Nigeria Blockchain Week 2025 marked a turning point for the country’s blockchain ecosystem not because of its scale or attendance, but because of the institutional clarity it represented. At the centre of this shift was the Stakeholders in Blockchain Technology Association of Nigeria (SiBAN), whose role at the event reflected a major impact in policy advocacy across Africa.
With SiBAN as an official partner, NBW 2025 was hosted by NITDA at the eGovernment Training Centre, Kubwa from December 8–13 and closed with a high-impact Pitch & Summit Day in Lagos.
SiBAN as the official partner
At Nigeria Blockchain Week 2025, SiBAN did not simply show up as a partner, it showed leadership in action. As an official partner of the event, the association led the conversations that matter most to Nigeria’s blockchain future: regulation, compliance, and sustainable growth.
This leadership was most evident in the keynote address delivered by SiBAN President, Obinna Iwuno. His session went beyond theory, offering a clear, structured vision of how blockchain can operate responsibly within Nigeria’s financial and regulatory landscape and also thrive globally. By addressing real issues such as unregulated crypto flows, consumer exposure, and limited institutional visibility, the keynote reframed compliance as an enabler of scale rather than a barrier to innovation.
Building a Compliant and Scalable Blockchain Future
President of SiBAN, Obinna Iwuno, delivered his keynote speech: From Policy to Payments : How SiBAN Is Building Nigeria’s Compliant $500M/Month Diaspora Blockchain Corridor. The issue is urgent. Nigeria receives over $20 billion annually in diaspora remittances, much of it flowing through slow, expensive, or informal crypto channels that leave regulators blind and users exposed .
Iwuno made it clear: SiBAN’s focus is not on operating payment platforms, but on building the frameworks that make them viable. Its work centres on creating a regulated, licensed, and auditable blockchain infrastructure that institutions can trust. This structure is designed to support critical use cases including remittances, trade, payroll, education, healthcare, and investment flows.
Achieving this requires coordinated effort across the ecosystem: policymakers providing clear and consistent rules, regulators working collaboratively with industry, banks and fintechs engaging as partners, and virtual asset service providers adopting a strong culture of compliance. SiBAN frames this work as a shared national responsibility, aimed at moving blockchain payments out of informal channels and into compliant, profitable, and strategically important corridors that support Nigeria’s long-term economic growth.
When Builders, Regulators and Visionaries Share One Stage
Nigeria Blockchain Week 2025 brought together voices shaping every layer of the ecosystem. Kashifu Inuwa, Director General of NITDA, outlined Nigeria’s evolving digital economy and regulatory direction. Dr. Kingsley Ekwuruke of NOBSAA shared lessons from years of policy advocacy that helped move Nigeria from a crypto ban narrative to a blockchain nation. Builders and innovators such as Obi Emetarom (Zone Network), Caleb Adekunle (Alkebulan Tech), Daniel Radwansky (StegX), and Faith Okafor-mbah (Surdatics) showcased how compliant infrastructure, data integrity, and real-world blockchain use cases are already taking shape across Africa.
By aligning innovation with policy, and builders with regulators, SiBAN continues to shape an ecosystem that can scale, comply, and lead Africa’s digital transformation. Be part of the change SiBAN is driving and step into the future of blockchain. To become a member of SiBAN, send us an email [email protected], or you can also join our SiBAN Telegram community.
