[BREAKING] Flutterwave, Africa’s Most Valuable Fintech, Becomes Nigeria’s Newest Bank

Flutterwave Inc., an African payments technology company, says it has secured a Nigerian banking licence that enables it to hold funds and deposits directly.

The company said in a statement on Thursday that the licence has strengthened its financial infrastructure across its largest market and enabling more efficient financial services and settlement flows for consumers, businesses and enterprises.

Historically, global payment companies have operated via a “sponsorship” model, partnering with established commercial banks to access national clearing and settlement systems. While functional, this arrangement often limits a fintech’s pace of innovation and requires them to share a portion of the transaction value with the sponsoring institution.

By securing this banking license, Flutterwave gains greater control over how funds move within its ecosystem, including the ability to hold deposits and manage financial flows across its platform.

While Flutterwave will continue to work closely with banking partners across the broader financial ecosystem, the license enables the company to internalize key elements of its financial value chain, improving operational efficiency and supporting faster product development.

This shift strengthens operational autonomy and allows Flutterwave to capture more value from the transactions processed within its ecosystem.

Nigeria represents one of Africa’s most dynamic financial ecosystems, with trillions of naira moving through digital payment channels each year. By operating more directly within the regulated financial system, Flutterwave can further optimize how money moves across its platform and improve settlement efficiency across its network of merchants, businesses and consumers.

“This milestone allows us to make our infrastructure more efficient and deliver faster, more reliable financial services,” said Olugbenga Agboola, Founder and CEO of Flutterwave. “By operating directly within the financial system, we can streamline money movement, accelerate settlement for merchants, and build products that support sustainable long-term growth.”

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