On Wednesday, key players from Nigeria’s tech, finance, and policy sectors gathered at the Oriental Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, for “Future Forward: What’s Now and Next for Nigeria’s Digital Assets Industry?”
The event brought together industry leaders, innovators, and regulators to discuss the current trends and future opportunities in Nigeria’s digital assets space. Topics included cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, regulation, and how digital finance shapes the country’s economy.
It was a day of open discussions, expert insights, and shared ideas on how to move the digital assets industry forward in Nigeria.
Policy and Progress: Nigeria on the global stage
Dr Emomotimi Agama (Director General SEC) described the gathering as “this pivotal garden, where the future of decentralised finance intersects with the regulatory vision for digital assets in Nigeria.”
He noted Nigeria’s global position, stating the country has “emerged as a global frontrunner in digital asset adoption,” ranking among the top three worldwide.
Amid this progress, he posed tough questions: “How do we ensure that the digital assets revolution serves the broader economy, not just a speculative few?” and “What must we do to create a safe, sustainable, and investor-friendly environment that promotes innovation without compromising trust?”
He challenged the youth: “The major challenge we have is looking for social media popularity. That’s not academics. That’s not ingenuity. It is water shallow.”
He encouraged more profound thought, “You must go deeper and ask yourself certain basic questions.”
On the many views of crypto, he remarked, “You can see cryptocurrency as so many things, depending on where you are sitting or where you are standing.”
He acknowledged Nigeria’s dominance, saying, “Nigeria currently leads Africa in pair-to-pair crypto trading volumes,” with nearly $60 billion in transactions since 2021.
Driving Adoption: Education, innovation, and access
Ayo Adewi, Head of Products at Prestmit, says, “It’s the number one digital asset trading platform in Africa.”
He adds, “Education… what we see online” is key, and Nigeria is “positively aggressive… ready for constructive destruction.”
Ayotunde Alabi, CEO of Luno Nigeria, shares, “We’re launching Staking soon” and“partnering with AltSchool to train at least 10,000 people.”Luno aims to show “what crypto is and what it is not.”
Ike Okema, from the marketing and communications team at Zaberia Technologies, has addressed widespread misconceptions about digital assets in Nigeria.
Speaking to Techpression, Ike explained that Zaberia Technologies is “a frontier digital assets exchange and payment solutions platform” offering services from “cryptocurrency swap, buy and sell, to gift card trade.”
He described Zaberia as “an all-in-one platform where users can manage, trade, and exchange their digital assets for real cash.”
When asked about public perception, he identified two major misconceptions: “that crypto is a scam” and “that people who trade or deal in cryptocurrency or digital assets are Yahoo boys.”
He added that while “most of the first advocates… were young people looking for faster ways to earn money,” the stereotype persists unfairly. “Globally speaking, cryptocurrency or digital assets have become a mainstay medium of exchange. That stereotype is yet to be fully reversed in this particular part of the world.”
According to Ike, changing this narrative will be key to broader adoption and trust in the Nigerian crypto space.
Ayo Adewi, Head of Products at Prestmit, described the platform as “the number one digital asset trading platform in Africa.”
Speaking to Techpression, he said Nigeria’s crypto growth is driven by “the internet, exposure” and “education… not classroom-based, but what we see online.”
He described Nigerians as “positively aggressive… ready to undergo what we call constructive or positive destruction.”
In the future, he stated, “We’ll see a lot when it comes to remittance… using crypto to pay for things.” “All of this is going to come out very soon.”
Nigeria’s digital asset industry is no longer just emerging. It’s advancing with purpose. With growing innovation, more precise regulation, and rising public interest, the country is well-positioned to lead the next chapter in global digital finance.
