SoftAlliance, one of Nigeria’s leading technology and payment solution providers, has urged fintech companies to prioritise data protection and the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) as the 2025 edition of Nigeria Fintech Week concluded in Lagos.
The event, held at the Landmark Centre under the theme “The Fintech Ecosystem Symphony: Orchestrating Nigeria’s Digital Future,” brought together regulators, innovators and investors driving the growth of Africa’s financial technology industry.
Chief Payment Officer, George Onyewuchi, of SoftAlliance, said the increasing integration of AI into digital financial services presents both opportunities and risks, particularly regarding privacy and data security.
“We are in the AI era, where any modern application must leverage artificial intelligence. But with AI comes the challenge of protecting user data,” Onyewuchi said in an interview on the sidelines of the event.
“At SoftPay, we ensure that customer data never leaves a safe, controlled environment. All our AI models operate within secure local storage facilities, allowing us to innovate while keeping customer information safe.”
SoftAlliance used the conference to showcase SoftPay, its flagship digital payment platform, which has been gaining market share for offering fast, secure, and transparent transactions. Onyewuchi said the company designed SoftPay to comply with strict data protection protocols and avoid exposure to third-party risks.
“We do not have third-party relationships that grant access to customer data,” he said. “Our system anonymises data so that no individual identity is exposed. We analyse data at an aggregate level for insights without compromising privacy, and we never sell customer data to anyone.”
The company is also experimenting with blockchain technology to boost transparency and strengthen backend security for payments.
“We are already testing blockchain use cases that make data immutable and enhance transaction efficiency,” Onyewuchi said. “Customers might not see it directly, but they will experience faster, more reliable transactions powered by blockchain infrastructure.”
He added that SoftPay gives users full control over their financial information through advanced access management tools.
“Transaction data is sensitive, as it reveals how people interact with money,” Onyewuchi said. “With SoftPay, users decide who can access their data, and only on a need-to-know basis.”
Founded in Nigeria, SoftAlliance provides enterprise software, payment systems, and digital transformation services to businesses and governments across Africa. Through products such as SoftPay, it aims to combine innovation with trust and transparency in the fast-evolving digital payments landscape.
