Nigeria’s capital markets, though underdeveloped compared to global standards, have begun to attract more interest as businesses look beyond bank lending. Corporate bond issuances, private equity inflows, and alternative financing structures are slowly gaining traction. Olabinjo believes Skystone is well-positioned to play a catalytic role in this evolution. “Our work with family businesses showed us a clear gap,” he said. “Many of these companies could scale faster if they had the governance and structures required to raise money in the capital markets. That is exactly where we come in, not just to provide credit, but to guide them into becoming issuers and fund managers themselves.”

With fund management and issuance licenses now secured, Skystone is preparing to expand its services into asset management, structured finance, and capital raising for corporates. The company is also building strategic partnerships to support cross-border financing in West Africa. Industry analysts say this is a logical move. Nigeria’s financing gap for SMEs alone is estimated at over ₦617 billion annually, according to the IFC, while corporate issuances remain a fraction of potential. By positioning itself as both a financier and an advisor, Skystone hopes to capture businesses at multiple stages of their growth journey.