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By Chinenye Anuforo
As inflation continues to squeeze household incomes and weaken purchasing power, financial experts have urged Nigerians to exercise discipline, transitioning from traditional savings to structured wealth strategies to protect and grow their money.
Speaking during a roundtable interview, Chinwe Iwobi, Head of Wealth Management, and Feyishetan Akinyemi, Head of Treasury at FairMoney Microfinance Bank, warned that inflation has effectively turned idle cash into a silent drain on wealth.
Iwobi described inflation as a “stealth tax” that disproportionately affects individuals who rely on low-yield savings accounts, noting that many Nigerians focus on interest earned without considering the real value of their money.
According to her, a typical savings account offering around five percent interest delivers negative real returns when inflation remains in double digits.
“We focus on real returns of what your money is actually worth after inflation, not just the interest you earn,” she said. “Traditional savings may grow your balance, but they reduce your purchasing power over time.”
She explained that applying an inflation-adjusted framework allows individuals to see clearly whether their money is truly growing or gradually losing value.
On how to navigate the current economic climate, Akinyemi said interest rates alone are not enough to protect wealth, stressing the importance of structure, discipline, and consistency.
“In a high-inflation environment, interest rates alone don’t solve the problem, we focus on structure,” she said.
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She noted that structured savings options such as goal-based plans and flexible high-yield accounts help individuals balance liquidity with returns while staying invested long enough to benefit from compounding.
According to her, splitting funds across different time horizons also allows individuals to create a simple but effective diversification strategy, even within naira-denominated assets.“What we are offering is a structured way to preserve and grow real value,” Akinyemi said.
Iwobi further explained that technology is now making wealth management accessible to a broader segment of the population, breaking the long-standing perception that it is only for high-net-worth individuals.
She said digital platforms have eliminated many of the traditional barriers, including high entry thresholds and operational costs, allowing more Nigerians to access competitive yield opportunities.
“We’ve removed the traditional barriers. Customers no longer need large capital or advanced financial knowledge to benefit from structured investment strategies,” she said.
She added that automation tools such as goal-based savings, reminders, and seamless reinvestment are helping individuals build wealth through consistency and compounding without relying on constant manual decisions.
On the broader economic implications, Akinyemi noted that increased participation in structured savings and investment products can strengthen the financial system and support national development.
Operating within regulatory frameworks set by the Central Bank of Nigeria, Securities and Exchange Commission Nigeria, and Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, she said financial institutions play a key role in channeling retail savings into productive sectors of the economy.
These include government securities and quality credit assets that support both public financing and private sector growth. She added that expanding financial inclusion through digital savings platforms is critical to building a strong domestic capital base needed for long-term economic stability.
Addressing behavioural challenges, Akinyemi said inflation often drives people to spend quickly out of fear of rising prices, but stressed that this approach ultimately leads to wealth erosion. She explained that structured and automated savings systems can help reverse that trend by making saving a default habit rather than a discretionary action.“We design systems that encourage discipline, so people save before they spend, not the other way around,” she said.
She added that features such as restricted withdrawals, visible progress tracking, and automatic reinvestment help reinforce long-term financial behaviour. As inflation persists, the experts maintained that Nigerians must shift from passive saving to intentional, structured wealth building in order to safeguard their financial future.
