Membership
Join the table where the industry's positions are set.
NIFIAN membership gives your institution a vote on the industry's regulatory agenda, access to technical working groups and training, and a seat in the room with the CBN, SEC, NAICOM and DMO.
Why join
Why join NIFIAN?
There is a version of this page that lists benefits and hopes one of them lands. Here is the honest version instead.
Every problem that constrains your institution's growth is an industry problem. You cannot invest surplus liquidity, because the instruments do not exist yet. You cannot hire a structured finance professional who understands istisna, because Nigeria does not produce enough of them. You spend part of every sales conversation explaining that your products are not only for Muslims. Your tax treatment is uncertain in ways a conventional lender's is not.
None of those are things your institution can fix by working harder. They are fixed by an industry that shows up to the consultation with evidence, that funds a training pipeline collectively, and that says the same thing to the public in the same way, repeatedly, for years.
That is what the subscription buys. Not a logo on a website — a share in the infrastructure your institution needs and cannot build alone.
Benefits
What membership gives you
A vote on the industry's agenda
Full members vote at the Annual General Meeting, elect the Executive Committee, and shape the positions NIFIAN takes to regulators. When the association makes a submission to the CBN, it is making it on your behalf and with your input.
A seat in the technical working groups
Standing groups on Regulatory & Policy, Shariah Governance & Standards, Liquidity & Product Development, Capacity Building and Public Awareness. This is where most of the practical value of membership is realised — and it is open to your specialist staff, not only your chief executive.
Direct regulatory engagement
Structured access to the CBN, SEC, NAICOM, DMO and NDIC through the association, including consultation participation and the ability to raise institution-level issues that have industry-wide implications.
Training and capacity building
Member rates on practitioner workshops, executive briefings and certification pathways — the fastest available route to closing your institution's technical skills gap without recruiting abroad.
Research, data and benchmarking
Industry data consolidated from regulator returns, member submissions and market sources, with benchmarking that lets you see where your institution sits against the sector.
Visibility and credibility
A full profile in the national member directory — the page Nigerians and international investors actually reach when searching for licensed non-interest institutions — plus inclusion in NIFIAN's media, events and international representation.
Categories
Membership categories
Four categories, set by what your organisation does rather than by how much it can pay.
Full Member — Institution
CBN-, SEC- or NAICOM-licensed non-interest banks, fund managers and takaful operators.
- Voting rights at the AGM
- Eligible for the Executive Committee
- Full working group participation
- Full profile page in the directory
- Member training rates for all staff
- Full research access, including benchmarking
Associate Member — Institution
Non-interest windows within conventional institutions; licensed fintechs offering non-interest products; institutions with an application in progress.
- No AGM vote — speaking rights only
- Not eligible for the Executive Committee
- Working groups by invitation
- Directory listing
- Member training rates
- Full research access
Affiliate — Service Provider
Law firms, audit and advisory firms, technology vendors, Shariah advisory practices, rating and research firms serving the sector.
- No AGM vote
- Not eligible for the Executive Committee
- Observer status in working groups
- Service provider index listing
- Member training rates
- Summary research access
Individual Associate
Qualified professionals, academics and researchers working in non-interest finance.
- No AGM vote
- Not eligible for the Executive Committee
- Working groups by application
- Name and institution listed
- Individual member training rate
- Summary research access
Not sure which category fits? Email the Secretariat at info@nifian.org and we will tell you plainly.
Eligibility
Eligibility and requirements
You are eligible for Full Membership if:
- Your institution holds a valid Nigerian operating licence from the CBN, the SEC or NAICOM
- A material part of your business is conducted on non-interest, Shariah-compliant principles
- You operate an Advisory Committee of Experts or equivalent Shariah governance function
- Your institution is in good regulatory standing with its supervisor
- You are prepared to contribute data to NIFIAN's industry research programme
What we will ask you for:
- Certificate of incorporation and evidence of your operating licence
- A profile of your non-interest operations — products, scale, and date of commencement
- The composition of your Advisory Committee of Experts
- Your most recent audited financial statements
- A named primary contact and a named alternate for working group participation
- A board or executive resolution approving the application Confirm if required
Applicants whose licence application is still with a regulator can be admitted as Associate Members and transition to Full Membership on licensing.
Process
How to apply
Four steps. No committee interviews, no sponsorship requirement, no waiting list.
Submit the form
Complete the application form below with your institution's details and the name of your primary contact. It takes about ten minutes. You can attach documents now or send them afterwards.
Document review
The Secretariat verifies your licence, reviews your submission and comes back with any gaps. Expect a response within Confirm.
ExCo ratification
Completed applications go to the Executive Committee for ratification at its next scheduled meeting. Cadence: confirm
Onboarding
On admission you receive your membership confirmation and subscription invoice, your directory profile goes live, your named contacts are assigned to working groups, and your staff are added to the training calendar.
Apply
Apply for membership
Ten minutes. One institution. A named human replies.
Application received.
Thank you — a member of the Secretariat will review your submission and respond within Confirm working days. If you need to add documents, reply to the confirmation email we have just sent to your primary contact.
An industry is not a category on a regulator's chart. It is a group of people who decided to build the same thing.
FAQ
Membership questions
Annual subscriptions are set by the Annual General Meeting and vary by membership category. Current rates are available from the Secretariat at info@nifian.org, and are confirmed in writing before any application is ratified. Replace with published figures
The Secretariat reviews completed applications within Confirm working days. Admission is then ratified by the Executive Committee at its next scheduled meeting, and your directory profile goes live shortly afterwards.
Yes, as an Associate Member. Non-interest windows operating within conventional institutions are a recognised and regulated part of Nigeria's non-interest banking market — The Alternative Bank began as exactly that in 2014 — and they face many of the same operational and standards questions as standalone institutions.
Yes. Licensed fintechs offering non-interest financial products are eligible for Associate Membership, and technology vendors serving the sector are eligible as Affiliate Service Providers. Digital distribution is central to how non-interest finance reaches Nigeria's underserved regions.
Individuals working professionally or academically in non-interest finance can join as Individual Associates. This category gives access to training at member rates, the research programme in summary form, and the industry network. It does not carry voting rights.
No. Membership depends on what your institution does, not on who owns it or what faith its directors hold. The requirement is that you are licensed in Nigeria and that a material part of your business runs on non-interest, Shariah-compliant principles.
Three things: pay the annual subscription, participate in at least one technical working group, and contribute data to the industry research programme. The research obligation matters most — NIFIAN's advocacy is only as strong as the evidence members supply, and institution-level data is never published, only aggregated.
Yes. Institution-level data submitted to the research programme is used only in aggregate. Nothing is published at institution level, and nothing is shared with other members, without written consent.
Apply as an Associate Member. You will have access to working groups by invitation, the training programme and the research summaries, and you transition to Full Membership once your licence is issued.
Email the Secretariat at info@nifian.org. If you would rather have a conversation before committing anything to a form, say so — that is a normal way to start.
Ready when you are.
Nigeria's non-interest finance industry closed 2025 at ₦5.77 trillion, and the institutions shaping what it becomes next are the ones in the room. Add yours.