Nigeria’s crypto builders chart four pillars for the next chapter in Africa

A panel consisting of representatives from Luno Nigeria, Blockchain.com Nigeria and Dantown convened at Moonshot 2025 to discuss the “Future of Crypto Infrastructure”.

Ayotunde Alabi, CEO of Luno Nigeria, set the tone early: “The next phase is about clarity and trust.” For him, progress depends on strong KYC, careful asset listings, and the kind of regulatory dialogue that brings stability instead of fear. Exchanges, he argued, must grow responsibly, not just rapidly.

Chimene Chinah, CEO of Dantown, kept the conversation grounded in use cases. He said stablecoins are solving real, visible pain points across Africa. “Why would I wait five working days when I can get paid in less than a minute?” he asked, pointing to remittances and merchant settlements that increasingly rely on instant, low-fee rails. In her view, real adoption is when crypto stops being a buzzword and starts being invisible—the quiet layer that makes payments just work.

Michael Emeeka, Country Head for Blockchain.com in Nigeria, advanced the conversation. Cross-chain interoperability, he said, remains one of the biggest user pain points. “People still lose money choosing the wrong networks,” he noted, adding that education and simplified interfaces must evolve alongside infrastructure. He also touched on tokenisation, a space full of promise but slowed by policy inertia. “The tech is ready,” he said. “But without alignment between regulators, registries, and issuers, tokenisation stays experimental.”

Across their perspectives ran a shared realism. Cheaper entry points and faster rails mean little if users can’t trust custody or navigate compliance. The Moonshot 2025 crypto panellists said true infrastructure comes from steady, disciplined building that makes crypto safer and simpler for everyone

As the session wound down, it was clear that crypto adoption in Africa had moved beyond tracking market cycles. They envision a future that makes crypto feel less like a gamble and more like a dependable system. Policy, product design, and user experience can do this for crypto in Africa.