CBN Pivots Nigeria towards Regulated Digital Asset Market

The Central Bank of Nigeria is set to play a central role in a new regulatory framework aimed at bringing the country’s fast-growing cryptocurrency and virtual asset market under coordinated oversight, marking a shift from years of uncertainty towards structured supervision.

The Apex Bank at the recent Nigeria Stablecoin summit 2.0 in Lagos, said the Nigeria Revenue Service, NRS, the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC and other Government Institutions are working toward creating a more predictable environment for cryptocurrency businesses, and virtual asset service providers.

Meanwhile, the move follows the Federal Government’s introduction of the Presidential Executive Order on virtual assets coordination, 2026, which established a framework to harmonise oversight of digital assets and improve coordination among financial, revenue and capital market regulators.