Resilience through data sovereignty

For decades, financial institutions have worked systematically to eliminate single points of failure to ensure resiliency. Payment infrastructure is duplicated. Core banking systems are replicated. Disaster recovery environments are tested regularly. Resilience has become deeply embedded within the financial sector’s operating model. The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) recent circular introducing new market structure requirements, data localisation and systemic oversight and opens a new frontier to that resilience strategy. By 1 January 2027, banks, fintechs and payment service providers must ensure that payment transaction data generated in Nigeria is stored and managed within the country. For many organisations, the compliance deadline leaves little time to rethink the digital infrastructure they rely on. A good place to start this conversation is with data centres. As organisations plan how to meet these localisation requirements while maintaining business continuity, the infrastructure environment they choose becomes a strategic decision. Carrier- and cloud-neutral facilities, such as those operated by Africa Data Centres in Lagos and across the continent, provide the flexibility to connect with multiple networks, cloud platforms and interconnection partners rather than being tied to a single provider. That approach also made Africa Data Centres a natural choice to host cloud on-ramp services, giving organisations an additional independent and secure route directly to global cloud service providers. Localisation changes the resilience conversation Until recently, discussions around cloud adoption in financial services have tended to centre on security, governance and regulatory compliance. These are still extremely important, but the CBN’s directive adds infrastructure resilience to the equation. While keeping payment data within Nigeria strengthens regulatory oversight and aligns with national data governance requirements, localisation alone doesn’t automatically create resilience without sufficient diversity. The same principles that apply to redundant payment systems, replicated core banking platforms and disaster recovery environments must now be applied to the infrastructure that supports modern digital services. What this means for data centre strategy Data centres have moved from being facilities that house IT equipment to strategic ecosystems where connectivity, cloud services and digital infrastructure converge. This means they can help financial institutions reduce concentration risk by providing access to multiple providers, cloud platforms and interconnection options within a single location. This flexibility allows these institutions to meet localisation requirements while maintaining the operational resilience they need to support critical banking services. The importance of this approach was evident during the subsea cable disruptions that affected multiple African countries in 2024. While cloud platforms remained operational, organisations relying on limited network routes experienced degraded connectivity and service interruptions. The lesson was clear: resilience depends not only on where workloads reside, but also on the infrastructure that connects organisations to them. As Nigerian financial institutions respond to the CBN directive, avoiding this concentration risk should be as important as achieving compliance. Building for the next generation of financial services This shift comes as financial institutions are embedding AI across most aspects of their operations, including fraud detection, customer service, compliance monitoring and risk management. These capabilities all depend on continuous, secure access to data, cloud services and high-performance compute, making resilient digital infrastructure more important than ever. That’s why institutions that treat localisation as a strategic infrastructure initiative rather than simply a compliance requirement will see returns. While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) recent circular introducing new market structure requirements, data localisation and systemic oversight and opens a new frontier to that resilience strategy. By 1 January 2027, banks, fintechs and payment service providers must ensure that payment transaction data generated in Nigeria is stored and managed within the country. For many organisations, the compliance deadline leaves little time to rethink the digital infrastructure they rely on. A good place to start this conversation is with data centres. As organisations plan how to meet these localisation requirements while maintaining business continuity, the infrastructure environment they choose becomes a strategic decision. Carrier- and cloud-neutral facilities, such as those operated by Africa Data Centres in Lagos and across the continent, provide the flexibility to connect with multiple networks, cloud platforms and interconnection partners rather than being tied to a single provider. That approach also made Africa Data Centres a natural choice to host cloud on-ramp services, giving organisations an additional independent and secure route directly to global cloud service providers. Localisation changes the resilience conversation Until recently, discussions around cloud adoption in financial services have tended to centre on security, governance and regulatory compliance. These are still extremely important, but the CBN’s directive adds infrastructure resilience to the equation. While keeping payment data within Nigeria strengthens regulatory oversight and aligns with national data governance requirements, localisation alone doesn’t automatically create resilience without sufficient diversity. The same principles that apply to redundant payment systems, replicated core banking platforms and disaster recovery environments must now be applied to the infrastructure that supports modern digital services. What this means for data centre strategy Data centres have moved from being facilities that house IT equipment to strategic ecosystems where connectivity, cloud services and digital infrastructure converge. This means they can help financial institutions reduce concentration risk by providing access to multiple providers, cloud platforms and interconnection options within a single location. This flexibility allows these institutions to meet localisation requirements while maintaining the operational resilience they need to support critical banking services. The importance of this approach was evident during the subsea cable disruptions that affected multiple African countries in 2024. While cloud platforms remained operational, organisations relying on limited network routes experienced degraded connectivity and service interruptions. The lesson was clear: resilience depends not only on where workloads reside, but also on the infrastructure that connects organisations to them. As Nigerian financial institutions respond to the CBN directive, avoiding this concentration risk should be as important as achieving compliance. Building for the next generation of financial services This shift comes as financial institutions are embedding AI across most aspects of their operations, including fraud detection, customer service, compliance monitoring and risk management. These capabilities all depend on continuous, secure access to data, cloud services and high-performance compute, making resilient digital infrastructure more important than ever. That’s why institutions that treat localisation as a strategic infrastructure initiative rather than simply a compliance requirement will see returns. While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

A good place to start this conversation is with data centres. As organisations plan how to meet these localisation requirements while maintaining business continuity, the infrastructure environment they choose becomes a strategic decision. Carrier- and cloud-neutral facilities, such as those operated by Africa Data Centres in Lagos and across the continent, provide the flexibility to connect with multiple networks, cloud platforms and interconnection partners rather than being tied to a single provider. That approach also made Africa Data Centres a natural choice to host cloud on-ramp services, giving organisations an additional independent and secure route directly to global cloud service providers. Localisation changes the resilience conversation Until recently, discussions around cloud adoption in financial services have tended to centre on security, governance and regulatory compliance. These are still extremely important, but the CBN’s directive adds infrastructure resilience to the equation. While keeping payment data within Nigeria strengthens regulatory oversight and aligns with national data governance requirements, localisation alone doesn’t automatically create resilience without sufficient diversity. The same principles that apply to redundant payment systems, replicated core banking platforms and disaster recovery environments must now be applied to the infrastructure that supports modern digital services. What this means for data centre strategy Data centres have moved from being facilities that house IT equipment to strategic ecosystems where connectivity, cloud services and digital infrastructure converge. This means they can help financial institutions reduce concentration risk by providing access to multiple providers, cloud platforms and interconnection options within a single location. This flexibility allows these institutions to meet localisation requirements while maintaining the operational resilience they need to support critical banking services. The importance of this approach was evident during the subsea cable disruptions that affected multiple African countries in 2024. While cloud platforms remained operational, organisations relying on limited network routes experienced degraded connectivity and service interruptions. The lesson was clear: resilience depends not only on where workloads reside, but also on the infrastructure that connects organisations to them. As Nigerian financial institutions respond to the CBN directive, avoiding this concentration risk should be as important as achieving compliance. Building for the next generation of financial services This shift comes as financial institutions are embedding AI across most aspects of their operations, including fraud detection, customer service, compliance monitoring and risk management. These capabilities all depend on continuous, secure access to data, cloud services and high-performance compute, making resilient digital infrastructure more important than ever. That’s why institutions that treat localisation as a strategic infrastructure initiative rather than simply a compliance requirement will see returns. While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

Carrier- and cloud-neutral facilities, such as those operated by Africa Data Centres in Lagos and across the continent, provide the flexibility to connect with multiple networks, cloud platforms and interconnection partners rather than being tied to a single provider. That approach also made Africa Data Centres a natural choice to host cloud on-ramp services, giving organisations an additional independent and secure route directly to global cloud service providers. Localisation changes the resilience conversation Until recently, discussions around cloud adoption in financial services have tended to centre on security, governance and regulatory compliance. These are still extremely important, but the CBN’s directive adds infrastructure resilience to the equation. While keeping payment data within Nigeria strengthens regulatory oversight and aligns with national data governance requirements, localisation alone doesn’t automatically create resilience without sufficient diversity. The same principles that apply to redundant payment systems, replicated core banking platforms and disaster recovery environments must now be applied to the infrastructure that supports modern digital services. What this means for data centre strategy Data centres have moved from being facilities that house IT equipment to strategic ecosystems where connectivity, cloud services and digital infrastructure converge. This means they can help financial institutions reduce concentration risk by providing access to multiple providers, cloud platforms and interconnection options within a single location. This flexibility allows these institutions to meet localisation requirements while maintaining the operational resilience they need to support critical banking services. The importance of this approach was evident during the subsea cable disruptions that affected multiple African countries in 2024. While cloud platforms remained operational, organisations relying on limited network routes experienced degraded connectivity and service interruptions. The lesson was clear: resilience depends not only on where workloads reside, but also on the infrastructure that connects organisations to them. As Nigerian financial institutions respond to the CBN directive, avoiding this concentration risk should be as important as achieving compliance. Building for the next generation of financial services This shift comes as financial institutions are embedding AI across most aspects of their operations, including fraud detection, customer service, compliance monitoring and risk management. These capabilities all depend on continuous, secure access to data, cloud services and high-performance compute, making resilient digital infrastructure more important than ever. That’s why institutions that treat localisation as a strategic infrastructure initiative rather than simply a compliance requirement will see returns. While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

Localisation changes the resilience conversation Until recently, discussions around cloud adoption in financial services have tended to centre on security, governance and regulatory compliance. These are still extremely important, but the CBN’s directive adds infrastructure resilience to the equation. While keeping payment data within Nigeria strengthens regulatory oversight and aligns with national data governance requirements, localisation alone doesn’t automatically create resilience without sufficient diversity. The same principles that apply to redundant payment systems, replicated core banking platforms and disaster recovery environments must now be applied to the infrastructure that supports modern digital services. What this means for data centre strategy Data centres have moved from being facilities that house IT equipment to strategic ecosystems where connectivity, cloud services and digital infrastructure converge. This means they can help financial institutions reduce concentration risk by providing access to multiple providers, cloud platforms and interconnection options within a single location. This flexibility allows these institutions to meet localisation requirements while maintaining the operational resilience they need to support critical banking services. The importance of this approach was evident during the subsea cable disruptions that affected multiple African countries in 2024. While cloud platforms remained operational, organisations relying on limited network routes experienced degraded connectivity and service interruptions. The lesson was clear: resilience depends not only on where workloads reside, but also on the infrastructure that connects organisations to them. As Nigerian financial institutions respond to the CBN directive, avoiding this concentration risk should be as important as achieving compliance. Building for the next generation of financial services This shift comes as financial institutions are embedding AI across most aspects of their operations, including fraud detection, customer service, compliance monitoring and risk management. These capabilities all depend on continuous, secure access to data, cloud services and high-performance compute, making resilient digital infrastructure more important than ever. That’s why institutions that treat localisation as a strategic infrastructure initiative rather than simply a compliance requirement will see returns. While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

Until recently, discussions around cloud adoption in financial services have tended to centre on security, governance and regulatory compliance. These are still extremely important, but the CBN’s directive adds infrastructure resilience to the equation. While keeping payment data within Nigeria strengthens regulatory oversight and aligns with national data governance requirements, localisation alone doesn’t automatically create resilience without sufficient diversity. The same principles that apply to redundant payment systems, replicated core banking platforms and disaster recovery environments must now be applied to the infrastructure that supports modern digital services. What this means for data centre strategy Data centres have moved from being facilities that house IT equipment to strategic ecosystems where connectivity, cloud services and digital infrastructure converge. This means they can help financial institutions reduce concentration risk by providing access to multiple providers, cloud platforms and interconnection options within a single location. This flexibility allows these institutions to meet localisation requirements while maintaining the operational resilience they need to support critical banking services. The importance of this approach was evident during the subsea cable disruptions that affected multiple African countries in 2024. While cloud platforms remained operational, organisations relying on limited network routes experienced degraded connectivity and service interruptions. The lesson was clear: resilience depends not only on where workloads reside, but also on the infrastructure that connects organisations to them. As Nigerian financial institutions respond to the CBN directive, avoiding this concentration risk should be as important as achieving compliance. Building for the next generation of financial services This shift comes as financial institutions are embedding AI across most aspects of their operations, including fraud detection, customer service, compliance monitoring and risk management. These capabilities all depend on continuous, secure access to data, cloud services and high-performance compute, making resilient digital infrastructure more important than ever. That’s why institutions that treat localisation as a strategic infrastructure initiative rather than simply a compliance requirement will see returns. While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

While keeping payment data within Nigeria strengthens regulatory oversight and aligns with national data governance requirements, localisation alone doesn’t automatically create resilience without sufficient diversity. The same principles that apply to redundant payment systems, replicated core banking platforms and disaster recovery environments must now be applied to the infrastructure that supports modern digital services. What this means for data centre strategy Data centres have moved from being facilities that house IT equipment to strategic ecosystems where connectivity, cloud services and digital infrastructure converge. This means they can help financial institutions reduce concentration risk by providing access to multiple providers, cloud platforms and interconnection options within a single location. This flexibility allows these institutions to meet localisation requirements while maintaining the operational resilience they need to support critical banking services. The importance of this approach was evident during the subsea cable disruptions that affected multiple African countries in 2024. While cloud platforms remained operational, organisations relying on limited network routes experienced degraded connectivity and service interruptions. The lesson was clear: resilience depends not only on where workloads reside, but also on the infrastructure that connects organisations to them. As Nigerian financial institutions respond to the CBN directive, avoiding this concentration risk should be as important as achieving compliance. Building for the next generation of financial services This shift comes as financial institutions are embedding AI across most aspects of their operations, including fraud detection, customer service, compliance monitoring and risk management. These capabilities all depend on continuous, secure access to data, cloud services and high-performance compute, making resilient digital infrastructure more important than ever. That’s why institutions that treat localisation as a strategic infrastructure initiative rather than simply a compliance requirement will see returns. While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

What this means for data centre strategy Data centres have moved from being facilities that house IT equipment to strategic ecosystems where connectivity, cloud services and digital infrastructure converge. This means they can help financial institutions reduce concentration risk by providing access to multiple providers, cloud platforms and interconnection options within a single location. This flexibility allows these institutions to meet localisation requirements while maintaining the operational resilience they need to support critical banking services. The importance of this approach was evident during the subsea cable disruptions that affected multiple African countries in 2024. While cloud platforms remained operational, organisations relying on limited network routes experienced degraded connectivity and service interruptions. The lesson was clear: resilience depends not only on where workloads reside, but also on the infrastructure that connects organisations to them. As Nigerian financial institutions respond to the CBN directive, avoiding this concentration risk should be as important as achieving compliance. Building for the next generation of financial services This shift comes as financial institutions are embedding AI across most aspects of their operations, including fraud detection, customer service, compliance monitoring and risk management. These capabilities all depend on continuous, secure access to data, cloud services and high-performance compute, making resilient digital infrastructure more important than ever. That’s why institutions that treat localisation as a strategic infrastructure initiative rather than simply a compliance requirement will see returns. While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

Data centres have moved from being facilities that house IT equipment to strategic ecosystems where connectivity, cloud services and digital infrastructure converge. This means they can help financial institutions reduce concentration risk by providing access to multiple providers, cloud platforms and interconnection options within a single location. This flexibility allows these institutions to meet localisation requirements while maintaining the operational resilience they need to support critical banking services. The importance of this approach was evident during the subsea cable disruptions that affected multiple African countries in 2024. While cloud platforms remained operational, organisations relying on limited network routes experienced degraded connectivity and service interruptions. The lesson was clear: resilience depends not only on where workloads reside, but also on the infrastructure that connects organisations to them. As Nigerian financial institutions respond to the CBN directive, avoiding this concentration risk should be as important as achieving compliance. Building for the next generation of financial services This shift comes as financial institutions are embedding AI across most aspects of their operations, including fraud detection, customer service, compliance monitoring and risk management. These capabilities all depend on continuous, secure access to data, cloud services and high-performance compute, making resilient digital infrastructure more important than ever. That’s why institutions that treat localisation as a strategic infrastructure initiative rather than simply a compliance requirement will see returns. While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

This flexibility allows these institutions to meet localisation requirements while maintaining the operational resilience they need to support critical banking services. The importance of this approach was evident during the subsea cable disruptions that affected multiple African countries in 2024. While cloud platforms remained operational, organisations relying on limited network routes experienced degraded connectivity and service interruptions. The lesson was clear: resilience depends not only on where workloads reside, but also on the infrastructure that connects organisations to them. As Nigerian financial institutions respond to the CBN directive, avoiding this concentration risk should be as important as achieving compliance. Building for the next generation of financial services This shift comes as financial institutions are embedding AI across most aspects of their operations, including fraud detection, customer service, compliance monitoring and risk management. These capabilities all depend on continuous, secure access to data, cloud services and high-performance compute, making resilient digital infrastructure more important than ever. That’s why institutions that treat localisation as a strategic infrastructure initiative rather than simply a compliance requirement will see returns. While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

The importance of this approach was evident during the subsea cable disruptions that affected multiple African countries in 2024. While cloud platforms remained operational, organisations relying on limited network routes experienced degraded connectivity and service interruptions. The lesson was clear: resilience depends not only on where workloads reside, but also on the infrastructure that connects organisations to them. As Nigerian financial institutions respond to the CBN directive, avoiding this concentration risk should be as important as achieving compliance. Building for the next generation of financial services This shift comes as financial institutions are embedding AI across most aspects of their operations, including fraud detection, customer service, compliance monitoring and risk management. These capabilities all depend on continuous, secure access to data, cloud services and high-performance compute, making resilient digital infrastructure more important than ever. That’s why institutions that treat localisation as a strategic infrastructure initiative rather than simply a compliance requirement will see returns. While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

While cloud platforms remained operational, organisations relying on limited network routes experienced degraded connectivity and service interruptions. The lesson was clear: resilience depends not only on where workloads reside, but also on the infrastructure that connects organisations to them. As Nigerian financial institutions respond to the CBN directive, avoiding this concentration risk should be as important as achieving compliance. Building for the next generation of financial services This shift comes as financial institutions are embedding AI across most aspects of their operations, including fraud detection, customer service, compliance monitoring and risk management. These capabilities all depend on continuous, secure access to data, cloud services and high-performance compute, making resilient digital infrastructure more important than ever. That’s why institutions that treat localisation as a strategic infrastructure initiative rather than simply a compliance requirement will see returns. While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

The lesson was clear: resilience depends not only on where workloads reside, but also on the infrastructure that connects organisations to them. As Nigerian financial institutions respond to the CBN directive, avoiding this concentration risk should be as important as achieving compliance. Building for the next generation of financial services This shift comes as financial institutions are embedding AI across most aspects of their operations, including fraud detection, customer service, compliance monitoring and risk management. These capabilities all depend on continuous, secure access to data, cloud services and high-performance compute, making resilient digital infrastructure more important than ever. That’s why institutions that treat localisation as a strategic infrastructure initiative rather than simply a compliance requirement will see returns. While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

Building for the next generation of financial services This shift comes as financial institutions are embedding AI across most aspects of their operations, including fraud detection, customer service, compliance monitoring and risk management. These capabilities all depend on continuous, secure access to data, cloud services and high-performance compute, making resilient digital infrastructure more important than ever. That’s why institutions that treat localisation as a strategic infrastructure initiative rather than simply a compliance requirement will see returns. While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

This shift comes as financial institutions are embedding AI across most aspects of their operations, including fraud detection, customer service, compliance monitoring and risk management. These capabilities all depend on continuous, secure access to data, cloud services and high-performance compute, making resilient digital infrastructure more important than ever. That’s why institutions that treat localisation as a strategic infrastructure initiative rather than simply a compliance requirement will see returns. While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

While the CBN’s directive is specific to Nigeria, the implications extend far beyond a single market. As governments and regulators across Africa place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, operational resilience and critical digital infrastructure, financial institutions throughout the continent will face many of the same questions. In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

In this new environment, data centres are no longer simply supporting financial services; they are becoming part of the resilience strategy itself. Institutions that invest in resilient, carrier- and cloud-neutral environments will be better positioned to meet regulatory requirements while supporting the next generation of digital financial services. In that sense, Nigeria’s regulatory shift serves as an important signal of the direction in which Africa’s digital financial ecosystem is heading. Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share

Adil El Youssefi is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Colocation Share