Nigerian fintech company CredPal is expanding beyond its buy now, pay later business with the launch of Atom, a new investment platform designed to give users access to local and international financial markets.
The platform allows individuals to invest in Nigerian stocks, US listed securities and digital assets, bringing different investment opportunities into one digital service. The move marks a new direction for CredPal, which built its reputation around helping consumers spread payments for purchases rather than paying the full amount upfront. Through Atom Retail, individual users can access different investment options, including Nigerian equities, US securities and more than 300 digital assets. The platform also provides AI-powered market information and portfolio insights to help users monitor their investments.
Another feature allows eligible investors to borrow naira against qualifying investments without immediately selling their holdings. However, such borrowing comes with collateral requirements and investment risks. Beyond individual users, Atom Business targets financial institutions, including banks, fintech companies and wealth managers. It provides technology infrastructure that allows these organisations to offer investment services to their customers.
CredPal’s entry into investment services reflects its ambition to move beyond consumer credit and participate in more areas of digital finance. The company is positioning Atom as a platform that can make investment opportunities more accessible while helping financial institutions introduce new services without building their technology infrastructure from scratch. Founded in 2018, CredPal has built its presence in Nigeria’s consumer lending market. The company has reportedly disbursed more than $100 million in credit and participated in the Y Combinator startup accelerator in 2019.
However, its expansion into investments will bring new challenges, particularly around investor confidence, financial regulation and protecting users from market risks. With Atom, CredPal is taking a step towards becoming more than a buy now, pay later provider as competition grows across Nigeria’s digital financial services industry.