Paga elevates Oviosu to Group CEO in strategic expansion push

The fintech company Paga has announced a major leadership overhaul, appointing founder Tayo Oviosu as Group Chief Executive Officer as part of a broader restructuring aimed at accelerating its expansion and product innovation strategy.

Under the new structure, Oviosu will also serve as Executive Chairman of the Group Board and Non-Executive Chairman of Paga Nigeria, signalling a shift toward a more layered governance model as the company scales its operations across multiple markets.

The announcement was made in a corporate update shared on his social media account, confirming that the leadership changes are intended to strengthen execution across the group’s growing portfolio of financial services and technology-driven products.

New operational leadership structure introduced

As part of the restructuring, the company has created a new Group Chief Operating Officer role, which will oversee all established business lines across the organisation. Ope Oyinloye has been appointed to the position and will also serve as CEO of Paga Nigeria.

The dual appointment places Oyinloye at the centre of domestic operations, where Paga’s largest customer base remains, and is expected to focus on improving execution efficiency and scaling core services.

Meanwhile, co-founder Jay Alabraba will transition into a more specialised role focused on strategic projects and market expansion initiatives as the company looks to enter new territories.

Oviosu noted that his own focus as Group CEO will increasingly shift toward geographic expansion and the development of new technologies through Paga Labs, including areas such as stablecoins, crypto solutions, and artificial intelligence-driven financial tools.

Expansion strategy and global partnerships

The leadership changes come as Paga deepens its international ambitions and strengthens its product ecosystem. The company recently entered into a strategic partnership with global payments giant PayPal, allowing Nigerian users to link accounts and receive funds more seamlessly than before.

This development marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s fintech space, particularly as restrictions on cross-border payment platforms have historically limited access for local users.

Paga has also grown significantly over the years, reporting trillions of naira in processed transactions and building a large agent network across the country. The company’s expansion reflects broader trends in Nigeria’s digital payments sector, where mobile money operators continue to scale rapidly amid rising adoption of cashless transactions.

Positioning for the next phase of growth

The restructuring suggests that Paga is positioning itself for a new phase of growth focused on infrastructure, cross-border services, and emerging financial technologies.

By separating group leadership from local operational management, the company appears to be aligning itself with global fintech governance models that allow for faster expansion while maintaining control over core domestic markets.

Industry observers say the move reflects increasing competition in Nigeria’s fintech sector, where firms are racing to build integrated ecosystems that combine payments, remittances, credit, and digital assets into unified platforms.

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