The 2025 Mid-Year Conference of the Association of Enterprise Risk Management Professionals (AERMP) marks a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s financial governance landscape.
With the unveiling of the Investment and Securities Act (ISA) 2025 at the AERMP conference, stakeholders across regulatory, economic, and academic sectors are aligning to redefine the role of risk management and compliance—not as peripheral functions, but as strategic pillars of market integrity and investor confidence.
Key Themes And Takeaways From AERMP:
ISA 2025 as a Regulatory Game-Changer: The Act, hailed by SEC DG Dr. Emomotimi Agama as a ‘game-changer,’ is a transformative force.
It expands regulatory oversight and integrates fintech into the formal economy, marking a shift from reactive compliance to proactive governance.
This empowers market operators to embed resilience and transparency at the core of their operations, signalling a significant change in the financial landscape.
Risk Management as a Strategic Imperative:
The NDLEA Chairman, Gen. Buba Marwa, emphasised that risk management is no longer a support function but a boardroom priority. This aligns with global trends where ERM is central to decision-making, especially in volatile markets, making the Nigerian financial sector part of a larger, progressive movement.
Compliance Culture vs. Checklist Mentality:
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede’s call to institutionalise compliance as a culture rather than a procedural formality reflects a deeper push for ethical transformation.
This shift is crucial in a financial system historically plagued by regulatory breaches and weak enforcement. It underlines the urgent need for change, compelling all stakeholders to act swiftly and decisively.
Institutional Synergy & Stakeholder Engagement:
The presence of leaders from CBN, NDIC, CIBN, CIS, ICAN, and other professional bodies underscores a multi-sectoral commitment to the Act’s implementation.
AERMP’s ability to convene such a diverse coalition reflects its growing influence as a thought leadership hub in Nigeria’s financial sector.
The academic-industry partnership with James Hope University, led by Prof. Abiola Babajide, introduces a dual-teaching model that blends theory with practice—an essential step toward building a pipeline of risk-savvy professionals.
Implications for Market Operators – What’s Changing:
The Investment and Securities Act (ISA) 2025 is significantly reshaping Fintech Regulation as it brings digital finance under formal oversight, reducing systemic risk.
The Act also prioritises investor protection, as enhanced safeguards are expected to boost foreign investor confidence.
As it stands, compliance expectations are high. Firms must now demonstrate real-time risk awareness, not just periodic reporting.
This places considerable pressure on market operators, highlighting the need for continuous vigilance and risk management.
What’s Needed – Capacity Building:
Training and certification for compliance officers must be scaled in addition to technology adoption. ERM tools and RegTech solutions will be necessary for monitoring and reporting, as well as ensuring board-level accountability. In addition, governance structures must evolve to reflect the strategic importance of risk.
Final Analysis
The Investment and Securities Act (2025) is more than just a legislative update. It is a philosophical shift in how Nigeria approaches financial market integrity. By elevating risk and compliance to strategic levers, the Act lays the groundwork for a more resilient, transparent, and globally competitive economic system.
The Association of Enterprise Risk Management Professionals’ convening power, merged with its academic synergy and regulatory engagement, positions it as a catalyst for change. The challenge now lies in execution: translating policy into practice, and ensuring that every market operator—from fintech startups to legacy institutions—embraces the new compliance ethos.