About 44% of Nigerian crypto users mostly send crypto, primarily for investments and payments

Key Takeaways

  • 56.1% of users mostly send crypto, compared to 43.9% who mostly receive it, showing an active transaction culture.
  • Investing in other platforms or projects leads as the top reason for sending crypto (29.2%), indicating strong speculative and wealth-building motives.
  • Every 1 in 4 users (25.1%) use crypto for daily transactions like bills and subscriptions, showing rising integration into everyday finance.
  • Cross-border payments (7.7%) and donations (4.6%) remain small but notable niches, signaling growing utility beyond trading.

Nigerian crypto users are not passive holders, they’re active participants in a dynamic ecosystem. With 56% mostly sending crypto, activity is dominated by investments and real-world payments rather than mere speculation. Nearly a third of users deploy crypto to fund new projects or platforms, while one in four use it for daily bills and services. The pattern highlights crypto’s evolution from a trading asset to a multifunctional financial tool, connecting investment, commerce, and cross-border value transfer within Nigeria’s fast-adapting digital economy.

Source:

Quidax Report - The State of Crypto Adoption in Nigeria

Period:

2025
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Over 60% of surveyed Nigerian crypto traders earn less than $50 per month, with $10–$50 the most common profit range (36%)
  • About 60% of users make less than $50 per month, showing crypto activity is mostly at a small, retail scale.
  • The $10–$50 band (36%) is the single largest group, reflecting frequent, low-value trading or incremental investment returns.
  • Only about 30% of users earn between $50 and $500, suggesting that consistent moderate returns are less common.
  • Less than 3% of users earn above $1,000 per month, confirming that the Nigerian crypto market remains largely retail-driven rather than dominated by professional or institutional traders.
Over 60% of Nigerians use crypto for savings and long-term investing
  • Wealth-building dominates motivation: 45.4% cite “active wealth building” as their primary motive, and an additional 21.8% cite “long-term financial security”.
  • Payments and utility are minor drivers: Only 3.3% report “daily utility” and 2.2% “digital commerce” as their chief motive for using crypto.
  • Hedging and cross-border flows matter: 8.7% use crypto for currency hedging, and 4.1% for cross-border payments, showing a dual role of investment plus international value flows.
  • Nigerian retail users treat crypto like a conventional financial instrument rather than only as a means of payment or speculation.
Over 65% of surveyed Nigerian crypto users transact below ₦50,000; less than 3% move above ₦1 million
  • Nearly two-thirds (67%) of all crypto transactions in Nigeria are below ₦50,000, reflecting widespread use among everyday retail users.
  • The ₦15,000–₦25,000 band (28.2%) is the single largest group, showing consistent, small-scale engagement rather than high-value speculation.
  • Around 25% of users transact between ₦50,000 and ₦250,000, suggesting a growing middle class of more confident, mid-level investors.
  • Less than 3% of users transact above ₦1 million, confirming that Nigeria’s crypto market remains primarily retail-driven, not institutional or high-net-worth.
67.2% of active crypto users use cryptocurrency primarily for investment
  • A majority (67.2%) of Nigerian crypto users (17.7 million people) use digital assets mainly for investment and long-term financial growth.
  • Overall, 26.34 million Nigerians—over one in eight adults—actively use or hold cryptocurrency, giving the country the highest adoption rate globally.
  • About 18.4% (4.8 million) use crypto for everyday needs such as remittances, payments, and inflation protection.
  • 14.4% (3.8 million) identify as active traders, providing liquidity and earning income through market participation.
From $6B in 2016, Bitcoin's market capitalisation witnessed exponential growth (337 times), achieving over $2.0T in Jan 2025
  • Bitcoin’s market cap grew from $6B in 2016 to $2T in 2025 — a 337x increase.
  • In 2021, Bitcoin’s market value peaked at $1.1T before reaching $1.2T in 2022.
  • Bitcoin experienced a sharp drop to around $525B in 2023.
  • Its recovery was strong in 2024, with the market cap rising again to $1.4T.
  • Despite periodic dips, the long-term chart shows a consistent upward growth trend.
Men dominate crypto ownership, making up 61% of global users (342.8M people), while women account for 39% (219.2M people)
  • Men hold the majority share in crypto adoption (61%), indicating that the industry is still male-dominated despite growing female participation.
  • Over 219M women own crypto globally, showing that female adoption is increasing but still lags behind male ownership.
  • With 6.8% of the world’s population involved in crypto, adoption is growing, but there is still massive untapped potential, especially among women.
  • Bridging the gender gap could drive the next wave of crypto adoption, and greater financial inclusion and education could encourage more women to enter the space.
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