OPay named Digital Bank and Financial Inclusion Leader at BAFI 2026
The dual recognition reflects OPay’s commitment to delivering accessible, reliable, secure and convenient financial services through technology. The post OPay named Digital Bank and Financial Inclusion Leader at BAFI…
The BAFI Awards, organised annually by BusinessDay, is one of Nigeria's longest-running recognitions for banks and other financial institutions, evaluating players across categories such as retail banking, digital innovation, risk management and financial inclusion. The awards are closely watched in Nigeria's financial services sector as a barometer of how traditional lenders and newer fintech-led players are competing for customers amid a rapidly digitising economy.
OPay is part of a wave of mobile-money and digital banking platforms that have grown rapidly in Nigeria over the past few years, built on agent networks and smartphone-based services that reach customers underserved by traditional bank branches. Financial inclusion — getting unbanked and underbanked Nigerians into the formal financial system — remains a key policy priority for regulators like the Central Bank of Nigeria, making awards in that category a point of competitive distinction among digital banks, mobile money operators and conventional lenders alike. Coverage across outlets is largely uniform, drawing on the same announcement, with no outlet yet detailing the judging criteria or the full list of other category winners at this year's event.