Nigeria: OPay Urges Fintechs to Shift Focus from Volume to Financial Well-Being

OPay has called on fintech operators to rethink growth strategies, urging the industry to prioritise customer financial well-being over sheer transaction volumes.

Speaking at the BusinessDay Fintech Summit 2026 in Lagos, Dotun Daniel Adekunle, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer of OPay, said the sector has largely solved the challenge of digital payments and must now evolve toward delivering meaningful financial outcomes.

“Payments are no longer the core problem. The real opportunity lies in building intelligent systems that understand users, guide better decisions, and improve financial outcomes,” he stated.

The summit, themed “The Next Financial Frontier: Intelligence, Infrastructure & Inclusion in Africa’s Digital Money Economy,” provided a platform to reassess the trajectory of fintech innovation. Adekunle emphasised that while access to digital payments has expanded significantly across Africa, the next phase of growth should be measured by impact rather than activity.

He noted that OPay is increasingly focused on leveraging data and technology to move beyond transaction enablement toward real user transformation, where financial health and empowerment become key performance indicators.

Reinforcing this position, Ibukun Humphrey Oluwagbenga, Head of IT Business Support and Operations at OPay, highlighted the role of artificial intelligence and automation in shaping the future of financial services.

According to him, “intelligent finance” will enable fintechs to transition from basic service providers to value-driven platforms. He explained that the company is deploying data analytics and automation tools to enhance service delivery, strengthen fraud prevention, and create more personalised financial solutions for users and businesses.

As a headline sponsor of the event, OPay underscored that the future of Africa’s digital economy will be driven by three core pillars: intelligence, infrastructure, and inclusion. With payment infrastructure now relatively mature, the company believes the ecosystem is ready to support more advanced, value-added financial services.

Adekunle concluded that long-term success in the fintech sector will be defined not by the volume of transactions processed, but by the tangible value created for users.

“The real opportunity is using data, intelligence, and strong infrastructure to drive financial progress and long-term value for customers,” he added.