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The grand finale of Interswitch TechConnect 5.0, held in Lagos, convened key players across Nigeria’s financial ecosystem to discuss the future of payments, with a focus on innovation, collaboration, and regulatory compliance—three pillars the organisers describe as critical to the sustainable growth of the digital economy.
The 2025 edition of TechConnect, which toured Enugu and Abuja before concluding in Lagos, served as a melting pot for fintech innovators, regulators, and financial institutions, fostering conversations that addressed emerging challenges in the payments landscape while exploring opportunities for inclusive growth.
Innovation Meets Compliance
Opening the session, Akeem Lawal, Managing Director of Payments Processing and Switching at Interswitch Purepay, highlighted the importance of bridging innovation with regulation for long-term industry growth.
“No organisation can build sustainable innovation without compliance,” Lawal said. “It’s the foundation of trust, customer satisfaction, and sustainable progress. Our theme this year—Innovation, Collaboration, and Compliance—reflects our belief that these elements must coexist for the payments industry to thrive.”
Lawal emphasised that compliance should not be viewed as a barrier to innovation but as a guardrail for building trustworthy and scalable financial solutions. He added that Interswitch’s innovation model embeds compliance and risk management from the ideation stage, ensuring products are designed with both customer value and regulatory integrity in mind.
Driving Emerging Technologies
Speaking on Interswitch’s latest technological advancements, Vincent Ogbunude, Managing Director of Verve International, noted that Nigeria’s payments ecosystem is evolving rapidly and keeping pace with global innovation trends.
“Our focus is on fostering speed and security in innovation,” Ogbunude said. “From tokenisation of payment instruments to enhancing card technology, we’re prioritising solutions that deliver confidence and convenience to users.”
He revealed that Verve has surpassed 100 million cards in circulation, making it one of Nigeria’s leading payment brands, and reaffirmed the company’s commitment to expanding adoption through technology-driven trust and compliance.
Breaking Silos Through Collaboration
Cherry Eromosele, Executive Vice President, Group Marketing and Corporate Communications at Interswitch Group, described TechConnect 5.0 as a platform designed to unite innovators, regulators, and institutions toward Africa’s digital transformation.
“When these three powerful stakeholders collaborate, we can achieve shared progress,” Eromosele said. “TechConnect provides a space for exchanging ideas, tackling industry pain points, and co-creating the future of payments in Nigeria and beyond.”
She explained that in Enugu, discussions centered on financial inclusion and how technology can help microfinance banks and SMEs overcome challenges in serving underbanked communities. In Abuja, the conversation shifted toward public-private collaboration, with a focus on regulatory alignment for sustainable digital growth.
Shaping the Future of Payments
Reflecting on the success of TechConnect 5.0, Lawal noted that insights from the conference would influence Interswitch’s strategic direction and product roadmap for the coming year.
“We’re taking all these insights to shape how we collaborate, innovate, and build products that solve real industry problems,” he said. “Our goal is to continue developing open, interoperable solutions that drive inclusion across Africa.”
He also stressed that Interswitch’s technology is built as an open platform, allowing developers and partners—competitors included—to leverage its APIs for innovation.
Impact and Industry Trust
Since its inception, TechConnect has evolved into a cornerstone industry platform that promotes transparency, collaboration, and shared learning. Lawal affirmed that the initiative continues to strengthen business trust and create new alliances across the fintech ecosystem.
“Every edition brings new partnerships and solutions,” he said. “TechConnect is not just an event—it’s a movement built on openness, trust, and collaboration. It’s how we’re shaping a shared future for the payments industry.”
With the success of TechConnect 5.0, Interswitch reaffirms its role as a catalyst for Africa’s digital payments transformation, bridging innovation with compliance to ensure a secure, inclusive, and sustainable financial ecosystem.
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