Nigeria Regulator Warns Crypto and Gambling Are Draining Funds from Infrastructure Investment

Nigeria’s financial regulator has issued a stark warning that the surge in cryptocurrency trading and gambling activities is diverting significant capital away from productive sectors. Including infrastructure development.

With more than $50 billion estimated to have flowed through crypto between July 2023 and June 2024. And daily gambling stakes reaching millions of dollars. The shift is seen as undermining the country’s efforts to channel savings into long-term growth projects.

Officials noted that the formal capital market remains under-utilised, with fewer than 4% of adults participating, highlighting a growing mismatch between speculative investment behaviors and national infrastructure financing needs. While innovation and digital assets offer opportunities. The regulator emphasized the need to rebalance risk appetite toward sustainable investment vehicles that support job creation, industrialization, and economic resilience.

Clever Robot News Desk 31^th October 2025