Trust in Nigeria’s financial institutions in 2025 hinges on transparency, security and customer experience

Key Takeaways

  • Majority trust will be moderate to high: 92.6% of Nigerians are expected to have either high (43.9%) or moderate (48.7%) trust in financial institutions by 2025.
  • Transparency is the biggest driver of trust as 46.2% of respondents believe transparent policies and fees will most improve their trust.
  • Security is a rising priority; 30.2% of Nigerians highlight improved security features as a key factor in strengthening confidence in financial institutions.
  • Customer service and regulation still matter as 17% emphasise better customer service and 6.6% stronger regulatory oversight, showing that while oversight has a role, people prioritise fairness, safety, and service.

In 2025, Nigeria’s financial landscape sees a broadly positive shift in public trust, with nearly all adults expected to show either high or moderate confidence in financial institutions. Transparency emerges as the strongest foundation for building trust, as almost half of Nigerians highlight clear policies and fair fees as the most important factor. At the same time, security is becoming a central concern, with nearly a third pointing to stronger safeguards as essential in a digital-first financial environment.

Customer service continues to carry weight, with one in six Nigerians underscoring the need for more responsive and reliable support. Meanwhile, only a small share emphasise stronger regulation, suggesting that Nigerians place more value on day-to-day clarity, fairness, and safety rather than oversight alone. This indicates that for banks and financial service providers in Nigeria, building lasting trust will require more than compliance. It will also demand transparency, robust security, and customer-centric service delivery as the true cornerstones of loyalty and confidence.

Source:

Intelpoint report: Access to finance: The Nigerian perspective (2024-2025)

Period:

2024 - 2025
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Nigeria exited the FATF grey list in October 2025, after being placed on it in February 2023, approximately 32 months later
  • Nigeria exited the FATF grey list in October 2025, after 32 months of monitoring.
  • The country was added to the grey list in February 2023 due to technical compliance shortcomings.
  • FATF conducted an assessment of Nigeria’s AML/CFT measures in 2008, marking the beginning of its oversight of the measures.
  • Between 2010 and 2013, Nigeria appeared repeatedly in FATF statements for strategic AML/CFT deficiencies.

Stablecoins are the most frequently transacted asset for outbound payments among Nigerian users (38.3%), outpacing bitcoin (27.3%)
  • Stablecoins lead the market, accounting for 38.3% of all crypto sent, highlighting Nigerians’ preference for stability and dollar-backed assets.
  • Bitcoin ranks second at 27.3%, showing it remains a major channel for store-of-value transfers and remittances.
  • Altcoins like SOL, ADA, SHIB, and DOGE (15.4%) attract younger and experimental users but remain secondary to stable assets.
  • Ethereum (10.2%) and BNB (8.9%) maintain moderate transaction volumes, suggesting users favor low-fee and widely accepted tokens for transfers.

Over 40% of surveyed Nigerian crypto users are students
  • Students are the largest crypto-holding group (43.6%), underscoring the youthful nature of Nigeria’s crypto community and their early adoption of digital finance.
  • Entrepreneurs follow closely (25.7%), showing strong participation from self-employed Nigerians, traders, business owners, and hustlers who use crypto for investment and business flexibility.
  • Traditional employees make up 17.4%, indicating growing acceptance of crypto beyond informal or youth circles, even among salary earners.
  • Freelancers and gig workers (5.6%) also feature, reflecting crypto’s role in global online work and cross-border earnings. Unemployed and retired individuals remain a small minority, under 3.5% combined.

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.

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

Nigeria’s public debt has soared since 2010, with domestic debt up 2,020% and external debt up 1,000% by mid 2025
  • Nigeria’s domestic debt jumped from ₦3.8 trillion in 2010 to ₦80.55 trillion by mid-2025.
  • Foreign debts increased from $4.27 billion in 2010 to $46.98 billion in 2025, reflecting growing reliance on external financing.
  • Debt accumulation surged notably after 2020, coinciding with pandemic spending, naira depreciation, and higher fiscal deficits.
  • The widening gap between revenue and debt service raises questions about Nigeria’s long-term debt sustainability.

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