Dr. Emomotimi Agama, Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, says data, artificial intelligence and technology-driven regulation will shape the future of investing in Nigeria’s capital market.
Speaking at the FSDH Investor Conference 2026 in Lagos on Wednesday, Agama said the era of “intelligent investing” has already begun, with technology rapidly transforming how investments are priced, allocated and monitored.
According to him, the future of investing will no longer be determined by the amount of capital investors control, but by the quality of intelligence and data available to them.
“We are at the threshold of what scholars and practitioners are calling the era of intelligent investing, a paradigm in which data does not merely inform decisions, but actively participates in them,” he said.
Agama explained that global financial markets are already being reshaped by artificial intelligence, real-time analytics, distributed ledger technology and algorithmic systems, forcing regulators and market operators to rethink traditional investment structures.
As part of its reform agenda, the SEC said it is pursuing a transition to T+1 settlement cycles, developing regulations for digital assets and creating a framework for tokenised securities under a broader seven-pillar capital market infrastructure strategy.
The Commission is also developing AI governance standards for capital market operators, focusing on explainability, accountability and algorithmic fairness.
“An investor in Nigeria deserves to know not only what decisions were made on their behalf, but how those decisions were reached,” Agama stated.
He added that the SEC’s fintech-bank integration strategy aims to bring about 20 million retail investors into the formal investment ecosystem.
Beyond technology, Agama said the Commission’s broader objective is to democratise investment opportunities and expand access to wealth creation tools for small businesses, artisans and low-income earners who have traditionally been excluded from formal financial markets.
To strengthen investor confidence, the SEC said it has expanded enforcement measures, established a dedicated Investor Protection Department and intensified financial literacy campaigns.
“Confidence is the ultimate asset in a capital market. Every disclosure we enforce, every fraud we prosecute, every investor we educate adds to the stock of market confidence,” he said.
Agama noted that Nigeria’s growing participation in African capital market integration and digital finance initiatives is expected to attract long-term investments into infrastructure, gender finance and other critical sectors of the economy.
He stressed that collaboration among regulators, financial institutions, fintech companies and investors would be critical to building a resilient, technology-driven market ecosystem.
The SEC’s reforms come amid Nigeria’s broader macroeconomic adjustment programme, which has triggered renewed investor interest in the country’s financial markets.
Recent market gains have pushed the NGX All-Share Index beyond the 250,000-point mark, reflecting increased trading activity and growing investor confidence.
Agama said the Commission’s ongoing reforms are designed to position Nigeria’s capital market as a key platform for financing economic transformation through faster settlement systems, tokenised securities and deeper derivatives markets capable of mobilising long-term capital.
