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🪙CBN Rolls Out Crypto Rules for Fintechs

🪙CBN Rolls Out Crypto Rules for Fintechs

Plus: 🤖Oracle Cuts 30,000 Jobs to Fund AI Push

Innovation Village
April 02, 2026

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Good Morning Valued Subscribers👋

Today’s developments across technology, regulation, and digital platforms highlight the rapid pace of change shaping both global and African innovation ecosystems. From Roqqu expanding into futures trading to deepen its crypto offerings, to X pausing creator revenue changes after backlash, the evolving dynamics of digital finance and platform governance remain in sharp focus.

At the same time, regulatory and policy actions are gaining momentum. Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) is cracking down on unsafe products, while Meta faces a $375 million fine over child safety violations—underscoring increasing global scrutiny on consumer protection and platform accountability. Meanwhile, innovation continues to push boundaries, with Airtel and SpaceX testing Starlink’s direct-to-mobile connectivity in Kenya, even as OpenAI shuts down Sora, signaling shifting priorities in the AI landscape.

Together, these stories reflect a broader narrative: one where expansion, regulation, and technological experimentation are unfolding simultaneously, shaping the future of digital services, financial systems, and connectivity across emerging and global markets.

Let’s dive in👇

Today’s Menu ☕️

🪙 Roqqu Expands Beyond Trading With Futures Platform
📲 X Pauses Creator Revenue Changes
⚖️ FCCPC Cracks Down on Unsafe Products in Nigeria
🤖 OpenAI Shuts Down Sora
📶 Airtel, SpaceX Test Starlink Mobile in Kenya
🤖 Meta Fined $375M Over Child Safety Violations

🪙CRYPTOCURRENCY

Roqqu Expands Beyond Trading With Futures Platform

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced a pilot compliance programme for virtual asset service providers (VASPs), bringing firms like Flutterwave and Paystack under structured regulatory oversight.

The initiative marks a shift from earlier restrictions on crypto to active supervision, focusing on anti-money laundering (AML), transaction monitoring, and alignment with global standards like the FATF “Travel Rule.”

Participating companies will undergo regular reporting, compliance reviews, and supervisory engagement, as the CBN assesses risks and prepares the sector for formal regulation.............….continue reading

📲SOCIAL MEDIA

X Pauses Creator Revenue Changes

X (formerly Twitter) has suspended updates to its Creator Revenue Sharing program following criticism from Nigerian and international creators. The proposed policy aimed to prioritize earnings from local audiences, reducing revenue from foreign viewers. Nigerian creators argued this would unfairly penalize accounts with global followings, affecting income from international audiences.

The controversy escalated after remarks by X’s Head of Product, Nikita Bier, singling out Nigeria, prompting Elon Musk to intervene and pause the changes. Under the current system, creators earn roughly $8.50 per million verified Premium impressions regardless of geography...............….continue reading

⚖️REGULATIONS

FCCPC Cracks Down on Unsafe Products in Nigeria

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has warned manufacturers, importers, and distributors in Nigeria that substandard or unsafe products must be immediately withdrawn or face fines and legal action. The directive, delivered on World Consumer Rights Day 2026, reinforces the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 (FCCPA), which requires businesses to ensure products are safe, properly labeled, and meet quality standards.

The FCCPC highlighted ongoing issues with low-quality goods across food, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and household items, often caused by weak quality controls or deliberate violations. Companies are now expected to proactively recall unsafe products, notify consumers, and strengthen compliance practices..........….continue reading

🤖ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

OpenAI Shuts Down Sora

OpenAI has abruptly discontinued Sora, its AI video-generation tool, terminating a reported $1 billion partnership with Disney. Sora, capable of producing cinematic video from text prompts, had been intended for pre-visualization and content prototyping in Disney’s production workflows.

The shutdown is driven by high computational costs, scaling challenges, and resource constraints, prompting OpenAI to prioritize enterprise AI, robotics, and AGI-focused solutions over resource-intensive consumer experiments. While Disney acknowledged the shift and remains open to future collaborations, the move reflects broader industry trends: companies are reassessing costly, experimental AI projects in favor of sustainable, revenue-generating applications..............….continue reading

📶TELECOMS

Airtel, SpaceX Test Starlink Mobile in Kenya

Airtel Africa and SpaceX have successfully trialed Starlink’s direct-to-mobile satellite service in Kenya, allowing standard 4G smartphones to connect directly to satellites without additional hardware. The test enabled messaging, light data usage, navigation, and mobile financial services in areas with no terrestrial coverage.

The pilot marks a shift from partnership planning to practical deployment, with lessons from Kenya informing future rollouts across Airtel Africa’s 14 markets, including Nigeria, pending regulatory approvals.

The technology, currently supporting basic services, plans to expand to voice, higher-bandwidth data, and IoT connectivity, bridging urban-rural connectivity gaps in Africa..............….continue reading