Event Report
The Legal 500 and Lagos-based law firm Aluko & Oyebode recently hosted a selection of senior in-house counsel from across Nigeria for an inaugural roundtable discussion on the topic of financial inclusion, and specifically, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Payment System Vision (PSV) 2020.
The CBN initially unveiled the Payment System Vision in 2007 (though it has since undergone extension and revision), as a means to improve access to the financial system throughout the country, and solidify the public’s confidence in the safety and efficiency of the transactions to which they are a party. The attention given to the PSV has given rise to a need to explore the role that in-house counsel have to play in a growing and transforming Nigerian economy as more and more of the country comes online, and it is these questions that the roundtable attendees grappled with, alongside a selection of expert advisors from Aluko & Oyebode.
Attendees discussed recent regulatory moves in Nigeria which have left many fintech firms out in the cold when it comes to Nigeria’s mobile money market, shared best practice (including reasonable disagreement) on how best to approach regulators in this space, and theorized how to keep businesses compliant in an age where society and business are increasingly data driven while at the same time becoming more privacy-conscious.
Attendees also had the chance to enjoy canapes and drinks following the formal roundtable discussion, as well as continue to pick the brains of their fellow financially-minded in-house counsel.
Thank you to all attendees and event partner Aluko & Oyebode for lending their expert insight and making the roundtable discussion a practical outing for all involved.