Moniepoint CEO Tosin Eniolorunda Lands Spot on TIME100 Next 2026

Tosin Eniolorunda, co-founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of Moniepoint Inc., has been named to the 2026 TIME100 Next list. He is the only African among this year's business, technology and artificial intelligence honourees.

The annual list celebrates 100 rising figures shaping leadership across business, technology, politics, science, sport and culture.

A fintech built for everyday payments

Moniepoint was founded in 2015 and reached unicorn status in 2024. The company now serves more than 20 million businesses and individuals.

According to Moniepoint, it powers about eight in every ten in-person digital payment transactions in Nigeria. Its agency banking network covers all 774 local government areas.

Its blue point-of-sale terminals have become familiar tools for traders and businesses, supporting everyday payments and access to financial services.

Elumelu writes the tribute

Tony Elumelu, chairman of Heirs Holdings and founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, wrote Eniolorunda's tribute for TIME.

Elumelu, himself a 2020 TIME100 honouree, described the entrepreneur as someone who "grew up without a silver spoon but still had the audacity to dream".

He said Eniolorunda's success would show other young Africans that they could also succeed, praising his vision, enterprise and disciplined focus.

TIME launched TIME100 Next in 2019 to recognise influential figures emerging beyond traditional centres of power.

What Eniolorunda said

Responding to the honour, Eniolorunda credited Moniepoint's employees and the millions of businesses and individuals who trust the company with their livelihoods.

He said the recognition renewed its commitment to delivering financial happiness and building services with greater rigour and care.

He also thanked Elumelu for championing African enterprise, expressing confidence that Africans could transform the continent with the right tools and opportunities.

A run of recognition for Moniepoint

The honour follows co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Felix Ike's inclusion in TIME's inaugural Executives of the Year list for Tech and Data. Ike was the only executive representing an African company among the 50 leaders selected for the 2026 list.

Moniepoint was also featured among TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies last year.

TIME will celebrate the honourees in New York on October 29.

What it means

The listing puts Moniepoint's payments rails in front of a global audience at a time when Nigeria's fintechs are fighting for market share in agency banking and merchant payments. For traders and small businesses, the company's scale is the reason its terminals and transfers matter. For the broader sector, the recognition signals that global platforms are paying closer attention to the infrastructure moving money at street level in Nigeria.