The platform, owned by ByteDance, has applied to Brazil’s central bank for two licences that would allow it to operate as a payments and lending company. The people told Reuters the plans are confidential and asked not to be named.

One of the licences would permit TikTok to act as an electronic money issuer. That would allow users to hold balances, receive funds and make payments within the app.

The second would enable it to operate as a direct credit company, meaning it could lend its own funds or connect borrowers with lenders, but not take deposits.

If regulators approve the applications, TikTok could begin offering basic financial services in one of the world’s most active digital banking markets.

Brazil has seen strong growth in fintech, with firms such as Nubank, Banco Inter, PicPayand Mercado Pago competing for users across payments and lending.

TikTok has not responded to requests for comment. Brazil’s central bank also declined to comment.

Still, there are signs the company is moving ahead with its plans. Executives from ByteDance, including payments head Liao Baohua, met central bank governor Gabriel Galipolo in Brasília in March 2026, according to his public schedule.

It is not yet clear whether TikTok intends to roll out a full set of financial products or focus on supporting transactions tied to content and e-commerce on its platform.

The company has taken similar steps elsewhere. In China, ByteDance launched its own payment service in 2021 to support shopping within its apps, competing with established platforms like Alipay and WeChat Pay.

In Indonesia, it pursued a payments licence in 2023 but was later blocked from handling transactions directly, forcing it to work with local partners.

Brazil has one of the highest rates of social media use globally, and TikTok already has a vast audience there, easing its new focus if the payments licence is approved.

By late 2025, the platform had about 131 million adult users in the country, with advertising reaching 80% of that population, according to DataReportal.

The company has also shown a long-term commitment to the market. It said last year it would invest more than 200 billion reais, or about $38.4 billion, in a data centre in Brazil.

Regulators have encouraged competition in financial services but still keep a close watch on new entrants, especially foreign firms handling payments and user data.

Built on a maturing instant payments backbone, electronic transactions are increasing, regulators are asserting closer oversight, and accessibility to credit is getting stronger.

The Nigerian fintech space is projected to contribute around $6 billion to the nation’s GDP by the end of 2026, which will be largely driven by payments processing and expanding digital credit access.

In February 2026, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) unveiled an 18-month fintech roadmap focused on implementing open banking, strengthening supervision, and enabling secure cross-border interoperability.

The plan is widely seen as a defining moment for the next phase of growth in the sector.

Regulatory scrutiny is also intensifying. The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) set a January 2026 compliance deadline for digital lenders, granting a final grace period until April for registration. Platforms that fail to meet the requirements risk delisting.

The move is aimed at curbing predatory practices while preserving innovation in a market that disbursed an estimated $865 million in digital loans in 2025.

On the infrastructure side, the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) Instant Payments platform maintained top maturity ratings across Africa in late 2025 and continues to process billions of naira in real-time transfers each year.

Meanwhile, deployed POS terminals crossed the 8 million mark in early 2025, with first-quarter transaction values exceeding ₦10.5 trillion.

Taken together, these developments reflect how far Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem has come in the past decade, especially in expanding financial services to underserved and unbanked communities.

Below are ten trends expected to shape payments and digital lending in 2026.

1. Phased Rollout of Open Banking

The CBN’s open banking framework is set to begin limited commercial operations this year. Licensed participants will be able to share customer-consented data securely through standardised APIs.

Early applications are expected to focus on payment initiation and improved credit scoring for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as individuals in the informal sector.

With better access to verified financial data, lenders are likely to refine underwriting models and develop more tailored products.

2. Continued Growth in Real-Time Payments

Instant transfers are at the heart of Nigeria’s electronic payments system. Real-time rails are already dominant for salary payments, merchant settlements, person-to-person transfers and bill payments.

With transaction volumes increasing, operators are expected to prioritise infrastructure resilience, especially during peak periods, to minimise service disruptions.

3. Shift Toward a More Cash-Lite Economy

Cash usage in everyday transactions has been declining steadily over the past few years. Analysts expect the trend to continue, supported by mobile wallets, expanding POS networks and government-backed cashless policies.

Digital channels are now playing a bigger role in e-commerce, informal retail and rural-urban remittances, gradually reshaping payment behaviour.

4. Faster and Cheaper Cross-Border Payments

Cross-border remittances and trade payments are becoming more efficient, helped by fintech partnerships and improving foreign exchange liquidity. Some platforms are exploring blockchain-based corridors and stablecoin settlements, while traditional remittance channels benefit from better interoperability.

These changes could support diaspora inflows and small-scale trade transactions under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework.

5. Consolidation in Digital Lending

Following the FCCPC’s enforcement actions, the digital lending market is expected to shrink in number but strengthen in structure. Non-compliant operators may exit or restructure to meet standards on pricing transparency, debt collection and data privacy.

Industry watchers expect surviving players to focus more on sustainable underwriting and long-term customer relationships rather than short-term loan cycles.

6. Expansion of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL)

Africa’s Buy Now, Pay Later market is projected to reach $6.5 billion in gross merchandise value in 2026, with Nigeria ranking among the leading contributors alongside Kenya, South Africa and Egypt.

Integration with major e-commerce platforms and offline retail chains is likely to deepen adoption. At the same time, regulators are paying closer attention to affordability checks and credit risk management.

7. Greater Use of Alternative Data in Credit Scoring

The push for e-invoicing and digital transaction records is opening up new data sources for lenders. Verified tax filings, payment histories and utility records are increasingly being used to assess creditworthiness.

For informal-sector operators without traditional credit histories, this could mean broader access to formal finance.

8. Evolution of POS and Agent Banking

While POS deployment continues in both urban and rural areas, growth is slowing in major cities where the market is nearing saturation.

Attention is shifting toward agent profitability and the introduction of value-added services such as micro-loans, savings products and bill payments through agent networks.

9. Extension of the Global Standing Instruction (GSI)

The CBN has signalled plans to extend the Global Standing Instruction framework to fintech lenders and microfinance banks.

If implemented broadly, the move could strengthen loan recovery mechanisms, reduce default rates and promote more responsible lending practices across the digital credit space.

10. Rise of Embedded Finance and Super-Apps

Financial services are increasingly being built into non-financial platforms, including ride-hailing apps, online marketplaces and utility payment systems.

Payments, wallets, micro-insurance and small-ticket loans are now integrated into everyday digital platforms. As competition intensifies, companies are racing to offer seamless, all-in-one experiences while keeping up with regulatory demands.

Final Analysis

Nigeria’s digital financial services ecosystem is moving into a more mature phase. Payments infrastructure is largely in place, shifting the focus toward scale, stability and cross-border integration.

At the same time, digital lending is entering a period of tighter regulation and consolidation.

The projected $6 billion contribution from fintech to GDP in 2026 underlines the sector’s growing economic weight.

How effectively these trends translate into deeper financial inclusion and long-term stability will depend on continued coordination between regulators, operators and infrastructure providers in a policy environment that is still evolving.

The New York- and Quito-based company says its software has already handled more than $100 million in real financial operations, including payments, account openings and credit decisions, all completed inside chat conversations. 

The new capital will be used to expand Brain, its core platform, and strengthen its expansion into the US small business market.

Messages have replaced calls and emails, but money still moves elsewhere. Customers are usually pushed into apps, forms or call centres at the most critical point. That break costs time, trust and revenue. 

Jelou’s system is built to remove that break.

The Series A round was led by Wellington Access Ventures, with backing from Krealo, the venture arm of Credicorp, and Collide Capital. 

With this raise, Jelou’s total funding now stands at $13 million, following an earlier seed round supported by Act One Ventures and Arca Continental Ventures.

Rather than acting as a help desk, Brain is designed to carry out tasks. Businesses can use it to collect missing customer details, confirm identities, trigger payments and move financial processes forward without leaving WhatsApp. 

It links directly to a company’s existing systems and runs at scale, while allowing human teams to monitor and step in when needed.

“When customers are most ready to act, things usually fall apart,” said Luis Loaiza, chief executive and founder of Jelou. “They get redirected out of the conversation, put on hold, or asked to repeat themselves across systems. 

“We built Brain so businesses can meet customers where they already are and complete the entire operation securely inside chat. This round allows us to scale that model across the Americas and push conversational AI beyond talk into execution.”

Jelou started in Ecuador in 2017, impacted by an observation. People were already buying, selling and asking questions through messaging apps, but the actual transactions were still scattered across insecure and outdated channels. 

Loaiza and his team, drawing on years of work in encrypted communications, set out to make chat a place where serious business could be completed, not just discussed.

That approach has gained traction. The company now works with more than 500 businesses across 13 countries, including banks, retailers and consumer goods firms. 

Operating in Latin America forced Jelou to build with regulation, security and scale in mind from the start, a discipline that now underpins its US expansion.

Investors see the timing as favourable because businesses are working to reduce expenses and close sales faster, while customers expect everything to happen in one place, without friction.

“Jelou recognises that the future of AI is centered around communication channels embedded within the everyday workflow,” said Jackson Cummings, head of Wellington Access Ventures. 

“They are developing a platform that integrates voice AI, chat AI, payments, and identity into a single application layer. This strategic approach positions Jelou as an early mover in bringing transactional AI to messaging in Latin America.”

Jelou plans to turn Brain into a bigger operating layer for conversational business, allowing companies to build and run full WhatsApp-based services from a single interface. 

The company wants to change the norm, where businesses have to happen on websites or apps. Now it’s bringing it inside the conversations people already trust.

The transaction ties Africa’s largest payments company to the country’s most widely used open banking platform at a time when regulation, scale and survival are changing the fintech sector. 

People familiar with the deal say Mono’s investors will at least recover their capital, while some early backers walk away with returns of up to 20 times. Mono will continue to run as a standalone product.

Mono was founded in 2020 to solve a basic problem most African fintechs face, which is that banks do not easily share data. Through its APIs, customers can give consent for businesses to access bank information, verify accounts, analyse income and spending, and trigger payments. 

In a market where credit bureaus are thin and formal credit history is rare, transaction data has become the backbone of digital lending.

That model worked. Mono raised about $17.5 million from investors including Tiger Global, General Catalyst and Target Global. Its chief executive, Abdulhamid Hassan, says almost every digital lender in Nigeria now depends on Mono’s pipes. 

The company says it has enabled more than eight million bank account connections, reaching roughly 12% of Nigeria’s banked population, and has delivered around 100 billion data points to lenders. Its client list includes Visa-backed Moniepoint and GIC-backed PalmPay.

For Flutterwave, the logic is different but just as direct. The company already handles local and cross-border payments across more than 30 African countries. 

In March 2025, it raised $250 million in a Series D round that valued it at $3 billion, cementing its position as Africa’s most valuable startup. It also processed $31 billion in transactions in 2024. Payments alone, however, are no longer enough.

By acquiring Mono, Flutterwave moves deeper into onboarding, identity checks, bank verification, data-led risk assessment, and one-off or recurring bank payments, all within a single stack. This is more important now because Nigeria, its biggest market, has finally switched on open banking.

In August 2025, the Central Bank of Nigeria approved the country’s open banking framework, making Nigeria the first African nation to formally operationalise it. Banks are now required to share customer data through standardised APIs, as long as users give consent. That turns what Mono has been building quietly for years into regulated national infrastructure.

Flutterwave’s chief executive, Olugbenga ‘GB’ Agboola, describes the deal as a long-term play on how African finance will work. “Payments, data, and trust cannot exist in silos,” he said. “Open banking provides the connective tissue, and Mono has built critical infrastructure in this space.”

Hassan agrees that the timing is important. He argues that Africa is moving into a phase where credit, not just payments, will drive financial inclusion. But credit only works if lenders truly understand how people earn and spend, and if regulators trust the systems handling that data.

“If the economy is going to be credit-driven, you need deep data intelligence to know how people earn and spend,” Hassan said. “But at the same time, for open banking to really work, regulators need to be confident that customer funds are safe.”

That confidence is still forming. Open banking regulations across Africa are still uneven, and adoption will not happen overnight. 

However, joining Flutterwave gives Mono reach it could not easily build on its own. Flutterwave already operates with licences, compliance teams and enterprise customers across dozens of markets. When regulatory barriers fall, Mono’s tools can scale faster without rebuilding that groundwork country by country.

“This allows us to expand what’s possible for businesses operating across African markets while staying grounded in security, compliance, and local relevance,” Agboola said.

The deal also aligns with a change in African fintech. For years, startups chased the dream of becoming standalone giants. Funding was cheap, growth was rewarded, and consolidation was rare. That world has shifted. Capital is tighter. Regulation is heavier. Scale now matters more than ambition.

In South Africa, Lesaka Technologies bought payments firm Adumo for $96 million in 2024, pulling two major players into one platform. Analysts see Flutterwave and Mono following the same strategy, integration instead of isolation. Globally, the logic is familiar. 

Visa’s attempted $5.3 billion acquisition of Plaid in 2020, though blocked by US regulators, showed how valuable it can be to combine payment rails with data infrastructure.

Mono’s own journey reveals how competitive the space once was. When it launched, it faced companies like Okra and Stitch. Okra shut down in 2025. Stitch pivoted deeper into payments and raised more capital, changing its focus. That left Mono as the clear leader in Nigerian open banking APIs.

Hassan insists Mono was not pushed into a sale. According to PitchBook, the company raised $15 million in a Series A round in 2021 at a $50 million post-money valuation. 

He says Mono is well aligned to reach profitability this year and still has cash in the bank. Raising another round, he adds, would have meant fresh valuation pressure in a tough market.

There is also a shared history. Both companies are backed by Tiger Global, which led Flutterwave’s Series C and Mono’s Series A. Hassan says Tiger did not broker the deal. Instead, it grew from years of collaboration, with Flutterwave and Mono already working together on bank payment products long before acquisition talks began.

African fintech is entering a more mature phase. Infrastructure is consolidating and regulation is meeting up. 

By every global statistic, the continent is digitally switched on. But then, over 70% of its small businesses still cannot access proper finance or usable digital tools. 

We can stream, scan, tap, and swipe, but millions of founders still cannot fund growth or scale operations. That contradiction defines this moment.

Small and medium-sized enterprises account for about 95% of African businesses, generate roughly 40% of GDP, and employ over half of the workforce. The mobile sector alone already contributes more than $140 billion to sub-Saharan Africa’s economy. 

Add to this a population where over 60% are under the age of 25, and the picture becomes clear. Demand is not the problem. Infrastructure is not the problem. Leadership is the differentiator.

2026 is the year where surface-level innovation gives way to execution. The first wave of technology built rails, wallets, and connectivity. The next wave must bring credit that works, platforms that hold up under pressure, products people trust, and systems that serve the informal and formal economy equally. This work is quieter, slower, and far more difficult.

The people featured in this list are operating inside that gap. They are not reacting to growth but are organising it. Across finance, platforms, design, security, public systems, and digital services, these leaders are standing to enhance how Africa’s technology actually functions, not just how it is marketed.

These are the emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026, because while the continent is busy counting connections, they are building results. 

In no particular order, they include:

1. Adeshina Adewumi

If Africa’s next chapter of growth will still be driven by small businesses, then the people in the background, fixing access to money deserve close attention. Adeshina Adewumi is one of them. 

We see his work as infrastructure in motion. After more than a decade across banking, asset management, and digital ventures, he now operates at the point where policy goal meets street-level execution. 

His experience at institutions like Stanbic IBTC gave him structure. His ventures gave him speed. The result is a founder who understands both the limits of traditional finance and the urgency of replacing it with something that actually works for SMEs.

At Trade Lenda, Adewumi is not just building a fintech product; he is building trust at scale. A community of over 260,000 SMEs does not grow by marketing alone. It grows because the platform solves a relatable problem, which is access to credit, insurance, and micro savings for businesses that banks routinely ignore. 

What makes this worth watching in 2026 is not the size of the network, but the model behind it. Data-driven credit decisions, mobile-first delivery, and partnerships that strengthen SME bankability rather than trap founders in debt cycles. This is why global recognition, from the Milken-Motsepe Prize in FinTech to IFC and EY awards, keeps following his work.

What elevates Adewumi into the emerging leader bracket is range. Through One Kiosk Africa, he is also tackling retail inefficiencies by connecting small merchants, supermarkets, and farmers directly to digital markets. 

Few founders operate confidently at the intersection of finance, retail technology, and trade policy. Fewer still sit on international trade bodies while building tools for market women and shop owners. 

He believes that Africa’s sustainability will be funded by structured, inclusive financing that allows MSMEs to grow on their own terms. By 2026, that philosophy may well impact how financial inclusion is measured across the continent.

2. Joshua Esiebo

That next chapter we talk about in Africa’s tech growth will not be driven only by startups. It will also be built inside large institutions that are reinventing themselves. Joshua Esiebo sits at that critical junction. 

At MTN, Africa’s largest telecoms group, his work as a senior manager in platforms management directly influences how millions experience digital services every day. His role is not limited to products, but more about direction, guiding a telecom giant away from pure connectivity and into a fully formed digital ecosystem.

Across Ayoba, MyMTN eMarketplace, MTN Play, and premium content platforms, Esiebo operates where technology, partnerships, and customer experience overlap. Platforms fail or scale based on governance, integration, and usability, so, you can tell how important his work is.

His focus on platform thinking, bringing content, payments, gaming, and data into coherent systems, is exactly what MTN needs as it executes its Ambition 2025 strategy and looks beyond it. By 2026, the success of MTN’s digital services will depend heavily on how well these platforms work together, not just how many users they attract.

What makes Esiebo one of the emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026 is his ecosystem mindset. He builds with partners, not around them. OTT providers, fintech players, content creators, and startups all plug into systems designed for scale and reliability. 

Importantly, his work prioritises accessibility, ensuring platforms serve both urban and rural users without friction. This customer-first discipline is usually talked about and rarely enforced. As MTN strengthens its drive into fintech and digital lifestyle services, Esiebo represents a new class of African tech leader, platform-driven, partnership-led, and quietly influential.

3. Emmanuel Olorundare

Great technology fails without good design. Emmanuel Olorundare has built a career proving the opposite. When design is done right, products travel, scale, and stay resilient. 

A senior product designer, creative technologist, and startup co-founder, his work already spans Europe, Africa, the UK, and now North America.

He has built digital products that do not just scale geographically, but culturally. His influence is heavy on how complex systems are turned into simple, usable experiences that millions rely on daily.

As Co-founder of Gupta, supporting over 3,000 businesses globally, Olorundare operates at the sharp end of product execution. His fingerprints are also on platforms like AfriPay, which simplifies international payments for African students and migrants, and ShipAfrica, now active in over 200 countries. 

These are not design exercises but operational products solving payment friction, logistics complexity, and trust gaps across borders. Add to this Jami, a UK-based social platform focused on worthy connections, and we see a pattern;  Olorundare builds products where human behaviour, technology, and scale collide.

What places him among emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026 is depth. His experience spans fintech, logistics, edtech, civic platforms, and AI-powered applications, yet his approach remains grounded in human-centred thinking. 

Beyond delivery, he is building future talent through mentorship across more than ten countries and UK-certified design education programmes. With an engineering-informed mindset and a designer’s instinct, he brings clarity to chaos and momentum to ideas. 

Design leadership is the difference between products people tolerate and products they trust. Emmanuel Olorundare understands this better than most.

4. Ogechi Okwechime

Some leaders build products. Others build markets. Ogechi Okwechime does both, and that is why she belongs on any serious watchlist for 2026. With more than fifteen years across banking and fintech, she has mastered the hard part of innovation in Africa, which is turning complex infrastructure into something businesses can actually use. 

At Interswitch, as Divisional Head of Growth Marketing for Enterprise Solutions, she operates behind the scenes of systems backing payments, preventing fraud, and keeping commerce moving at scale.

What makes her unique is her ability to turn technical depth into commercial momentum. When Verve needed to move beyond national relevance, Okwechime helped drive the strategy that transformed it into a truly African card scheme, active in over 22 countries. 

This was not expansion for clout. It was functional growth. Cards that worked across borders. Users who could shop on international platforms. Local consumers plugged into the global digital economy without friction. That alone changed how African payments are perceived.

Her record before Interswitch holds the same depth. At Access Bank, she helped launch digital loan products that reached over 50,000 borrowers. At Fidelity Bank, she scaled Instant Banking from nothing to more than 600,000 users. These are adoption numbers that reflect trust.

By 2026, as enterprise fintech solutions become more urgent to Africa’s economic plumbing, leaders like Okwechime, who combine product-led growth with disciplined execution, will define who wins and who fades.

5. Wallace Omobhude

Africa’s digital sustainability will be determined by how well large platforms understand entertainment, data, and youth culture. Wallace Omobhude is already deep in that work. 

At MTN Nigeria, he leads strategy for digital services with a focus on video and gaming, two verticals that sit at the centre of attention, engagement, and new revenue models. This is where telecoms stop selling data and start owning digital experiences.

Omobhude operates at a difficult confluence of product teams, marketing, regulators, and external content partners all pulling in different directions. His strength lies in alignment. OTT partnerships, VAS integrations, and regulatory compliance are handled with the same discipline as go-to-market execution. 

The result is platforms that scale without disorder. His work feeds directly into MTN’s diversification strategy, opening up entertainment-led revenue streams in a market where youth demographics are impossible to ignore.

Why watch him in 2026? Because MTN’s next phase depends on leaders who understand ecosystems. Omobhude’s data-driven approach, combined with sharp consumer insight, positions MTN to capture value far beyond connectivity. 

Gaming, video, and digital content are not side projects anymore. They are core to how Africa’s largest telecom stays relevant. Leaders who can build and govern these platforms will impact the industry’s direction. Wallace is already doing that work.

6. Nnaemeka Ani

Every tech ecosystem needs builders who think beyond products and into purpose. Nnaemeka Ani is one of those rare figures. He does not go after trends. He dismantles problems to their core and rebuilds from first principles. 

As Founder of MGX Research Centre and MexyGabriel Tech Company, Ani operates across research, infrastructure, policy, and execution, a combination that gives his work unusual depth and national relevance.

MGX Research is not a think tank for theory’s sake. It is a working laboratory focused on deployable systems across data science, cybersecurity, digital identity, smart cities, education, health, robotics, and automation. 

Ani believes that Africa’s growth will not come from borrowed solutions, but from systems designed for local realities and owned locally. This philosophy drives his push for digital sovereignty and African-built data infrastructure, turning code into both social and commercial value.

His influence expands into governance. As Special Adviser on ICT to the Enugu State Governor, Ani is proving that technology and public policy do not have to operate in parallel worlds. His work in Enugu shows what happens when political will meets technical clarity, resulting in better services, smarter systems, and a functional digital ecosystem. 

With Nigeria approaching major milestones in broadband expansion and tax reform in 2026, Ani represents a new kind of leader, part technologist, part reformer, fully invested in nation-building. He is one of the emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026 not because he speaks loudly, but because his work changes structures.

7. Abraham Oghenero Efemena

Scale is usually discussed loosely in tech. Abraham Oghenero Efemena treats it as discipline. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Apex Web Network Limited who has built a fintech platform operating across Africa and key European markets, with a focus on structure, resilience, and growth.

His leadership style is more operational than performative. Systems first. Expansion second. Noise last.

Reaching 300,000 active users in 2025 is not a small win. It shows product trust across borders, regulatory environments, and user behaviour patterns. That kind of traction only happens when infrastructure works quietly and consistently. 

Efemena oversees every moving part of Apex Web Network, ensuring teams, technology, and market strategy move in sync. This hands-on leadership is essential in fintech, where failure usually comes from weak internal alignment rather than bad ideas.

Why is he among the emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026? Because the next phase goes beyond surviving to controlled expansion. As Apex Web Network grows its user base and deepens its footprint, Efemena is building the company to compete in markets where compliance, security, and user experience determine winners. He represents a class of founders building for longevity.

8. Victor Daniyan

Payments are the bloodstream of any digital economy. Victor Daniyan understands this, and he is rebuilding how that system works across Africa. 

The CEO and Founder of Nearpays is pushing payment acceptance away from hardware-heavy models and into scalable, software-led infrastructure. We could call his work foundational, because when payments become easier, entire ecosystems are opened.

Nearpays has received recognition from EY, TechCabal, BusinessDay, and global platforms such as GITEX and the UN AI for Good Innovation Factory. The startup is empowering over 50,000 users through contactless and Soft POS solutions. 

Daniyan’s leadership sits on applied innovation and real-world adoption, proving that inclusion works best when technology fades into the background.

Looking forward to 2026, the company is entering its scale phase, with expansion in Nigeria and Ghana, stronger collaboration with Visa, and a focus on usability. Victor Daniyan stands among emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026 because he is not just building a fintech product, but changing how businesses participate in the digital economy. That impact will only grow.

9. Peter Ndukwo

Every digital system is only as strong as the people testing its limits. Peter Ndukwo lives at that edge. As a Web3 Security Researcher and Smart Contract Auditor, his work protects some of the most valuable and complex decentralised systems in the world. When security fails, innovation collapses.

His record speaks; Audits on Chainlink, ZetaChain, and Brevis Pico. Multiple high-severity vulnerabilities discovered solo. Over 30 competitive audit wins across Sherlock and Code4rena. These are not academic exercises, they secure billions in value and protect users. 

Beyond these, his work at Zippel Labs places him inside zero-knowledge systems and cryptographic research driving the next generation of blockchain infrastructure.

Why he is placed among emerging tech leaders to watch in 2026 is not far-fetched. With decentralised systems becoming more complex, the cost of failure increases. Ndukwo is securing protocols and also mentoring African security researchers, as well as building tools to automate vulnerability discovery. 

He represents a system where Africa goes beyond using just decentralised systems to actively safeguarding and enhancing them.

10. Oluwatomi Alagbe

Security leadership today demands more than defence. It demands foresight. Oluwatomi Alagbe, one of the emerging tech leaders to watch in 2026, brings that perspective. Based in Tallinn and working at the convergence of cybersecurity, crypto, and advanced research systems, his career shows depth rather than drift. His strength is seen in how he turns complex risk into systems people can actually trust.

From protecting users at Malwarebytes to contributing to Caesar’s deep research platform, Alagbe’s work centres on resilience. He does not chase threats reactively; he builds frameworks that anticipate them. 

His experience across AI-driven systems and crypto environments gives him a rare interdisciplinary view, one that is becoming more important as boundaries between sectors blur.

What makes 2026 pivotal is what he is building next. Razzle, an AI-native communication platform, challenges how teams collaborate by placing intelligent systems at the core, not the edges. 

Alongside this, his continued work at Caesar focuses on reliability and real-world applicability, not abstraction. Alagbe is unique because he understands that trust is the currency of the next digital era, and security is how that trust is earned.

Zest emerged as the MSME Fintech Payment Platform of the Year, acknowledging the company’s innovation, reliability, and impact in driving seamless payments for businesses of every size across Nigeria and beyond.

In addition, Dr. Stanley Jacob, chief executive officer of Zest Payments, was named MSME Digital Finance CEO of the Year, in recognition of his visionary leadership, strategic excellence, and commitment to advancing digital transformation in Africa’s financial ecosystem.

These recognitions reaffirm Zest’s unwavering dedication to excellence, payment innovation, and customer-focused solutions that empower entrepreneurs and MSMEs to thrive in an increasingly digital economy.

Speaking on the awards, Dr. Stanley Jacob expressed appreciation to the organizers and the Zest team, noting that the recognition reflects the company’s consistent pursuit of innovation and service excellence.

“This honour underscores the collective effort of our incredible team and partners who share our mission of redefining payments for MSMEs. At Zest, we remain committed to building inclusive, technology-driven solutions that simplify business growth and strengthen the digital economy,” he said.

The MSME Finance and CEO Awards celebrate organizations and leaders driving meaningful progress in financial services, technology, and enterprise support across Africa.

The era of cash-based betting is fading fast, replaced by the rise of fintech-powered payments that are making gaming faster, safer, and more transparent than ever before.

From payment gateways to virtual wallets and digital KYC systems, fintech is now the engine keeping Nigeria’s multibillion-naira gaming ecosystem running smoothly.

The impact is being felt across the board, from operators and regulators to players who just want quick, secure access to their winnings.

This shift took center stage at the 2nd Enugu Gaming Conference 2025, themed “From Unification to Diversification: Shaping Nigeria’s Gaming Future.”

One of the biggest takeaways from the conference was clear: the future of gaming regulation, growth, and player trust is inseparable from fintech innovation.

Experts at the event emphasized that fintech tools have become the backbone of compliance and accountability.

Every online stake, win, and payout now leaves a data trail that can be tracked and audited, a vital shift in a sector once dominated by opaque cash flows. Regulators can now see what’s happening in real time, while operators can demonstrate transparency in their financial operations.

Beyond transparency, fintech is also fueling financial inclusion. Players who once relied on agents and cash payments can now participate digitally, even without a traditional bank account.

E-wallets, payment links, and mobile transfer options have opened the door for millions of Nigerians to engage safely with licensed gaming platforms.

And the benefits go both ways. Operators now enjoy automated reconciliations, instant settlements, and fewer disputes. For governments, this translates to better visibility and higher revenue capture through taxation. For players, it means confidence, the assurance that winnings will be paid swiftly and securely.

One global company at the forefront of this movement is DalaPay, a cross-border payment infrastructure provider that enables businesses to collect, disburse, and manage virtual accounts in local currencies.

Speaking at the Enugu Gaming Conference, Olaitan Samuel, representing DalaPay, highlighted how international fintech platforms are helping to bring Nigerian gaming operators up to global payment standards.

Their technology supports instant transfers, KYC integration, and multi-currency management, all essential tools for modern gaming platforms operating in an increasingly digital world.

But perhaps the most powerful outcome of fintech adoption in gaming is what it represents: a shift from informal, cash-driven betting to a structured, technology-based industry that contributes meaningfully to Nigeria’s digital economy.

Still, innovation comes with responsibility. As fintech solutions make gaming more accessible, operators must pair convenience with consumer protection. Responsible gaming, data privacy, and secure payment verification must remain at the heart of every digital transaction.

In truth, the Nigerian gaming story is no longer just about play, it’s about platforms, processes, and partnerships. It’s about how technology is redefining what it means to bet, win, and trust.

As one speaker at the Enugu Conference neatly put it: “Fintech didn’t just change how we play, it changed how we believe in the system.”

And that’s a win worth betting on.

*‘Gaming Grid’ is your weekly pulse on Nigeria’s gaming industry, its trends, and its trailblazers. Stay plugged in on Techeconomy as we unpack the opportunities beyond the odds.

• Etisalat Nigeria (2008–2017): Entered the market with strong youth-focused branding and rapid growth, peaking at over 23 million subscribers.
• 9mobile (2017–2025): Rebranded after Etisalat Group exited due to $1.2 billion debt. Struggled with declining subscriber base, infrastructure decay, and ownership instability.
• T2 (2025): A bold rebrand under Lighthouse Telecoms, signaling a digital-first transformation with ambitions to become leaner, smarter, and more customer-centric.
• In July 2025 the NCC approved a three-year national roaming agreement between MTN Nigeria and 9mobile (now T2), enabling T2 subscribers to use MTN’s network while T2 rebuilds/optimises coverage.

Will the rebrand cause market disruption?

My quick response to that is that major disruptions are unlikely, but industry observers should expect transitional friction.

Why?

The MTN-9mobile (now T2) national-roaming pact, NCC-approved, significantly reduces the risk of mass service outages for customers, because subscribers can fall back onto MTN’s nationwide footprint while T2 stabilises.

That arrangement is explicitly meant to prevent service gaps.

Also, market disruption to competitors (Airtel, MTN, Glo) will be minimal in the near term because they already operate at much larger scale; any short-term customer movements will be incremental.

However, localized service quality issues, billing glitches, or porting/branding confusion could produce customer complaints and temporary churn. T2 must address these with immediate effect.

The bottom line is that the roaming deal blunts immediate disruption, but execution risk such as network fires, customer service breakdowns can still create noise and short-term churn.

Can T2 woo back 9mobile’s lost subscribers?

This is very possible. T2 is already perceived as vibrant, and the name appears forward-thinking. However, the porting of subscribers back to Ts won’t be automatic. They need reassurance of consistency of network availability. In fact, the handlers understand they need to do a lot of ‘give-away’ (incentives).

Key considerations:

Branding alone won’t bring customers back. Subscribers left for reasons like poor coverage, dropped calls, poor data speeds, perceived instability, and billing/customer care issues.

A new name helps perception, but must be paired with tangible improvements.

Coverage and quality are the primary determinants of return. With roaming on MTN, T2 can promise better immediate coverage, that’s necessary but not sufficient.

Offers and trust-building (transparent tariffs, no-bait billing, simple retention bundles, easy SIM/number porting) will be required to persuade users to return.

Therefore, T2 can win back some subscribers, especially price-sensitive or loyalty-ready segments, but regaining meaningful scale requires sustained investment and service reliability over 6–18 months.

Key areas T2 should major on to regain investor & subscriber confidence

Actionable priorities (short → medium → long term):

• Short term (0–3 months)

Service continuity & communication: Use the MTN roaming window to guarantee coverage and proactively communicate to customers what has changed and why – FAQs, SMS alerts, customer care hours.

Transparent migration plan: Clear timelines for network restoration, SIM provisioning, and any service interruptions. Transparency reduces panic and regulatory scrutiny.

Retention offers: Immediate, generous data/voice bundles for existing customers and port-back incentives for former subscribers.

• Medium term (3–12 months)

Network investment & O&M: Recommission towers, prioritise high-traffic corridors and cities, and publish KPIs including latency, speed, dropped-call rates. Investors watch CAPEX and operational metrics.

Customer experience overhaul: Improve billing systems, complaint resolution SLAs, and digital self-service options like apps, USSD.

Partnerships: Strengthen wholesale/roaming, content, and fintech partnerships to create sticky services, bundled VAS, payments, education, OTT partnerships.

• Long term (12–36 months)

Corporate governance & transparency: Publish audited accounts, board composition, and recovery milestones. The NCC and investors favour demonstrable governance improvement.

Product differentiation: Focus on niche segments – SMEs, youth, rural connectivity, rather than trying to replicate MTN’s full stack immediately. Bring back the ‘youth vibes’ of the Etisalat days – campus storms, etc.

Sustainable business model: Prove average revenue per user (ARPU) improvement and churn reduction while controlling opex. Investors need a credible turn-around plan with milestones; subscribers need reliable service and fair pricing.

Is this a sign of recovery for the telecoms sector?

Well, partly. The rebrand and roaming pact are signals of pragmatic consolidation and collaboration, not necessarily a broad-sector boom.

The roaming deal and the rebrand indicate industry actors and the regulator are working to avoid failures and preserve consumer service, a healthy sign for systemic stability.

Why cautious?

The sector still faces structural issues such as high spectrum costs, legacy debt, CAPEX demands, and rising operating costs.

A single operator stabilising or rebranding is encouraging, but broader recovery requires improved ARPUs, investment flows, and policy stability. Let the gains of the tariff adjustments go round.

Subscribers demand or deserve improved quality of service; the government is expecting higher taxes, and the shareholders hope to smile to the banks hence the operator, often treated as the sacrificial lamb, must be protected at all costs; without them, the whole system collapses and everyone goes hungry.

The NCC’s recent corporate governance push suggests regulators are tightening standards, both a necessary improvement and a challenge for weaker players.

What role will the NCC play in T2’s survival?

NCC’s role is central. My expected actions from the NCC are in three fronts:

Facilitator of operational continuity: Approving roaming to prevent service outages (already done).

Regulatory oversight & compliance enforcement: The NCC’s corporate governance guidelines and spectrum oversight require T2 to comply on reporting, operational integrity, and consumer protection; non-compliance could lead to sanctions or loss of privileges.

Market stability measures: The regulator can encourage industry collaboration (number pooling, shared infrastructure), mediate disputes (interconnect, roaming fees), and influence the environment for investor confidence (clear rules, predictable enforcement).

NCC’s posture will likely be supportive but watchful, approving short-term measures like roaming while insisting on governance and recovery milestones.

Is the roaming arrangement with MTN working out successfully?

I think early evidence is promising but incomplete. Reports suggest operational roaming is active in many areas; other commentary suggests 9mobile (now T2) base stations were not fully active at the time the deal took effect, which would make roaming essential.

Those reports are mixed and partly anecdotal.  What matters for “success” are seamless handoffs, consistent QoS, correct billing settlement, and clear customer communication.

If MTN and T2 resolve these without frequent dropped sessions or billing errors, the arrangement will be judged successful. If customers face degraded experience or confusing charges, the reputational damage could be high.

So, the framework is the right one and reduces immediate risk, but the real test will be operational KPIs and customers’ actual experience over the next 3–6 months.

Quick risk checklist: What to watch this quarter

• Clarity (or lack) on T2’s funding plan for CAPEX and debt servicing.
• MTN’s commercial terms. If roaming is priced poorly for T2, sustainability will be strained.

Recommended immediate communications/PR points for T2

With the rebranding comes more pressure on the communications team. Publish a one-page recovery timeline with measurable milestones.

Also run an SMS/call campaign explaining roaming, what customers should expect, and a helpline for issues.

Launch a “welcome back” package for former 9mobile, sorry T2, customers. Make it simple, no-surprises bundles.

Commit to monthly public KPI updates for three quarters – coverage %, average speeds, complaints resolved – to rebuild investor trust. Make sure your (accurate) data are updated on NCC’s Industry Statistics Page.

At the end, T2’s success hinges on execution, transparency, and innovation. If it can deliver a superior digital experience, rebuild trust, and stay lean, it could become Nigeria’s most agile telecom player. But the road is steep, and the market is unforgiving.

Similarly, as digital payments become the new face of commerce, trust has become the key currency that defines a company’s success or downfall.

For Payment Service Providers (PSPs) data privacy is not just a checkbox anymore, it is the bedrock of customer loyalty and sustained growth.

Why is data privacy Important?

Think of all the data you generate every time you make a digital payment, from your personal information to your location and financial details.

Now imagine what happens when this information is mishandled or even worse, exploited for ill intent. It is no wonder that 94% of consumers, according to the Cisco 2024 Data Privacy Benchmark Study, say they wouldn’t purchase from a business they don’t trust to protect their data.

Data breaches can destroy customer confidence in addition to causing enormous financial damages. Years of work to establish credibility and a clientele can be reversed by a single data leak.

For PSPs, prioritizing data privacy is not just about keeping hackers at bay, it is about building a solid reputation. Reassuring your customers that,” We’ve got your back” in today’s world is worth its weight in gold.

By embedding privacy into the operations and company foundation, PSPs can secure customers, drive loyalty to the brand and ultimately execute their digital payment strategy since in this field trust begins with privacy.

How much are companies spending on data privacy?

Safeguarding data privacy can lead to financial gains! The Cisco study further states that in 2023, companies spent an average of $ 2.7 million on privacy initiatives with large corporations increasing their budgets by 7-8% as a result. For every $100 spent, businesses saw a $160 in returns.

Additionally, this is not just about computing losses from breaches, but it also incorporates improved efficiency, stronger customer relationships and a clear competitive edge.

The financial benefits of investing in data privacy extend beyond avoiding penalties. Companies that prioritize privacy witness enhanced customer loyalty to their brand which results in high retention rates.

This serves as a golden ticket, especially in a competitive market like the payment industry where customers are more likely to choose and stick with businesses they trust. So, then the question isn’t, “Can we afford to prioritise data privacy?” but rather is, “Can we afford not to?

How digital payment companies are leveraging data privacy to build trust

Leading in digital payments goes hand in hand with making data privacy a fundamental pillar of business strategy.

Take Network for example, a provider of technology-enabled payment services in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.

The company has designed a multi-layered defence system that provides end-to-end data security protection for its solutions like QR code payment, which protects customers’ private data during payments. All crucial information is encrypted and stored within the code.

By giving people authority over their data and exhibiting a dedication to moral data management, PSPs are building consumer confidence and security, which promotes broader usage of their services.

Tips for protecting data and building trust in digital payments

Building trust in the digital payment landscape isn’t a one-sided task. Instead, it is a shared responsibility between businesses and consumers.

For businesses this means implementing encryption and multi-factor authentications to secure sensitive data; much like how Google plays the role of a police officer as it immediately interrogates you when you sign in to your account with a new device.

Businesses also communicate their data policies clearly and conduct audits to comply with regulations like the Data Protection Act or General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

On the other hand, consumers can play their part by using strong passwords; your pet might be the shield to your happiness, but it isn’t strong enough to safeguard your finances.

Customers can also enable two-factor authentication, review privacy settings on the apps they install, stay cautious of phishing scams and keep devices updated. It is through collaborative efforts that these initiatives can create a safe digital ecosystem.

Businesses should invest in ongoing education for their teams. Employees who understand the importance of data privacy are less likely to make errors that might compromise data.

Moreover, leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence can help identify vulnerabilities and even mitigate risks before the blow up.

Looking ahead

Data privacy is about taking advantage of opportunities as well as avoiding risks. By integrating privacy into their core operations, PSPs may promote innovation and facilitate cross-border transactions.

The risks to data privacy increase proportionally with technological advancements. Businesses that adjust and remain ahead of these obstacles will keep winning because they are able to guarantee a seamless and secure experience for customers.

Therefore, prioritising data privacy isn’t just smart, it is essential. It is the key to building resilient businesses and loyal customers, paving the way for a secure and interconnected future.

[*Article by Network]

It is clear that to go forward efforts must now be geared towards modernizing the payment infrastructure across the African continent. This is imperative to promote innovation, drive economic growth, and help the continent gain a competitive edge.

Today, Africa stands at the cusp of a digital revolution, and the need to enhance the inclusivity and integrity of digital payments cannot be overstated.

This transformation is not just about integrating new technologies but about simplifying processes, increasing trust, and ensuring the availability and reliability of payment systems.

Africa may well be at a critical juncture in the journey of digital transformation, an inflection point. To underscore the significance assertion, two forums in June arrived at the same conclusion.

The first was the Digital PayExpo 2024 by Intermarc Consulting with the theme ‘Redefining Payment’. It was followed by Interswitch, ACI Worldwide Customer Engagement event tagged ‘Modernizing Digital Payment Infrastructure for Innovation, Growth & Commercial Advantage.’

Both sessions essentially concluded that the rapid proliferation of digital technologies has opened new avenues for financial inclusion, allowing more people to participate in the global economy.

However, this potential can only be realized if digital payment infrastructures are modernized to meet the demands of today’s fast-paced, interconnected world.

The place to start is building trust through availability. Trust is the cornerstone of any financial system. For digital payments to gain widespread acceptance, they must be reliable and available at all times.

Experts argued that the trust quotient in digital payments is directly proportional to their availability. When users can depend on payment systems to function without fail, their confidence in digital transactions increases. This is a fact.

Of course, modernizing payment infrastructure also involves implementing robust systems that ensure high availability.

This means reducing downtime, minimizing transaction failures, and providing seamless user experiences. Financial institutions must, as a matter of urgency, invest in technologies such as cloud computing, blockchain, and artificial intelligence to create resilient and scalable payment systems.

The second thing would be to simplify the user experience. At the heart of digital transformation is the goal of simplification.

Complex and cumbersome payment processes deter users and hinder the adoption of digital financial services. To drive growth, it is essential to simplify these processes, making them intuitive and user-friendly.

Innovations such as contactless payments, mobile wallets, and real-time transaction processing are examples of how simplification can enhance user experience.

By reducing the friction in payment processes, businesses can attract more users and facilitate smoother transactions.

Another way to boost the adoption of digital payments is by ensuring transaction integrity. Those who should know insist that one of the major challenges in digital payments is maintaining transaction integrity. Issues such as fraud, data breaches, and identity theft can undermine user trust and disrupt the financial ecosystem.

As digital transactions increase, so does the need for robust security measures.

The way forward of course involves implementing advanced encryption technologies, multi-factor authentication, and blockchain can help ensure the integrity of digital transactions.

These technologies provide a secure framework that protects user data and prevents unauthorized access, thereby bolstering trust in digital payment systems.

Furthermore, everyone, from regulatory agencies to players, must consider digital transformation as the path to unprecedented growth. In truth, digital transformation is more than just a trend; it is a pathway to unprecedented growth.

By modernizing payment infrastructure, businesses can unlock new opportunities for expansion and innovation.

Digital payments enable faster, more efficient transactions, reducing operational costs and increasing profitability.

Moreover, digital payment systems facilitate global commerce by breaking down geographical barriers. Businesses can reach new markets and customer segments, driving revenue growth and enhancing their competitive advantage.

The adoption of digital payments also promotes financial inclusion, bringing underserved populations into the formal economy and driving socio-economic development.

The experts are in agreement; modernizing digital payment infrastructure is a critical step towards fostering innovation, driving growth, and gaining commercial advantage.

So, as Africa navigates the inflection point of digitalization, it is essential to focus on building trust through availability, simplifying user experiences, and ensuring transaction integrity.

Evidently, by embracing digital transformation, businesses can not only enhance their operational efficiency but also contribute to a more inclusive and secure financial ecosystem. The future of payments is digital, and the time to act is now!

Eromosele, a corporate communication professional and public affairs analyst, wrote via: elviseroms@gmail.com