The Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Emomotimi Agama, has declared that Nigeria’s capital market is embracing data, artificial intelligence, and technology-driven regulation as central pillars of its future investment framework.
Agama made the disclosure while delivering a keynote address at the FSDH Investor Conference 2026 held in Lagos on Wednesday.
According to him, the era of “intelligent investing” has already begun globally, with data and advanced technologies now playing a direct role in investment decision-making.
“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,” Agama stated.
He explained that the future of investing would no longer be determined solely by the amount of capital controlled by investors, but by the quality of intelligence, analytics, and data available to them.
Agama said the SEC’s ongoing reforms are designed to position Nigeria’s capital market competitively within a rapidly evolving global financial environment shaped by artificial intelligence, algorithmic systems, distributed ledger technology, and real-time analytics.
As part of its seven-pillar capital market infrastructure vision, the commission is pursuing faster T+1 settlement cycles, digital asset regulation, and a comprehensive framework for tokenised securities.
The SEC is also developing AI governance frameworks for market participants, focusing on transparency, accountability, explainability, and fairness in algorithm-driven investment decisions.
“An investor in Nigeria deserves to know not only what decisions were made on their behalf, but how those decisions were reached,” Agama said.
According to the SEC boss, the commission’s fintech-bank integration strategy is targeting approximately 20 million retail investors nationwide as part of efforts to deepen financial inclusion and democratise access to investment opportunities.
He stressed that the reforms go beyond technical upgrades and represent a deliberate effort to reposition Nigeria’s capital market architecture for a future where technology and data increasingly determine investment flows.
Agama noted that the SEC’s intelligent investing framework is designed to extend wealth creation opportunities to ordinary Nigerians, including artisans, small businesses, and low-income earners who have traditionally been excluded from formal investment systems.
The commission is also strengthening investor protection through improved enforcement mechanisms, expanded financial literacy programmes, and the establishment of a dedicated Investor Protection Department.
“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 stated.
Agama added that collaboration between regulators, financial institutions, fintech firms, and investors remains critical to building a resilient and technology-driven financial ecosystem.
Nigeria’s capital market has witnessed significant growth in recent years, with the NGX All-Share Index surpassing 250,000 points amid ongoing macroeconomic reforms and increased investor participation.
The SEC’s transition toward T+1 settlement systems is expected to reduce counterparty risks and improve market liquidity, while its AI governance initiative is being viewed as one of the first comprehensive regulatory frameworks of its kind in Africa.
The commission believes these reforms will help channel long-term investments into infrastructure, gender finance, and other strategic sectors critical to Nigeria’s economic transformation.
