Capital Market Operators to Renew Registration from January 2026

Kayode Tokede

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has announced that capital market operators are to renew their registration from January 1 to 31, 2026.

In a bid to make the process as seamless as possible, the commission said it will commence electronic receipt and processing of applications for registration and updates of registration information in the first quarter of 2026.

Director General of the SEC, Dr. Emomotimi Agama stated this during an interview in Abuja.According to Agama, “These initiatives reflect our commitment to leveraging technology for faster, more transparent, and efficient regulatory processes. The Commission is taking deliberate steps to make regulatory processes faster, more transparent, and technology-driven. We are investing in automation, databased supervision, and secure infrastructure to improve how we interact with the market.”

He stated that through its Digital Transformation Portal, the commission has automated registration and licensing end-to-end as operators can now submit applications, upload documents, and track approvals online, cutting down manual processing time and reducing the need for physical visits.

He said, the commission has also rolled out the Commercial Papers issuance module, which allows operators to file documents, monitor progress, and receive approvals electronically while feedback from early users shows a clear improvement in turnaround time.“Work is ongoing to automate quarterly and annual returns submissions, with structured templates and system checks to ensure accuracy. A returns analytics dashboard is also in development to support risk based supervision and exception reporting.“To back these changes, we have started upgrading our IT infrastructure, servers, storage, networks, and security layers, to boost speed and reliability. Selective cloud migration is underway for platforms that need scalability and external access, while core internal systems remain on premisev5p for now as we assess security and cost implications.“At the same time, we are strengthening data integrity and cybersecurity with vulnerability assessments and planned penetration testing once automation and migration phases are stable. These efforts show our commitment to building a modern, resilient regulatory environment that supports efficiency, investor confidence, and market stability,” he said.