…. Tony Elumelu praises the Moniepoint founder’s vision, enterprise and disciplined focus
Tosin Eniolorunda, Co-founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of Moniepoint Inc, has been named to the 2026 TIME100 Next, TIME’s annual list recognising 100 of the world’s most influential rising stars shaping the next generation of leadership across industries. He joins emerging leaders from business, technology, politics, science, sport and culture, whom TIME describes as shaping the future.
The only African among the business, technology and AI leaders on this year’s list, Eniolorunda’s inclusion recognises his role in building financial infrastructure that has helped expand access to financial services across Nigeria. Founded in 2015 and a unicorn since 2024, Moniepoint has grown to serve more than 20 million businesses and individuals, powering about eight in every ten in-person digital payment transactions in Nigeria with an agency banking network spanning all 774 local government areas. Its blue POS terminal has become a familiar fixture of everyday commerce across the country.
According to TIME Chief Executive Officer Jessica Sibley, “This year’s listmakers are pushing boundaries, creating new possibilities, and advancing their fields and communities around the world.
The list is the outcome of a long and deliberate editorial process which TIME is famed for. The global platform says its team spent months working with teams around the world to seek out individuals who best represent the stories shaping the world. Themes that guided the selection included access to education, the artificial intelligence revolution, immigration and new models of political leadership. This year’s class is made up of exactly 100 individuals, and the youngest of them, the cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, is 15.
TIME launched the list in 2019 on the premise that influence now arrives early and from outside the traditional establishment. To honour each new class, it invites members of its TIME100 community to write their tributes. Eniolorunda’s citation was written by Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings / Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, and a 2020 TIME100 honouree. In the tribute, he describes Eniolorunda as a young man who, like himself, “grew up without a silver spoon but still had the audacity to dream,” and says his success will show other young Africans that they, too, can succeed.
Reacting to the recognition, 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. 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.”
He added, “I am also deeply thankful to Mr Elumelu for his generous words and his continued commitment to championing African enterprise. 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.”
The recognition is the latest in a run of honours for Moniepoint from TIME. On 22 September 2026, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Felix Ike, was named to TIME’s inaugural Executives of the Year list for Tech and Data. Last year, Moniepoint was also named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential Companies.
Other honourees on this year’s list include actor Joey King, profiled by Oscar winner Nicole Kidman, NBA star Tyrese Maxey, profiled by four-time NBA champion LeBron James, and Filipino tennis player Alexandra Eala, profiled by Olympic gold medallist Rafael Nadal. Africa is also represented by honourees including Kenya’s Wawira Njiru, founder of the nonprofit Food4Education, who was profiled by comedian Trevor Noah.
TIME will celebrate this year’s honourees at the sixth annual TIME100 Next event in New York on 29 October.
For African enterprises, the listing is a clear signal that companies built on the continent, for the continent, are commanding global attention. The full profile is available on TIME’s website.
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