Tinubu Signs Executive Order Opening Nigeria to Cryptocurrency and Stablecoins
President Tinubu has signed an executive order reshaping Nigeria's digital-asset regulatory framework, formally opening Africa's largest economy to cryptocurrency and stablecoins. The order directly affects the operating environment for crypto exchanges, fintech startups, and virtual-asset service providers in Nigeria.
Nigeria Crypto: the real test isn't the order — it's whether the 30-day deadline produces anything usable
The executive order settles the question of intent. Nigeria is no longer trying to push crypto out; it is trying to bring it inside a supervised system.
But the operating manual doesn't exist yet. The Virtual Asset Council has 30 days to publish the framework that actually tells a founder which regulator they answer to, under what conditions, and at what cost. Until that lands, the order is a direction, not a destination.
For a stablecoin startup or a crypto exchange deciding whether to build seriously in Lagos right now, that gap is the whole question.
2 sources
- Tinubu signs executive order as Nigeria opens up to cryptocurrency · african.business · T2
- What Nigeria’s New Virtual Assets Regulation Means for Fintech Startups · techbuild.africa · T2