OPay Deploys AI, Data Analytics to Strengthen Fraud Prevention

OPay says it has deployed artificial intelligence, big-data analytics and real-time transaction monitoring to protect customers from fraud and financial crime as Nigeria’s digital payments ecosystem continues to expand.

The fintech said its risk-control system can identify and respond to suspicious activity within milliseconds, using more than 5,000 monitoring and blocking rules alongside over 10,000 risk-feature profiles.

Nigeria’s growing reliance on electronic payments has increased the need for stronger safeguards across the financial system. Point-of-Sale transactions alone reached ₦18.78 trillion in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring the scale of activity passing through the country’s digital payment infrastructure.

OPay’s transaction value more than doubled to $358 billion in 2025, from $166.2 billion in 2024. Its monthly active transacting users also rose from 25.13 million to 39.32 million, while its merchant network exceeded one million.

The rapid expansion has made fraud detection, identity verification and anti-money laundering controls increasingly important for fintech operators serving millions of consumers and businesses.

More than 5,000 blocking rules OPay said it spent three years developing an Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing risk-control and compliance system, benchmarking the technology against global fintech practices while retaining ownership of its intellectual property.

The system evaluates transaction behaviour and other risk indicators in real time. Where suspicious activity is identified and verified, OPay said it can block transactions, freeze accounts or permanently suspend accounts

According to the company, the controls have helped keep its transaction fraud rate below 0.001%.

Identity checks at the centre The fintech has also developed digital identity-verification and live facial-detection technologies to detect identity forgery and impersonation.

OPay said the systems have blocked more than one million fake identities, while its live facial-detection technology stops tens of thousands of attack attempts daily.

The measures are designed to strengthen Know Your Customer processes and reduce the risk of account takeover, identity theft, impersonation and money laundering.

AI analyses customer behaviour OPay said it has established a client reporting centre and integrated large AI models and intelligent-agent technology into its risk-control processes.

These systems analyse customer and transaction data to identify behavioural patterns that may signal suspicious activity.

Rather than examining transactions individually, the technology assesses them in the broader context of an account’s activity, including deviations from normal behaviour and other risk indicators.

The company has also described the use of behavioural analytics, device fingerprints and transaction velocity to score transactions before they are completed. Graph-based analysis can help identify networks of connected mule accounts rather than focusing only on individual suspicious transactions.

Balancing protection and convenience OPay said its compliance framework combines technology with human expertise, governance, employee training, monitoring and risk management.

The company faces the challenge of stopping fraudulent activity without disrupting legitimate transactions.

As fraudsters change their tactics and payment channels evolve, fintech operators must continuously update their monitoring systems while complying with new regulatory requirements.

For customers, effective fraud prevention may often be invisible: a suspicious transfer blocked before funds leave an account, a fraudulent identity stopped during onboarding or an attempted account takeover prevented in real time.

As Nigeria’s digital finance sector grows, the ability to secure transactions and maintain customer confidence is likely to become as important as payment speed and convenience.