By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The chief executive of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Group Plc, Mr Temi Popoola, has said Nigeria’s capital market is undergoing a re-rating as global investors begin to reassess the country’s economic trajectory and investment potential.

“What we are seeing is a gradual re-rating of Nigeria. investors are beginning to look at the data more closely, the returns, the reforms, and the improving macroeconomic direction, and that is changing sentiment,” he said during a live interview on BBC Newsday in London.

He is in the United Kingdom as part of broader investor and stakeholder engagements during President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to Buckingham Palace.

Mr Popoola explained that Nigeria’s equity market has delivered strong returns in recent months, positioning it more competitively among emerging and frontier markets. According to him, this performance is helping to recalibrate long-held risk perceptions and attract renewed interest from international investors.

He added that improvements in Nigeria’s energy landscape, including increased domestic refining capacity and ongoing sector reforms, are helping to reduce the economy’s exposure to external oil price shocks, further strengthening investor confidence.

Mr Popoola emphasised that beyond short-term market movements, consistency in policy implementation will be critical in sustaining this shift in perception. “Global capital responds to clarity and consistency. As those elements become more evident, Nigeria naturally becomes more investable.”

He also highlighted the importance of sustained engagement with global financial centres, noting that platforms such as London play a key role in connecting Nigeria’s capital market to international pools of capital.

According to him, Nigeria’s evolving market structure, combined with ongoing reforms, is strengthening its position as a viable destination for long-term investment. “There is a broader recognition that Nigeria offers significant opportunities. The focus now is ensuring that this recognition translates into sustained capital flows.”

The NGX group chief concluded that Nigeria’s capital market is increasingly being viewed through a more balanced and data-driven lens, reflecting both its resilience and its long-term growth potential.

By Adedapo Adesanya

Global cryptocurrency platform, Luno, has launched a structured crypto prediction markets product in Nigeria, which will enable customers to apply their market knowledge to short-term crypto price events and earn USDC when their insights are correct.

The prediction market allows customers to express a view on whether the price of selected crypto assets, being BTC, ETH, SOL, DOGE, and XRP, will be above or below the daily price event. The market operates daily with clearly defined rules and settlement periods, offering customers structured, time-bound opportunities to act on their conviction.

Nigeria remains one of the most active crypto markets globally, with increasing demand for tools that combine simplicity and transparency. By introducing Prediction Markets focused solely on price levels, Luno aims to provide a fast, confident, and opportunity-forward format for market engagement.

Unlike traditional gaming or prediction firms like Polymarket and Kalshi, in which the odds are set by the company, Luno’s Prediction Market, powered by Limitless, is focused exclusively on crypto asset price movements within the Luno platform.

This means customers are not purchasing the underlying asset, but participating in a defined, outcome-based market that settles transparently based on real-time price data.

According to a statement, the launch reflects a broader shift in how customer behaviour is evolving in Nigeria’s growing crypto asset ecosystem, particularly as crypto asset adoption matures, many users are seeking more flexible and responsive ways to engage with markets beyond long-term holding or traditional spot trading.

Luno’s Prediction Markets product is designed to meet this demand within a familiar and regulated platform environment. The feature builds on how customers already interact with crypto asset prices – analysing charts, following market news, and forming views- and provides a structured framework for expressing those views.

According to Mr Ayotunde Alabi, chief executive of Luno Nigeria, the company is combining crypto education with a secure platform to help Nigerians confidently apply their market knowledge in a responsible and practical way.

“We are seeing a clear shift in how Nigerians want to engage with crypto assets. Many already follow price movements closely and form strong market views; we want to lead with education as well as provide a safe and secure platform to help them apply that knowledge. This feature is designed to be a natural extension for those who enjoy forecasting.

“By tying this to our ongoing educational initiatives, such as our scholarships with AltSchool, we are encouraging users to apply what they have learned about market analysis into a practical, responsible framework. Our priority is ensuring that where confidence meets opportunity, it is supported by the standards of trust our customers expect.”

Luno said it will further support the rollout with Learn & Earn educational content and tutorials explaining market mechanics and price determination. To promote informed decision-making and ensure the product is used responsibly,

Luno has embedded specific controls, including customers reading and acknowledging a risk disclosure before participating, as well as moving funds from their ordinary USDC wallet to a separate prediction wallet, which will be used to participate in prediction markets.

The firm also said that customers cannot hold both sides of the same market, in this case, Above and Below at the same time.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian capital market will transition to a T+1 settlement cycle from May 29, as part of efforts to enhance efficiency and align with global standards, the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc said in a notice.

If this is achieved, it would be about six months after the Nigerian central depository, clearing, and settlement agent switched to a T+2 settlement cycle from the previous T+3 cycle. The previous transitioning was precisely on November 28, 2025.

This switch will shorten the settlement period for trades, allowing transactions to be completed one business day after the execution date, instead of the current two-day cycle.

CSCS Plc, in the disclosure, said the move represents the next phase in the development of Nigeria’s capital market infrastructure.

It stated that the new settlement cycle is expected to improve post-trade efficiency, reduce settlement risk and speed up the movement of securities and funds across the capital market.

The company added that trades executed on Thursday, May 28, the final trading day under the T+2 cycle, and those executed on Friday, May 29, the first trading day under the T+1 cycle, would both settle on Monday, June 1.

“This transition requires coordinated readiness across all market participants, including exchanges, brokers, custodians, registrars, settlement banks and institutional investors.

“Industry-wide engagements and technical readiness initiatives are ongoing to ensure a seamless transition.

“All market participants are encouraged to review their internal processes, systems and operational workflows to ensure alignment with the new settlement framework,” the company stated.

After the T+2 settlement cycle went live last year, the erstwhile chief executive of the company, Mr Haruna Jalo-Waziri, at the time said CSCS Plc is already preparing to shift to a T+1 settlement cycle by mid-2026.

Mr Kalo-Waziri, who has since been replaced by Mr Shehu Yahaya Shantali, said the organisation had been strengthening its capacity over time, ensuring that the eventual migration would be efficient, stable, and cost-effective, stressing that the transition aligns with global best practices and reflects the market’s readiness for faster, more reliable settlement processes.