EFInA to Unveil Findings of the A2F 2026 Survey

Enhancing Financial Inclusion and Advancement (EFInA) will release the findings of the ninth Access to Financial Services in Nigeria (A2F) Survey at the Official launch event of the A2F 2026 Survey Report on 16 September 2026 in Abuja, Nigeria.

The A2F Survey, conducted biennially since 2008, remains Nigeria’s most comprehensive source of demand-side data on financial inclusion, tracking how Nigerians use formal and informal financial services to meet daily needs, plan for emergencies, protect their future, and cope.

The 2026 edition follows the 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2023 rounds, providing more than 17 years of longitudinal data. The A2F Survey captures both financial and non-financial data, which has served as a credible source of information for various actors, including financial services, the development sector, policymakers and regulators, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the National Insurance

Commission (NAICOM), the National Pension Commission, and others, in formulating regulations and policies.

Commenting on the survey’s significance and what it asks of the sector, Chief Executive Officer of EFInA, Foyinsolami Akinjayeju, said: Demand-side evidence at this scale is national economic infrastructure.

Nine rounds have given Nigeria a continuous record of how households behave through reform, shock and recovery. This round goes further by examining what inclusion is delivering economically, and I expect regulators, providers and partners to hold their own targets against what it shows.”

As with previous rounds, the survey continues to evolve to reflect market changes and expands its relevance, quality, and value to stakeholders; the 2026 round is no different. This edition strengthens the financial and economic inclusion link for MSMEs, agriculture and informal workers, and introduces more

robust tracking of financial health, fraud prevention, climate change and resilience, and trust in financial services. It also provides, for the second time, state-level data reporting representativeness to enable more granular insights analysis that can inform state-level policy design, resource allocation and programme targeting.

Speaking on these innovations, EFInA’s Research Lead, Dr Oluwatomi Eromosele, said the changes follow from questions earlier rounds were unable to answer.

“Previous rounds told us a great deal about who had access to financial services and what they were using. In 2026, we deliberately went further to understand whether that access is translating into greater resilience, economic participation and improved financial outcomes for Nigerians. We strengthened the Survey to examine not only what people use, but how well financial services are working for them, where vulnerability persists, and which groups and places are still being left behind. That gives policymakers and providers a much stronger evidence base for deciding what needs to change next,” she said.

Over nine rounds, the Survey has become a national resource rather than the work of a single institution.

The 2026 round and its dissemination are supported by the Gates Foundation, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Global Environment Facility Small Grants Program (GEF SGP),

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), Moniepoint and Stanbic IBTC. This shared ownership makes the Survey a collective asset and raises the expectations to which it is held, particularly at the state level.

The national launch event will be held under the theme, “Access. Opportunity. Growth: Advancing Financial and Economic Inclusion for All Nigerians,” convening senior government stakeholders, regulators, development partners and ecosystem actors. The programme will start off with a breakfast event featuring targeted breakout sessions on Climate and Agriculture, Women’s Economic

Empowerment, and Financial Resilience and Vulnerability. The report launch event will follow, featuring a high-level presentation of the findings and the unveiling of the A2F 2026 final report.

On September 25, 2026, in Lagos, the A2F 2026 Industry Engagement for financial service providers, investors and industry associations will be held. This event will focus on market insights and consumer behaviour trends to guide industry actors on opportunities to design better.

The findings are useful to a wide range of actors, designing programmes, building financial products and

partners deciding where support will develop the market. The A2F 2026 Survey is the evidence base against which those decisions will be made over the next two years.