Moniepoint Inc, a leading business payments and personal banking servicing platform, has launched “M”, Nigeria’s first artificial intelligence-powered chatbot dedicated to demystifying the informal economy, while earning commendations from the Federal Government for its decade-long commitment to driving financial inclusion and business growth across Africa’s most populous nation.
Speaking at the launch of the second edition of Nigeria’s Informal Economy Report powered by Moniepoint, vice president Kashim Shettima represented by Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, minister of Industry, Trade and Investment noted that the informal economy lies at the heart of Nigeria’s story of resilience, creativity, and enterprise, from market traders to artisans, service providers, and young digital entrepreneurs.
“Millions of Nigerians power commerce daily in ways that are unseen yet indispensable to our economy. This report gives an important window into the challenges and opportunities within the sector. It provides a stronger foundation for inclusive, evidence-based policymaking.
“The Tinubu-led administration places high priority on the informal sector, which has remained central to Nigeria’s economic resilience. I commend Moniepoint for its decade-long contribution to financial inclusion, supporting millions of informal businesses across Africa”, she said.
To bring the report’s insights to life, “M,” a friendly, AI-powered guide that helps users explore and understand Nigeria’s informal economy.
Built on cutting-edge Large Language Model (LLM) technology, M provides conversational and easy-to-understand responses to complex queries. It represents Moniepoint’s belief that technology should serve people, especially the everyday entrepreneurs who keep the economy moving.
“M” is designed to make data on small businesses and informal trade accessible, useful, and actionable for everyone from policymakers and researchers to journalists and the general public.
In his welcome remarks, Babatunde Olofin, Managing Director, Moniepoint MFB, noted that the Bank’s focus lies in providing millions of these informal operators with the tools they need to thrive sustainably.
“This year’s report dives deeper into unemployment, taxation, savings behavior, and business operations within the informal economy, and what we’ve found paints a picture of both resilience and fragility. These insights remind us that the informal economy is not just a tool for survival but a living ecosystem of innovation and adaptation. We are determined to help shape a more inclusive and sustainable Nigeria, not just for today, but for generations yet unborn. The informal economy is not the shadow of our nation’s progress, it is its pulse. Our job is to make sure it beats stronger”, he said.
The launch event also served to mark a significant milestone as Moniepoint commemorates 10 years of service to now over 10 million active businesses and individuals, processing more than one billion transactions monthly and facilitating payments exceeding $22 billion.
The company aims to strengthen public-private collaboration in building a more data-driven, inclusive, and digitized economy aligned with Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
Founded in 2015 by Tosin Eniolorunda and Felix Ike, Moniepoint has grown from building financial solutions and infrastructure for Nigeria’s major banks to becoming the nation’s largest business payments platform and leading merchant acquirer, providing an all-in-one banking platform offering payments, banking, credit, business tools, and cross-border payment solutions.
Ayodele Olawande, minister, Federal Ministry of Youth Development represented by Mrs. Ebiho Agun, Technical Adviser commended Moniepoint for its commitment to understanding and illuminating the dynamics of a sector that, though often overlooked, but remains the backbone of our national economy.
“While Moniepoint has aptly drawn attention to the vast potential of the informal economy, largely powered by youth, it is clear that realizing this potential requires strong synergy among government, private sector players, financial institutions, and development partners.
“Together, we must move from insight to action, designing and implementing strategies that will enable informal enterprises to access finance.”
During a panel session which was moderated by Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Moniepoint Inc, Didi Uwemakpan with the theme: Building an inclusive and sustainable economy for Nigeria, the panelists which included Uche Uzoebo, MD/CEO, Shared Agent Network Expansion Facilities, SANEF, Chinasa Collins-Ogbuo, Head, Inclusion for All Initiative, Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access (EFInA); Charles Odii, Director-General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria and MD, Moniepoint Microfinance Bank were emphatic about the need to increase access to finance, markets, and other structured interventions for the informal economy.
Speaking to its partnership with Moniepoint on the report, DG, SMEDAN expressed satisfaction that the report shows real progress with more businesses formalizing, accessing finance, and using digital tools, while acknowledging some challenges that persist, especially around rising costs and access to affordable credit.
“We are working with our partners and under this administration’s economic agenda to close these gaps: free CAC registration for 250,000 small businesses, a partnership with SEC to list 1,000 SMEs on the capital market, and new shared industrial hubs that make it cheaper to run a business. We are also working with state governments to deepen access to affordable finance and complement efforts of the Federal Government to create a regulatory environment that supports the growth of small businesses,” he said.
Some of the dignitaries who attended the event include Special Adviser to the President on Job Creation & MSME, Temitola Adekunle-Johnson, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital Media and Emergency Management (OVP), Ahmed Ningi, Registrar/ Chief Executive, The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Akin Morakinyo, Mohammed Bagudu, Special Adviser on Stakeholder Management and Finance, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Deputy Director, Digital Economy, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Dr. Amina Sambo-Magaji, National Coordinator of the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), and Investment Officer. IFC. Meissa Gueye.
