Xin Chào,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- Crypto derivatives coming to Luno Nigeria
- Building systems beyond the degree
- MTN Nigeria roars back to ₦1.1 trillion profit
Crypto derivatives coming to Luno Nigeria
African crypto users might soon get more ways to trade and invest without owning coins outright, and Luno Nigeria is leading the charge. The UK-founded crypto exchange says it plans to roll out perpetuals trading and potentially futures products in 2026, aiming to evolve from a simple buy-and-sell platform into an all-in-one investment app for Nigerians.
Perpetuals and futures are derivatives, financial contracts that let traders bet on where an asset’s price might go without actually owning it. They can bring bigger returns but also much higher risk than standard crypto trading. Luno’s boss, Ayotunde Alabi, told TechCabal the move is part of a broader strategy to deepen engagement with users by offering more advanced investment options.
This push comes as Nigeria’s crypto ecosystem gets more structured. Crypto is legal and regulated in Nigeria, with the Securities and Exchange Commission overseeing trading platforms and requiring proper licences to operate securely. Traditional crypto trading access has been patchy due to earlier internet restrictions, but regulated apps like Luno have remained key entry points for users in the country.
Luno isn’t just talking derivatives. It’s already diversified its product mix. In 2025, it added staking services that let users earn yield on certain assets and rolled out tokenised US stocks so Nigerians can invest in equities alongside crypto, all within the same app. Usage data from South Africa suggests early interest in these broader offerings.
With local rivals like Busha rebranding into larger financial platforms and Roqqu already offering futures, the competition is heating up. If Luno delivers on its 2026 roadmap, Nigerians could soon have a powerful suite of tools, from crypto to stocks to derivatives, in a single app. Keep an eye on this space, because crypto in Nigeria is rapidly moving beyond simple coin trading.
Victoria Fakiya – Senior Writer
Techpoint Digest
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Building systems beyond the degree
Some people fall into tech. Olusegun Enitan Dada chased it, starting with a simple childhood question: how do systems actually work? As a kid, he was less interested in just watching football on satellite TV or playing Street Fighter at arcade centres and more obsessed with what was happening behind the scenes. How did signals travel from the sky? How did a console process commands instantly? That curiosity would later shape an entire career.
His path wasn’t straightforward. Dada narrowly missed admission to study Computer Engineering at the University of Lagos and graduated with a degree in Technology Education in 2010. But instead of seeing that as a setback, he built a parallel path. From his first year in university, he enrolled in computer training programmes, paying for certifications with his allowance at a time when online learning wasn’t mainstream. Even after losing his father during that period, he stayed focused on mastery.
During his industrial training, top IT firms turned him down because of his degree title, despite his certifications. One company later offered him a well-paying role during his six-month IT stint. He declined. It would have distracted him from his long-term goals. Instead, he stayed the course, completed his training, and continued to build technical depth in networking and enterprise systems.
While still an undergraduate, he launched an IT certification training programme within his department. What started with ₦5,000 fees (and free access for classmates) grew quickly. By 2009, he had registered IT Horizons as a business name. It became a limited company in 2012. Over time, that single initiative evolved into a group structure: IT Horizons, Zojatech, and Zojapay, each with its own leadership team, while Dada focuses on strategic oversight.
For him, the goal isn’t just profit; it’s institution building. From watching satellite dishes as a child to running a multi-entity tech group, Dada’s story is about discipline, structure, and playing the long game. For more on his journey, check out Delight’s latest edition on After Hours.
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MTN Nigeria roars back to ₦1.1 trillion profit
MTN Nigeria is back in the black, and in a big way. The telco posted ₦5.2 trillion in service revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025, up 55.1% year on year, driven largely by a 74.5% jump in data revenue. After a bruising 2024 that saw it sink into a ₦400.4 billion loss due to foreign exchange shocks, the company rebounded to a ₦1.1 trillion profit after tax in 2025. Earnings per share swung from negative ₦19.05 to ₦53.07.
What this means is simple: the turnaround worked. MTN has restored profitability, rebuilt retained earnings, and resumed dividends. The board proposed a final dividend of ₦15 per share, adding to a ₦5 interim payout, bringing total dividends for the year to ₦20 per share. For shareholders who endured last year’s losses, this is a clear signal that stability has returned.
The real engine behind the recovery is data. Data revenue climbed to ₦2.78 trillion as active data users grew to 53.2 million and average monthly usage rose to 13.1GB. Smartphone penetration hit 66.1%, reflecting how deeply mobile internet is now woven into daily life, from streaming and fintech to remote work. MTN backed that demand by doubling capital expenditure to ₦1 trillion, expanding 4G coverage to 84.6% of the population and investing in fibre and a new data centre.
Beyond connectivity, fintech is quietly becoming a serious pillar. Fintech revenue jumped 79.7%, active MoMo wallets rose 30.8% to 3.7 million, and customer deposits surged, strengthening float income. MTN also began monetising its Dabengwa Data Centre and onboarding users to its MTN Cloud marketplace, positioning itself as more than just a telco, increasingly, it’s a digital infrastructure provider.
Context also helped. The naira stabilised to ₦1,436 per dollar at year-end, inflation eased compared to 2024, and MTN recorded a ₦90.3 billion net FX gain after last year’s ₦925.4 billion loss. By reducing foreign currency exposure and settling outstanding obligations, the company cushioned itself against currency volatility. Heading into 2026, MTN Nigeria looks steadier, powered by data, fintech, and a more disciplined balance sheet.
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Opportunities
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Have a productive week!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa
