Airtel Money Excludes Nigerian Fintech From $7B IPO

Airtel Money is set to list on the London Stock Exchange on October 14, but its Nigerian fintech business, SmartCash, will not be part of the initial public offering. This exclusion follows a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) directive, which required Airtel Money to transfer its 25% stake in SmartCash back to Airtel Networks Limited, its Nigerian telecom subsidiary. The transaction was completed for $3 million.

Airtel Money is exploring options to bring SmartCash Nigeria back within the group's perimeter, consistent with its other operations, though no assurance exists on timing or outcome. The group operates as a pan-African fintech platform across 13 African countries, serving approximately 53 million monthly active users as of June 30, 2026. This separation reflects a broader trend among African telecom companies to separate fintech businesses from core telecom operations, viewing mobile money as needing distinct capital structures and growth strategies.

The initial public offering values Airtel Money at £5.3 billion ($7 billion), with shares priced at £1.96 ($2.59) each. Nigeria, while Airtel Africa’s second-largest telecom region by subscribers, contributed only 1.24% of Airtel mobile money’s $404 million quarterly revenue and 6.02% of its customer base as of June 2026. This makes the Nigerian business a small part of the group being taken public, despite the country's significant mobile money market, which processed ₦20.71 trillion ($13.49 billion) in Q1 2025.

The absence of SmartCash from the IPO is notable for investors, given the potential scale of the Nigerian market. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Payment Service Bank (PSB) licence restrictions, introduced in 2018, limit lending activities, a key revenue stream for fintechs. This regulatory environment, combined with competition from players like OPay and PalmPay, has made it challenging for telecom-led fintechs to convert subscriber scale into financial services dominance. Airtel Africa’s CEO, Sunil Taldar, noted in 2025 that Nigeria is a well-developed and competitive fintech market.

Airtel Money continues to provide limited guidance and support to SmartCash Nigeria, offering technical expertise and management services, despite its current exclusion. This support is not considered material to the group's current operations. SmartCash is actively pursuing growth through a zero-fee banking model and a 15% annual interest rate on savings deposits. It has also integrated with multiple banks for wallet transfers and interbank transactions, aiming to capture a larger share of the transfer market. Future re-integration of SmartCash into the Airtel Money group remains subject to regulatory approvals.