The SEC has continued to strive to fulfil its mandate in creating an enabling environment for market operations
… digital asset market to lift naira’s value
… Lagos to monetise idle asset, raise green bond
… Nigeria-China relation yields $30bn investment commitment
Nigeria’s new Investment and Securities Act (ISA) 2025 has created a regulatory framework for digital assets, positioning Africa’s most populous nation to leverage on a fast-growing segment of global capital markets to ‘revolutionise’ its economy, create wealth and lead the pack in blockchain technology.
These were the positions of the experts and policymakers who spoke at the ‘Digital Asset Markets Strategy Masterclass Series’ Friday in Lagos.
The landmark legislation, signed into law in March 2025, empowers the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to oversee digital assets, virtual asset service providers (VASPs), and tokenised securities—bringing clarity to a space that has operated in a legal grey area for years.
According to Nicholas Okoye, a global investment advisor and convener of the event, a full adoption of the digital asset market will redefine Nigeria’s future as it creates an opportunity to build new wealth and unlock digital transformation.
Read also: What to know as ISA 2025 enhances regulatory powers of SEC
“This digital market experience has shown that Nigeria has taken a turn because the way we have embraced it is magnificent,” Okoye said. But not missing out of this ‘digital revolution’ lies in adopting a digital asset market strategy.
“For enterprises, it’s about positioning digital assets for growth. For government ministries, each one needs its own digital asset strategy. And for individuals, it’s about understanding how to invest and plan wealth transfer using digital tools,” he explained.
Digital asset markets to lift naira’s value
Okoye lamented that young Nigerians who are making great fortunes are leaving their funds abroad as there was no clarity in regulations. He noted that the naira came under pressure as a result of this act, assuring that with the new legislation, the story is about to change.
“We’re going to move the value of the naira to the positive side with the kind of money that’ll be coming into Nigeria with the digital asset market. What got the naira to crash was because we were pushing money out. But if we give our people the reason to invest in Nigeria through digital assets, the currency will bounce back.”
Emmomotimi Agama, the director general, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) who was ably represented by Bola Ajomale, executive commissioner of operations at SEC said the enactment of the ISA 2025 has “legitimised” the space for digital assets to thrive in Nigeria.
The SEC chief noted that the commission shall continue to provide regulatory frameworks aimed at ensuring compliance, stressing that “investor confidence in the capital market remains SEC’s top priority”.
Before the enactment of the ISA, Nigeria’s digital asset market—despite being one of the most active globally—lacked a statutory basis for regulation.
The SEC had issued guidelines in 2020, but its role remained ambiguous. The new law addresses that vacuum by legally recognising digital assets as securities, giving the commission full authority to license and regulate related market activities.
Read also: ISA 2025 formally recognises cryptocurrencies as securities under SEC’s oversight –D-G
This move aligns Nigeria with countries such as the UAE, Singapore, and South Africa that have adopted pro-innovation regulatory approaches to blockchain-based finance.
Lagos to monetise idle asset, raise bond to fund infrastructure
The Lagos State government is making plans to monetise idle assets in the state and raise green bonds to provide the needed finance to bridge its N10 trillion infrastructural gaps.
The governor, Babajide Sanwoolu speaking at the event said: “We are developing a securitisation policy to monetise and liquefy our idle assets,” he said.
“These are assets we used to call ‘Idle assets’. Now we want to use them to get liquidity to finance our infrastructure needs. In the next two to three months, we will be coming to the market to securitise some of them.”
The governor, ably represented by the commissioner of finance, Abayomi Oluyomi, described the digital asset innovation as one move that supports the government goal to attain a trillion dollar economy by 2030.
He calls for more inclusion through digital asset education initiatives to bring in small businesses and entrepreneurs, enabling them to tap into the opportunities and understand the challenges therein.
Nigeria-China relations yield $30bn investment commitments
Nigeria has received over $30 billion investment commitment, and 300 expressions of interest from different Chinese companies within the last five months and will soon sign a ‘Digital R&D’ with China to enable a direct conversion of Naira to Chinese Yuan, thereby reducing the country’s dependency on Dollar, according to Joseph Tegbe, Director-General of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP).
According to him, the relationship with China is focused on development rather than trade.
“The overview of our objectives in the Nigerian-China Strategic Partnership is to drive infrastructure development, scale up investments from China, strengthen Nigerian-China trade and economic relations, and promote knowledge and economic transparency, and also advance cultural exchanges between the two nations.
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“We are currently talking to two commercial banks in China, setting up commercial activities in Nigeria, and working vice versa. If this happens with Digital R&D, it means you don’t have to take Naira to Dollar to Yuan. You take Naira straight to Yuan, or Yuan directly to Naira.
“That’s a lot of implications. It lessens the pressure of the U.S. dollar, effectively. It makes businesses faster and swifter for us.
“To date, my office has received over 300 investment expressions of interest in Nigeria from Chinese companies in five months. We have commitments of over $30 billion from Chinese investors,” Tegbe said.
Speaking on the legislative support to boost the capital market, Osita Bonaventure Izunaso, chairman, Senate capital market committee, said that the lawmakers have made efforts to ensure the speedy passing of ISA to enhance investor confidence and improve the country’s investment climate.
“Today, you cannot operate as a capital asset operator without being licensed and approved by the SEC,” Izunaso said. “If you do, it is illegal, and you may go to jail for five years.”
“Anyone caught in fraudulent schemes could spend up to 10 years in jail and pay a fine of $10,000. They will also have to return the money they collected from innocent investors,” he added.
The event which brought in stakeholders, investors and policymakers was organised by the Global Capital Market Strategy in conjunction with the SEC, Africa Enterprise Institute (AfEI), Anabel Capital and Global Investment Advisory Community.
