From January 1, 2026, to January 31, 2026, capital market operators are required by the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, to renew their registration.
The Commission has also announced that beginning in the first quarter of 2026, it would begin electronically receiving and processing registration applications and modifications to registration information in an effort to make the process as smooth as feasible.
This was said over the weekend in an interview in Abuja by Dr. Emomotimi Agama, the Director General of the SEC.
There will be “faster, more transparent, and efficient regulatory processes” as a result of these efforts, says Agama. The Commission is actively working to modernize its regulatory procedures by making them more tech-driven, open, and rapid. To enhance our market interactions, we are adding automation, database oversight, and secure infrastructure.
Operators can now submit applications, upload documents, and track approvals online through the SEC’s Digital Transformation Portal, which the head of the agency claimed completely automated the registration and licensing process, eliminating the need for physical visits and the time it takes to process them manually.
According to him, the Commission has also implemented the Commercial Paper issuing module, which has greatly improved turnaround time according to early users’ input. It allows operators to electronically file documents, monitor progress, and get approvals.
Structured templates and system checks will automate the submission of quarterly and annual returns, and work is ongoing to achieve this goal. Additionally, a dashboard for returns analytics is now under construction to bolster risk-based supervision and exception reporting.
Our information technology (IT) infrastructure, including our servers, storage, networks, and security layers, has been undergoing upgrades to improve speed and reliability in support of these developments. While we evaluate the security and financial implications, we are now migrating certain platforms to the cloud that require scalability and external access. In the meanwhile, our key internal systems will stay on premise.
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