Elumelu praises his vision, commitment to African enterprise
By Kingsley Samuel
Moniepoint co-founder and Group Chief Executive Officer, Tosin Eniolorunda, has been named to the 2026 TIME100 Next list of influential rising leaders.
His inclusion recognises his work in expanding access to financial services in Nigeria through Moniepoint, which the company says serves more than 20 million businesses and individuals.
In a tribute accompanying the listing, Chairman of Heirs Holdings and founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Tony Elumelu, described Eniolorunda as a young man who “grew up without a silver spoon but still had the audacity to dream.”
Elumelu said Eniolorunda’s success could encourage other young Africans to believe they, too, can succeed.
Reacting, Eniolorunda said: “I am grateful to TIME for this recognition, which belongs first to the Moniepoint team, whose discipline and sacrifice built this company, and to the millions of businesses and individuals across the continent who trust us with their livelihoods every day.”
He added: “Our mission has always been to deliver financial happiness, and this honour renews our commitment to building with even greater rigour and care for the people we serve.”
Thanking Elumelu for his tribute, he said: “We both share a belief that Africa’s future will be shaped by its own people, and that, given access to the right tools and opportunities, Africans have everything it takes to transform this continent.”
TIME Chief Executive Officer, Jessica Sibley, said this year’s honourees were “pushing boundaries, creating new possibilities, and advancing their fields and communities around the world.”
Founded in 2015, Moniepoint says its agency banking network reaches all 774 local government areas in Nigeria. The company became a unicorn in 2024.
The recognition follows TIME’s naming of Moniepoint co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Felix Ike, on its Executives of the Year list for Tech and Data in September.
TIME will celebrate the honourees in New York on October 29.
