SEC Mandates Registration of all Tradable Instruments by Jan 2026
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has directed all Capital Market Operators (CMOs) to declare their compliance status and ensure every tradable instrument under their control is duly registered with the Commission in line with the Investments and Securities Act (ISA) 2025 no later than January 2026.
Director-General of the SEC, Emomotimi Agama, gave the directive on Wednesday at the Commission’s Journalists’ Academy 2025 held in Lagos.
Agama who was represented by the Commissioner of Operations, Bola Ajomale said the new Act places clear and non-negotiable obligations on operators, stressing that “anyone selling a tradable instrument must identify with the Commission and ensure its registration within the period.”
He emphasised that the SEC will enforce strict visibility of regulatory authorisation across the market. All operators must publicly bear the SEC’s registration mark from January 2026, while issuers must ensure their instruments are SEC-approved. Any operator or issuer unable to confirm SEC registration, he warned, will be deemed to be operating illegally.
According to him, ISA 2025 marks one of the most significant overhauls of Nigeria’s capital-market framework in nearly two decades, providing the legal architecture required to deepen the market, enhance regulatory efficiency, and align Nigeria with global best standards.
“If we get this right, ISA 2025 will serve as a powerful foundation for the capital market Nigeria needs and deserves which is a deep, efficient, innovative, and globally competitive market,” he said.
Agama emphasized that “The ISA 2025 is more than a replacement for the 2007 Act. It is a forward-looking instrument designed to reposition Nigeria’s capital market for a rapidly changing world,” explaining that the Act strengthens the Commission’s mandate in explicit terms, a major shift from the older framework which left gaps that complicated enforcement and slowed regulatory response to market abuse.
“For the first time, the Act explicitly sets out the regulatory objectives, functions, and powers of the Commission including acting in the public interest, protecting investors, maintaining fair and transparent markets, preventing unlawful practices, reducing systemic risk, and supporting capital formation,” Agama stated.
This clarity, he added, eliminates longstanding ambiguities and improves institutional accountability while ensuring the SEC’s regulatory actions align more directly with national economic goals.
Agama also highlighted the Act’s expanded investigative powers, which now extend beyond regulated entities to third parties connected to any transaction under review. The reform, he said, closes loopholes that previously hindered investigations into complex schemes and market manipulation.
He stressed that several evolving trends, including fintech expansion, virtual asset adoption, digital trading, and the rising sophistication of Ponzi schemes made the reform urgent and unavoidable.
“Such provisions signal that the SEC is no longer limited by outdated definitions or narrow supervisory boundaries. The regulator now has modern tools to protect the integrity of the market,” he said.