Most Nigerian small and medium-sized enterprises now use digital payments, but only 29 per cent use a platform that connects those payments with the rest of their business operations, according to Visa’s new Pay and Get Paid 2026 report. The findings, released on Wednesday, 11 November, suggest that Nigerian SMEs have moved past the first stage of digital adoption but still lose time and visibility to a productivity gap.
What the survey covered
Visa conducted face-to-face interviews with business owners and financial decision-makers between March and April 2026 across 11 markets. In Nigeria, the study surveyed 251 SMEs. It examined how small businesses manage payments, run daily operations and respond to the idea of integrated payment and business tools.
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The gap between payments and operations
The report describes a disconnect between taking payments and the operational tasks that follow. Some businesses juggle several separate systems to run their day, using one tool to receive money and others to record sales, manage stock and keep accounts. Each handover costs time and creates room for error.
A business that takes a payment in one app, records it in a notebook and reconciles it in a spreadsheet pays for that process three times over in staff hours.
The businesses that have made the switch report strong results. Among Nigerian SMEs using an integrated tool or platform, 93 per cent report satisfaction and 88 per cent report efficiency gains, including less time and effort spent managing the business.
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Why lenders should pay attention
The report points to a second benefit that matters to any owner seeking finance. Integrated platforms can give financial institutions a more complete view of an SME’s cash flow, which can support risk assessment and more tailored lending over time. Access Bank said in comments published with the report that when payments connect to everyday operations, SMEs gain better visibility into their cash flow, strengthen financial management and build a stronger foundation for accessing financing.
That point speaks to a recurring complaint from lenders. Banks and development institutions have repeatedly named poor record-keeping as a reason small businesses fail credit assessments. A platform that records every sale and expense automatically produces the data trail that many owners have never had.
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What owners can do
Owners who already accept digital payments can take a practical next step. They can check whether their payment provider also offers invoicing, inventory tracking or bookkeeping, and whether the data can be exported for a lender or accountant. Moving even one task, such as daily sales reconciliation, onto the same platform as payments reduces manual work.
With 71 per cent of surveyed Nigerian SMEs still outside integrated platforms, the larger opportunity may lie less in accepting more payments than in making the payments they already receive work harder for the business.
