Moniepoint Inc, parent company of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions, Moniepoint MFB and TeamApt Ltd has been ranked by the Financial Times, one of the world’s leading business news organizations, recognized internationally for its authority, integrity, and accuracy as Africa’s fastest-growing financial institution.

The world’s leading financial publication confirmed Moniepoint Inc’s accolade in its annual “Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies” survey, released today. It is the second consecutive year Moniepoint has achieved both the fastest-growing fintech milestone, and, ranked in Africa’s top four fastest-growing companies overall.

The survey was compiled by Statista, a leading research company renowned for its insight into African companies’ actual performance, in a rigorous screening process. In this survey, companies are ranked based on 2019-2022 data by their absolute growth rate of revenues and their compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Moniepoint’s growth rates of 7,979% (absolute) and 332% (CAGR) ranked it ahead of hundreds of leading companies from diverse industries such as technology, telecoms, financial services, and healthcare.

Moniepoint Inc has long been one of Africa’s largest business payments platforms, processing over $182 billion for customers in 2023. It will be recalled that in August 2023, Moniepoint MFB entered the personal banking market offering reliable banking services to millions of individuals across Nigeria.  The holding group also doubled its global headcount, growing to over 1,800 employees by the end of 2023.

This recognition highlights Moniepoint’s success as Africa’s leading fintech, driving financial inclusion by empowering underserved businesses and individuals to access the formal financial system, contributing to a key goal of the Nigerian government.

Tosin Eniolorunda, Group CEO of Moniepoint Inc., said: “We are thrilled to be recognised by the Financial Times as Africa’s fastest growing fintech for the second consecutive year. Achieving rapid growth and scale is a fantastic achievement; maintaining that year-on-year is even better. The ranking is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire Moniepoint team, and the trust of millions of customers across Africa in the Company.

“2023 was a pivotal year for Moniepoint. Moniepoint has moved from being an agency-dominated institution to becoming merchant-dominated as we have seen a lot more people embrace more digital payment solutions. It is humbling to see that we have become a household name that people have come to know and trust, the bellwether for reliable transactions every time.

With our foray into the personal banking market, we have been able to deliver seamless and reliable payment solutions for Nigerians especially those in underserved communities as we continue to supercharge access to financial services and contribute to economic growth and wealth creation.  2024 is set to be even more exciting with continued growth, driving compliance and innovation, as we maintain our leading role within the African fintech sector, driving financial inclusion across Africa.”

According to David Pilling, FT Africa Editor, “The third year of our now expanded ranking of Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies comes against a background in which many economies are struggling to recover from the Covid pandemic. The FT-Statista list reveals the type of companies that, even in hard times, have managed to grow, often by disrupting markets…This year, our ranking has a wider geographical spread of companies than before. The big newcomer is Morocco, with 12 companies in the top 125 against just three last time. Mauritian-domiciled companies also did well with nine winners, against four in 2022. South Africa had 42 companies in the list, followed by Nigeria’s 25, while Kenya tied third at 12.”

Moniepoint Inc.’s technology powers over five million businesses and their customers, offering all the payment, banking, credit and business management tools they need to succeed.  Establishing itself as a market leader in Nigeria across various segments from commerce to health and hospitality amongst many others, Moniepoint’s transformational and positive strides has earned it local and international plaudits.

In 2023, for the second year running, Moniepoint Inc was named amongst the 100 most promising private fintech companies by CB Insights. Moniepoint MFB received the Rising Star Family Business Award at the Pwc/Businessday Family Business Summit; while bagging the Fintech Company of the Year award at the 16th edition of Leadership Newspapers Conference and Awards.

Industry analysts have averred that as a strongly embedded and systemic institution in the digital payment services segment, with an eye on the future, Moniepoint Inc is poised to continue to deliver innovative solutions that promote inclusivity, drive sustainability and create new vistas in the markets where they operate.

Fintech companies across the country have been instructed to report all crypto trades to relevant authorities.

This directive comes amidst the recent freezing of 105 accounts across nine fintech firms suspected of various illegal activities, including unauthorized forex dealings, money laundering, and terrorism financing.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) obtained an interim court order on April 24, 2024, to freeze these accounts for 90 days as part of ongoing investigations.

Sources close to the matter suggest a connection between these freezes and heightened scrutiny of cryptocurrency transactions.

Following these regulatory actions, several prominent fintech players, including OPay, Moniepoint, PalmPay, and Kuda Bank, have been directed to suspend the opening of new accounts temporarily pending evaluations of their Know Your Customer (KYC) processes by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The frozen accounts are part of a broader investigation by the EFCC into 1,146 bank accounts suspected of manipulating the foreign exchange market through cryptocurrency platforms.

The EFCC believes that some account owners exploited cryptocurrency platforms to manipulate the FX market.

In response to these developments, fintech firms have started implementing stringent measures against cryptocurrency transactions.

Moniepoint, for instance, notified its customers that it would close accounts engaged in crypto or virtual asset transactions and share their details with relevant authorities.

Similar warnings were issued by other fintech players like Paga and OPay, emphasizing their stance against crypto-related activities.

During a recent industry event, Tosin Eniolorunda, founder and CEO of Moniepoint, urged participants in crypto Peer-to-Peer (P2P) markets to cease their activities due to regulatory prohibitions.

He highlighted the risks associated with engaging in such activities, citing potential legal repercussions.

Eniolorunda linked the recent regulatory actions to the prevalence of fraud in fintech apps and emphasized the renewed focus on KYC and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) measures.

He alleged that some P2P crypto activities contributed to the manipulation of the Nigerian currency, the naira, prompting regulatory intervention.

This latest directive underscores Nigeria’s broader crackdown on cryptocurrency platforms, particularly Binance, which began earlier in 2024.

The government has expressed concerns about the role of crypto platforms in currency speculation and their impact on the devaluation of the naira.

This regulatory tightening reflects the government’s efforts to maintain financial stability and curb illicit financial activities in the country.

Nigeria’s OPay, the fintech startup that has been making waves in the country’s digital payments landscape, has seen its valuation soar to $2.7 billion.

This represents over 30% since its Series C funding round in 2021.

This surge in valuation shows the exponential growth of Nigeria’s digital payments sector and the increasing prominence of financial technology companies within the nation’s economy.

The valuation update comes from recent corporate filings made by Opera, an early investor in OPay. Opera’s stake in OPay gradually declined over the years to 6.4% by 2021.

However, a strategic move in early 2023 saw Opera increase its stake to 9.4% after selling its Asian fintech subsidiary, Nanobank, to OPay in exchange for equity in the company.

According to filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Opera valued its 9.4% stake in OPay at $253 million, reflecting the $2.7 billion valuation of the fintech startup.

OPay’s meteoric rise can be attributed to several factors, including Nigeria’s increasing adoption of digital payments and the company’s innovative services.

The surge in digital payments volumes, driven in part by an ill-timed currency redesign that led to cash scarcity, has propelled OPay’s growth.

As more Nigerians turned to fintech apps like OPay for transactions, the company experienced a quadrupling of its user base in 2023, accompanied by a revenue growth of over 60% on a constant currency basis, according to Opera.

Despite its rapid growth, OPay, like other fintech companies, faces challenges related to fraud and customer safety concerns.

Regulatory bodies, including the Central Bank of Nigeria, have tightened rules on account safety, highlighting the need for OPay and similar companies to address these issues while continuing to innovate and expand their services.

As Nigeria’s digital payments ecosystem continues to evolve, OPay’s rising valuation underscores its position as a key player in driving financial inclusion and transforming the country’s economy through innovative technology solutions.