Updates

The 2025 CBN Fintech Report: Shaping the Future of Fintech in Nigeria

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has released its inaugural fintech assessment report, detailing the strategic trajectory of the nation’s digital financial ecosystem. The data highlights a significant expansion in transaction infrastructure, with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) processing approximately 11 billion transactions in 2024. This figure represents a 100% increase in volume compared to 2022, cementing Nigeria’s position as a global leader in real-time payments.

Expansion of Indirect Share Transfer Taxation in Nigeria

The Nigerian tax landscape has expanded to include stricter enforcement on offshore disposals of Nigerian assets.

The Transition to Cloud-Broadcasting and Local Infrastructure Mandates

The Nigerian broadcasting industry is currently navigating the “Cloud Broadcasting Summit Africa 2026” milestone, which focuses on the transition from hardware-heavy production to cloud-based content creation and archival.

The Rise of Environmental Sustainability in IP Policy

Environmental sustainability has increasingly become a pivotal influence on intellectual property (IP) policy across the globe. This shift is largely driven by initiatives like the WIPO GREEN platform, which facilitates connections between providers of green technologies and those seeking sustainable solutions. In Nigeria, this global movement has been embodied through the IP for Green Innovation Program.

Governance and Liability in AI-Driven Financial Services

Global regulatory bodies are increasingly focusing on the “agentic AI” era, where autonomous systems
handle credit decisioning, fraud detection, and transaction reconciliation without real-time human intervention.

Digital Assets and the VASP Regulatory Regime.

The regulatory landscape for digital assets has evolved beyond its initial uncertainty with the
implementation of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Digital Assets Rules.

Understanding The National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy (NIPPS) 2025

In a groundbreaking decision for Nigeria’s innovation landscape, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved
the National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy (NIPPS) in November 2025. This policy signifies a major
transformation aimed at modernizing Nigeria’s intellectual property framework. It seeks to incorporate intellectual
property into the larger digital transformation agenda and align with the Startup Act of 2022.

Institutional Integration of Tokenized Assets and DeFi

The maturation of Decentralized Finance (DeFi) is moving beyond speculative crypto-assets toward the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA) and institutional-grade infrastructure.

Satellite Broadband and the Transition to Direct-to-Cell Connectivity.

The Nigerian telecommunications industry is undergoing a substantial transformation
as satellite-based internet services shift from being niche enterprise solutions to becoming
mainstream consumer options. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) plays a
pivotal role in this evolution by actively licensing Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) providers,
which is steering the market towards the implementation of “Direct-to-Cell” (D2C) technology.

Global Protection for Genetic Resources & Traditional Knowledge

A Significant Milestone in May 2024: The Adoption of the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, and Associated Traditional Knowledge (GRATK).