Leading fintech company OPay has marked the first anniversary of its 10-year N1.2bn scholarship programme awarded to university students across Nigeria.

In a statement on Sunday, the firm said that the celebration, tagged 2025 Empowering Futures Conference, reaffirmed its vision to be the most respected and popular financial technology company that actively creates social value, with a mission to make financial services more inclusive through technology.

The N1.2bn 10-year OPay scholarship programme is a cornerstone of the company’s commitment to empowering young Nigerians through education and technology.

As part of the event, OPay announced the delivery of its first-year commitment, having disbursed N126m in scholarships to 420 outstanding students across 20 Nigerian tertiary institutions. This milestone fulfils the first phase of OPay’s N120m annual investment, in line with the 10-year Memoranda of Understanding signed with partner universities across the country.

The OPay 10-year scholarship programme stands as a long-term investment in Nigeria, designed to support brilliant students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential, and genuine financial need. By combining merit and need-based selection, the initiative ensures that talented students from diverse economic backgrounds have the opportunity to pursue their education without financial barriers.

Speaking at the event, several vice-chancellors from participating institutions commended OPay’s sustained commitment to education. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, in particular, pledged to promote OPay’s initiatives on campus, encouraging students to embrace digital financial inclusion and leverage the scholarship to achieve academic success.

“We are proud to partner with OPay to open the doors of opportunity for our students. When we equip young minds with digital-financial tools, we’re not only supporting their studies, we’re enabling them to meaningfully participate in tomorrow’s economy,” said the immediate past VC of UniCal, Professor Florence Obi, who was represented at the event.

As part of its broader commitment to digital empowerment, OPay also launched the OPay CyberLabs Project in partnership with the University of Calabar, marking the establishment of the first CyberLab under the programme.

The CyberLabs Project is designed to revamp university technology facilities and provide hands-on training sessions for students, led by OPay’s top technology professionals. These sessions will expose students to emerging global technologies and practical digital skills, preparing them for the realities of today’s innovation-driven economy.

Commenting on the launch, Chief Commercial Officer at OPay, Elizabeth Wang, reiterated that the scholarship initiative remains the central pillar of its social impact strategy, while complementary programmes like CyberLabs will continue to support capacity development and digital literacy.

“Through the CyberLabs Project, we are not only upgrading university technology facilities but also creating platforms where students can learn directly from some of the best minds in the industry. Our goal is to bridge the gap between academia and real-world innovation, ensuring Nigerian students are equipped with the knowledge and tools to thrive in today’s technology-driven world,” she said.

Reaffirming OPay’s vision to build a financial ecosystem that empowers people and creates shared value with education positioned as a key driver of national progress, CSR Manager at OPay, Itoro Udo, said, “Education is the future of society, and students are the builders of that future. By investing in both learning and technology, OPay will continue to demonstrate its role as a catalyst for inclusive growth in Nigeria.”

With initiatives such as the OPay 10-year scholarship programme, the company is deepening its social impact and campus partnerships, nurturing a generation that is both academically driven and financially empowered to drive change.

OPay was established in 2018 in Nigeria with the mission to make financial services more inclusive through technology. The company offers a wide range of payment services, including money transfer, bill payment, airtime and data purchase, card service, and merchant payments, among others. Renowned for its super-fast experience and reliable network, OPay is licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria and insured by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, with the same insurance coverage as commercial banks.