Follow Us on Google
By Chinenye Anuforo
Nigerian artificial intelligence firm, Optimus AI Labs, has announced new enterprise-grade AI solutions developed to help banks meet the stricter consumer-protection requirements recently introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The company’s Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, Mr. Lanre Basamta, disclosed this in Lagos during a media engagement session where he explained that the banking sector’s longstanding customer service bottlenecks have now become urgent regulatory priorities under the new CBN framework.
Basamta, who previously held senior roles at Remita, Sigma, Cellulant and Interswitch, said the company’s strategic pivot into AI in 2023 was driven by the reality that only advanced technology could help financial institutions operate at the scale now demanded by customers and regulators. According to him, the firm has developed an AI-powered voice support agent designed to address one of the sector’s most critical challenges: customers’ inability to reach their banks promptly when fraud occurs.
He noted that institutions like Access Bank and OPay now serve tens of millions of users, making traditional call centres insufficient and often leaving customers on hold for 40 minutes or more delays that could cost them eligibility for refunds under the new CBN timelines for fraud reporting and resolution. The new AI agent answers calls instantly, processes inquiries, resolves certain complaints autonomously and escalates others, enabling banks to comply with the regulator’s requirements while restoring customer confidence.
Basamta also highlighted OMNIS, the company’s AI-driven recommendation engine that analyses customer spending patterns and behavioural data to help banks deliver tailored products that improve engagement and revenue. OMNIS is already in use by Providus Bank, with additional top-tier banks said to be in advanced discussions with the company.
Before its full pivot to financial services, Optimus AI Labs built ZIKI, Nigeria’s first AI-powered learning management platform for secondary schools, developed in partnership with 24 teachers. ZIKI is capable of teaching any subject or topic using an adaptive learning model. However, Basamta said the difficulty of scaling education technology in a fragmented, low-margin sector pushed the company to focus on industries with stronger financial capacity for AI adoption.
He also revealed that the company’s reach has extended beyond Nigeria, noting that Optimus AI Labs built an advanced AI-powered learning environment for one of Canada’s largest dental institutions despite never meeting the client physically. He described this as evidence of AI’s power to expand opportunities for African technology companies. The company, which now has about 40 core team members working mostly remotely, operates from the Lagos office previously occupied by KUDA Microfinance Bank. Basamta said this history inspires the team, recalling KUDA’s rise from the same location before becoming a $500 million company.
He thanked technology advocate, CFA, for his support and urged industry stakeholders to collaborate more closely as the financial sector undergoes rapid transformation driven by regulation and innovation. Basamta added that artificial intelligence has given small Nigerian companies global competitiveness, and expressed optimism that Optimus AI Labs is positioned to play a major role in shaping the future of digital financial services in the country.
