Regulatory Licensing & Compliance
The licences, registrations and filings your business is expected to hold — obtained properly, and kept current.
Operating below the notice of a regulator used to be a viable strategy in Nigeria. It is not any more. Enforcement across sectors has become more structured and considerably more effective, and the businesses most exposed are the ones that grew quickly without stopping to ask what they were supposed to be registered for.
The cost of finding out late is rarely just the penalty. It is the deal that pauses, the account that gets frozen, or the investor who reads a missing registration as a sign of how the business is run.
WHAT WE DO
Central Bank of Nigeria fintech licensing
Payment Solution Service Provider (PSSP), Payment Terminal Service Provider (PTSP), Mobile Money Operator (MMO), switching, International Money Transfer Operator (IMTO) and Bureau de Change (BDC).
CBN licensing is as much about the state of the company as the application itself — share capital, corporate governance, fit-and-proper directors, and documented internal controls. We prepare the company as well as the application.
Data protection — NDPC registration and NDPA compliance
Registration with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, data protection policies, privacy notices, data processing agreements, records of processing, and the compliance audit obligations that apply to your category of data controller or processor.
If your product collects personal data — and almost every digital product does — this applies to you, regardless of size.
SCUML registration
Required for designated non-financial businesses and professions. Frequently discovered at the point a bank asks for it.
Tax registration and compliance
Tax Identification Number registration, VAT registration where applicable, and ongoing filing obligations. We work alongside your accountant rather than replacing them.
Sector permits and approvals
Sector-specific licences and permits, including for businesses in regulated industries that did not realise they were in one. If you are unsure what applies to your model, that is a good reason to book a call.
Regulatory briefs
Where a business is entering a new market or launching a product with an unclear regulatory position, we produce a written brief setting out what applies, what is required, and what the realistic path to compliance looks like.
You probably need this if
- You handle customer funds, process payments, or move money across borders
- Your product collects personal data and you are not registered with the NDPC
- A bank, partner or investor has asked for a registration you do not have
- You are launching in a sector and cannot get a clear answer on what licence you need
- You were told a licence was “not really enforced”
- Your filings have lapsed and you are not sure how far back
FAQ
How long does a CBN licence take?
It depends on the licence category and on the state of the company when you apply. The application itself is a fraction of the work; the preparation before it is what determines whether it moves. We give you a realistic assessment before you commit.
Is NDPC registration actually enforced?
Yes, and the obligations extend beyond registration to policies, processing records and audit filing. It also surfaces in commercial diligence — partners and investors increasingly ask for it.
We have been operating without a licence. What now?
Tell us the facts and we will tell you the exposure and the route back into compliance. That conversation is covered by legal privilege; the longer version of the problem is almost always better handled early.