Forbes Africa Spotlight: Oluseye Olusoga on Modernizing Nigeria’s Financial Market with Scalable Financial Technology
In step with Nigeria’s ambition for a US$1 trillion economy by 2030, Parthian Partners is laying the financial plumbing for markets that are inclusive, digital, and development-ready.
After returning to Nigeria from a high-class trading career in London, Oluseye Olusoga encountered a financial market that lacked breadth and transparency. At the time, prices were directly local transactions, data disclosure lacked transparency, and the infrastructure for sale was simply not there. “One of the things I realized was that the biggest wall between the local market and the international market was the trading infrastructure,” he recalls.
This realization spurred the founding of Parthian Partners in 2012, which introduced Nigeria’s first interdealer broker. Parthian introduced anonymity, price efficiency, and liquidity into Nigeria’s financial markets, enabling market participants to trade in fixed income and treasury bills with greater confidence. The platform provided much-needed liquidity and price discovery, crucial for the growth of the capital market and institutional investors.
“Our vision is to be a leading financial market infrastructure provider in Africa,” Olusoga says. “Without capital formation, there is no development.”
As part of this expansion, Parthian Partners has since grown into an asset management company, offering investors opportunities for diversification through both naira and dollar-denominated money market funds. This expansion has also made the firm a gateway between retail and institutional investors in African and U.S. securities.
In 2020, Parthian launched i-invest, Nigeria’s first digital investment marketplace, enabling users to purchase and manage investments securely from their mobile devices. The app has grown to over one million users, demonstrating strong demand for digital investment solutions in Nigeria.
Olusoga highlights the importance of regulatory alignment and innovation:
“Our asset management license allows us to offer Naira and dollar-based money market funds.”
This gives investors a hedge and diversification opportunities consistent with international standards.
He envisions a financial sector that supports national development: finance should serve national development, not just private returns. In 2025, the firm was appointed as transaction adviser to the Ministry of Finance Incorporated in restructuring the Federal Government of Nigeria’s state-owned enterprises, a significant step towards aligning private capital with public goals.
Olusoga is optimistic: Nigeria’s youthful demographics, rising financial literacy, and regulatory reforms create the conditions for the country to achieve its US$1 trillion ambition. “Our responsibility is to build the plumbing of the financial market to make it inclusive, efficient, and sustainable.”
The road will not be without challenges, but Olusoga stresses the importance of seizing the current momentum: “Nigeria has all the ingredients for long-term success, and our job is to provide the structure that will underpin that growth.”
By focusing on technology-driven financial infrastructure, transparency, and governance, Parthian Partners is helping unlock the potential of Nigeria’s financial markets and capital, both domestically and globally.