Emma Okonji
Blockchain has been admitted into the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Programme (ARIP), marking an important step in the company’s long-term commitment to Nigeria and its broader expansion across Africa.
Nigeria is one of Africa’s most important digital asset markets, where crypto increasingly plays a practical role in how people access, hold and move value.
The admission is an indication that Blockchain has satisfied SEC’s initial requirements to participate in the programme and is authorised to operate within its defined sandbox scope, subject to the commission’s ongoing compliance obligations, testing parameters, and regulatory conditions. Through ARIP, Blockchain can work directly with the SEC as the commission evaluates digital asset business models, tests appropriate safeguards and develops its long-term regulatory framework for the market.
Highlighting the development in a statement, General Manager for Africa, Blockchain, Owen Odia, said, “Nigeria is one of Africa’s most important digital asset markets and participating in the SEC’s ARIP is an important step forward in our long-term commitment to the country. The programme gives us the opportunity to work directly with the SEC in a controlled environment, bring our global experience to the Nigerian market and help support a framework that protects consumers while enabling responsible innovation. We appreciate the SEC’s proactive approach and look forward to contributing to a safe, transparent and well-regulated digital asset ecosystem.”
According to Odia, Blockchain.com’s participation in ARIP forms part of a broader global strategy to engage constructively with regulators and build within established regulatory frameworks.
Over the past year, Blockchain.com has secured several formal licenses and registrations globally, including the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), EU Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), and Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA).
Participating in Nigeria’s ARIP sandbox builds on that experience, bringing global standards in compliance, security and consumer protection to its local operations.
ARIP was established by Nigeria’s SEC as a controlled regulatory sandbox for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) and fintech innovators. The programme allows the SEC to observe live applications of digital asset technologies, study operational risks, and establish tailored investor protection and anti-money laundering (AML) standards before final regulatory rules are codified.
Founded in 2011, Blockchain is one of the world’s longest-standing digital asset companies with more than 95 million wallets, more than 44 million confirmed accounts and over $1.2 trillion processed.