By Juliet Umeh

Moniepoint co-founder and Group Chief Executive Officer, Tosin Eniolorunda, has been named to the 2026 TIME100 Next list for his role in expanding access to financial services in Nigeria.

TIME’s annual list recognises 100 rising leaders across business, technology, politics, science, sport and culture.

Founded in 2015, Moniepoint says it now serves more than 20 million businesses and individuals. Its agency banking network spans Nigeria’s 774 local government areas, bringing payment and banking services closer to traders and communities.

TIME Chief Executive Officer, Jessica Sibley, said this year’s honourees were “pushing boundaries, creating new possibilities, and advancing their fields and communities around the world.”

In a tribute to Eniolorunda, Chairman of Heirs Holdings and founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Tony Elumelu, described him as a young man who “grew up without a silver spoon but still had the audacity to dream.”

Reacting to the recognition, Eniolorunda said: “I am grateful to TIME for this recognition, which belongs first to the Moniepoint team, whose discipline and sacrifice built this company, and to the millions of businesses and individuals across the continent who trust us with their livelihoods every day.

“Our mission has always been to deliver financial happiness, and this honour renews our commitment to building with even greater rigour and care for the people we serve.”

He also thanked Elumelu for his support, saying: “We both share a belief that Africa’s future will be shaped by its own people, and that, given access to the right tools and opportunities, Africans have everything it takes to transform this continent.”

The recognition follows TIME’s naming of Moniepoint co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Felix Ike, on its Executives of the Year list for Tech and Data in September. Moniepoint was also named among TIME’s 100 Most Influential Companies last year.

TIME will celebrate this year’s TIME100 Next honourees in New York on October 29.