The findings point to eight structural implications that together reframe trust as a design problem rather than an institutional attribute. These implications span identity infrastructure, risk architecture, coordination mechanisms, regulatory governance, and the role of cultural confidence in sustaining active participation.
Ten recommendations are addressed to three audiences
For regulators and government agencies
mandate interoperable identity infrastructure as shared public investment; establish mandatory fraud intelligence sharing with binding participation; publish binding AI governance standards including explainability and contestability requirements; and commit to a phased transition toward outcome-based supervision with standing industry-regulator dialogue mechanisms.
For financial institutions
treat dispute resolution as a strategic investment rather than a cost centre; adopt AI governance frameworks ahead of regulatory mandates; and take active leadership in building the cross-sector collaboration infrastructure the system currently lacks.
For development partners and research institutions
commission a longitudinal Trust Barometer for Nigeria’s financial system; support the development of shared AI training datasets relevant to African financial systems; and facilitate cross-country learning that positions Nigeria as an exporter of governance frameworks, not only an adopter of global standards.
The direction these recommendations point to is already gaining official ground. The Central Bank’s Payments System Vision 2028, published in June 2026, names trust among its guiding principles and commits to a National Payments Trust Index. This report sets out what systemic trust in platform-led finance consists of and where it breaks down – the architecture any credible attempt to measure it will have to reflect.
Collectively, these recommendations reflect a shift from institution-level optimisation to system-level design – from governing individual actors to designing the architecture that connects them.