Senator Osita Izunaso, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Capital Market and Institutions, has challenged the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to speed up regulations for digital belongings and tokenisation, warning that delays might price Nigeria rising funding alternatives.
Izunaso made the decision on Monday on the National Capital Market Conference 2026 in Abuja, the place the SEC unveiled the Nigerian Capital Market Master Plan 2.0, a 10-year roadmap geared toward increasing the capital market and mobilising long-term financing.
His intervention comes regardless of the popularity of digital belongings underneath the Investments and Securities Act 2025 and the SEC’s subsequent proposals for regulating real-world asset tokenisation platforms.
Senator calls for sooner Tokenisation Rules:
Izunaso questioned Nigeria’s readiness to take part in the rising worldwide tokenisation market, arguing that clearer regulatory preparations have been wanted to assist funding alternatives.
The senator mentioned Nigerian stakeholders have been travelling overseas to discover tokenisation alternatives whereas home regulatory processes remained incomplete.
- “Do we have an enabling law guiding the issue of token development in Nigeria?” Izunaso requested.
- He urged the SEC and different related authorities to speed up their work, noting that digital belongings have been already being traded internationally.
- Izunaso additionally referred to a presidential committee headed by the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, saying he anticipated progress on the digital asset framework inside a month.
- The senator raised issues about delays affecting land and asset tokenisation, though the wording of that portion of his remarks was unclear.
- Beyond digital belongings, Izunaso referred to as for extra corporations to checklist on the Nigerian Exchange, significantly NNPC Limited and main telecommunications companies.
He mentioned Nigeria had greater than 5 million registered corporations however solely about 151 listed companies, highlighting the hole between the variety of registered companies and publicly traded corporations.
According to him, extra listings would permit Nigerians to personal stakes in main companies whereas increasing home funding alternatives.
SEC proposes Tokenisation Capital Requirements:
Nigeria has already taken legislative steps in direction of regulating digital belongings by the Investments and Securities Act 2025. The laws recognises digital belongings and strengthens the SEC’s oversight of related digital asset operators and exchanges.
- Nairametrics reported in April 2025 that the regulation offered a clearer authorized basis for regulating cryptocurrencies and different digital belongings as securities.
- In August 2026, Nairametrics reported that the SEC had proposed registration fees of N30 million for several categories of digital asset operators, together with real-world asset tokenisation platforms.
- Under the proposal, tokenisation platforms would face a minimal capital requirement of N500 million.
- Tokenisation includes representing possession rights in belongings by digital tokens on a blockchain or comparable know-how.
- The mannequin can doubtlessly assist fractional possession of belongings corresponding to actual property and bonds, though investor safety and authorized enforceability stay necessary issues.
- The current laws due to this fact gives a foundation for SEC oversight, whereas the proposed guidelines tackle extra particular necessities for tokenisation platforms.
- At the SEC’s October 7, 2026 Regulator/FinTech Clinic, Director-General Emomotimi Agama emphasised the necessity for clear regulatory pathways.
- “We want the digital platforms to enter the market through clear pathways.”
- “We do not want to gag anyone, but we are open to listening to every complaint.”
The remarks replicate the Commission’s said intention to accommodate innovation whereas sustaining regulatory compliance and investor safeguards.
Tokenisation Rules face implementation take a look at:
Izunaso’s intervention comes as Nigeria implements the Nigerian Capital Market Master Plan 2.0, which targets an enlargement of the capital market from roughly N250 trillion to N750 trillion by 2036.
The roadmap seeks to deepen funding participation, broaden financing alternatives and strengthen the market’s function in supporting financial improvement.
- SEC Director-General Emomotimi Agama introduced plans for a National Savings Scheme focusing on merchants, farmers, younger graduates and different teams.
- The scheme would channel family financial savings into productive investments managed by SEC-registered skilled fund managers.
- The SEC additionally plans implementation constructions with outlined tasks, timelines and efficiency measures for the capital market roadmap.
- Nairametrics beforehand reported Agama’s warning {that a} scarcity of credible issuers might inflate current asset costs somewhat than deepen the market.
- The push for tokenisation regulation kinds a part of wider efforts to broaden funding alternatives and appeal to capital into productive belongings.
- However, sooner regulatory implementation should additionally tackle dangers involving fraud, insufficient disclosures, investor safety and the enforceability of possession rights.
Although the Investments and Securities Act (ISA) 2025 establishes a legal foundation for digital asset oversight, the particular guidelines governing tokenisation platforms stay central to Izunaso’s issues. The fast problem for regulators is to supply adequate readability for market individuals whereas sustaining the safeguards wanted to assist investor confidence and sustainable market improvement.
