Nigeria has taken another significant step toward building a coordinated regulatory framework for digital assets after President Bola Tinubu signed the Presidential Executive Order on Virtual Assets Coordination, 2026.

The Executive Order establishes a Virtual Asset Council, chaired by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to coordinate the regulation of cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, tokenized securities, and other virtual assets across government agencies. Rather than creating a new regulator, the council is designed to improve cooperation among existing institutions whose responsibilities increasingly overlap as digital assets evolve.

The move addresses a longstanding challenge in Nigeria’s digital asset ecosystem: fragmented oversight. Crypto businesses have often had to navigate multiple regulators, including the CBN, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and other agencies, depending on the nature of their activities.

Why this matters

The Presidency said virtual assets increasingly blur the traditional lines between currencies, securities, commodities and payment systems, making coordinated supervision necessary. The council is expected to harmonize regulatory approaches while supporting innovation and strengthening consumer protection.

For Nigeria’s growing digital asset industry, the announcement signals a shift from isolated policymaking toward a more unified governance model.

The Executive Order also builds on several recent reforms:

• The Investment and Securities Act (ISA) 2025, which formally recognized virtual assets and expanded the SEC’s oversight powers.
• The CBN’s operational guidelines allowing licensed Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) to access banking services.
• The SEC’s Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Programme (ARIP), which has admitted several crypto and fintech firms into a supervised regulatory environment.

What it means for the industry

If implemented effectively, the new council could:

• Reduce regulatory uncertainty for VASPs.
• Improve coordination between monetary, securities and payment regulators.
• Support compliant innovation in stablecoins, tokenization and blockchain-based financial products.
• Strengthen Nigeria’s position as one of Africa’s leading digital asset markets.

For startups, exchanges and institutional investors, a coordinated framework could make regulatory engagement more predictable while reducing conflicting directives from multiple agencies.

CoinAfrica Analysis

This Executive Order represents more than another policy announcement—it reflects a broader evolution in Nigeria’s approach to digital assets.

Over the past five years, the country’s stance has shifted from restrictive banking measures to formal legal recognition of digital assets, regulatory sandbox programmes and now inter-agency coordination.

A CBN-led council also acknowledges an important reality: digital assets no longer fit neatly into a single regulatory category. Stablecoins, tokenized securities, digital payments and crypto exchanges intersect with monetary policy, capital markets, anti-money laundering obligations and payment infrastructure simultaneously.

The success of the initiative will ultimately depend on how effectively participating agencies coordinate their mandates. If executed well, the framework could reduce compliance friction, attract greater institutional participation and reinforce Nigeria’s role as a regulatory leader for digital assets in Africa.

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Key Takeaways

• President Tinubu has signed the Virtual Assets Coordination Executive Order 2026.
• A CBN-led Virtual Asset Council will coordinate crypto regulation across agencies.
• The council will oversee cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, tokenized assets, and related digital financial products without creating a new regulator.
• The initiative builds on the Investment and Securities Act 2025 and other recent regulatory reforms.
• The move aims to improve regulatory clarity while supporting innovation and consumer protection.