduce the cost and time of cross-border payments in Africa and boost intra-African trade. It has partnered with over 25 commercial banks since its launch and helps accelerate payment processing as a real-time gross settlement system.
The system also boosts security compared to the current correspondent banking system, as it operates on a centralised platform governed by the AU and Afreximbank.
At the event, PAPSS introduced a new settlement model called the Commercial Bank Settlement Model (CBSM), which allows commercial banks to open and fund their settlement accounts at Afreximbank and manage their liquidity as per their banking requirements.
E-Financial
FIRS Decries Cross-border Tax Crimes

Dr Zacch Adedeji, Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), has stated that cross-border tax crimes had undermined effort of countries to raise revenue for development.
He added that cross-border tax crimes distorted fair competition because compliant companies pay a higher cost for business and appear less profitable.
He also challenged global leaders to tackle the rising cross-border crimes that have disrupted revenue mobilisation and economic growth. Adedeji threw the challenge while delivering a keynote address at the 42nd Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crimes (CIDOEC) held at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
The symposium has, for over four decades, been a crucible of ideas, a forge for strategies, and a platform where countries chart a collective course against the impact and threat economic crimes pose to countries and institutions.
The global meeting was attended by about 1,000 participants from more than 100 countries, including legislators, policy makers, law enforcement agencies, security and intelligence personnel, regulators, governance and compliance officers, and academics.
Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS boss, Dare Adekanmbi, in a statement, said Adedeji was represented by the Coordinating Director of Proceeds of Crime Management and Illicit Financial Flows and immediate past chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Professor Bolaji Owasanoye.
“This year’s theme ‘Cross-Border Crimes’ speaks directly to one of the most complex and corrosive challenges of our interconnected world. “In a global economy where capital can move faster than law enforcement, and where digital and legal arbitrage often outpace regulation, the fight against crossborder economic crime is, by necessity, both local and global, both urgent and pressing.
“Modern day cross border crimes remind us that borders and boundaries have become virtual and distance irrelevant to the perpetration of crime and the negative impact on victims,” said Adedeji, who is also the Special Adviser on Revenue to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
On corporate or natural citizens who evade, avoid, fraudulently manipulate tax obligations by exploiting the intricacies of international trade or international finance, the FIRS boss said they have become implicated in cross border crimes.
He said: “When corporate or natural persons earn income in one country but hide same in another country, when they deceive, conceal or falsify records, they undermine the integrity and fiscal aspirations of the two countries they are manipulating. “When they hide income and assets in secrecy in some jurisdictions to avoid home-country taxes, they are hurting the fiscal target of home country.”
E-Financial
NGX Suspends Three Firms over 2024 Financial Results

Nigerian Exchange (NGX) has suspended three insurance companies on the exchange for failure to release financial results for the 2024 fiscal year.
The affected underwriting firms are Regency Alliance Insurance Plc, International Energy Insurance Plc, and Universal Insurance Plc.
As a result of the embargo, shareholders and other investors will not be able to trade their stocks on the local stock market, according to a notice signed by Obioma Oge for the Head of Issuer Regulation Department of the NGX.
In the statement, it was disclosed that the effective date for the suspension of the three organisations was Monday, September 1, 2025.
It was in line with Rule 3.1, Rules for Filing of Accounts and Treatment of Default Filing, (Default Filing Rules), which provides that if an Issuer fails to file the relevant accounts by the expiration of the cure period, the exchange will: a) send to the issuer a second filing deficiency notification within two business days after the end of the cure period; b) suspend trading in the issuer’s securities; and c) notify the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the market within 24 hours of the suspension.
However, the embargo may be lifted if the trio released their outstanding financial statements for “the year ended December 31, 2024.”
E-Financial
SEC Launches Redesigned Website to Boost Transparency, Investor Safety

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Nigeria has officially launched its newly redesigned website, marking a significant step toward enhancing digital engagement, regulatory transparency, and investor protection.
The regulator, in a statement on Monday, said the upgrade introduces a modern design, enhanced functionality, and a streamlined user experience aimed at investors, market operators, and the general public.
According to the SEC, the new platform features improved navigation, consolidated resources such as regulatory guidelines and publications, and a mobile-friendly design.
“This comprehensive upgrade introduces a modern design, enhanced functionality, and a streamlined user experience,” SEC said.
“The restructured platform ensures critical information is better organized and more accessible for all stakeholders, including investors, market participants, and the general public.
“Key enhancements include an intuitive menu and site structure for finding information quickly.
“Consolidated Resources: Key documents, regulatory guidelines, and publications are now easier to locate. A responsive design optimized for desktop and mobile devices.
“The initiative underscores the Commission’s ongoing commitment to transparency, operational efficiency, and improved stakeholder engagement.”
According to Emomotimi Agama, director-general (DG) of SEC, the website redesign reflects “our dedication to continuous improvement in service delivery and communication”.
“This digital advancement is a significant step in building a more transparent and accessible Commission, enhancing our engagement with the capital market and the investing public,” Agama said.
Also speaking, Samiya Usman, executive commissioner for corporate services at SEC, said the focus went beyond aesthetics.
“By simplifying access and logically organizing content, we have created a powerful platform that supports our mission to develop and regulate a fair, efficient, and transparent capital market,” the commissioner said.
The SEC urged stakeholders to explore the website and use its features to access regulatory updates, news, and services.
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