What Digital Encode does

Digital Encode Limited is a Nigerian cybersecurity consulting and integration firm founded in 2003 by Prof. Obadare Peter Adewale, headquartered in Lagos with an additional office in New York. The firm specializes in information security and Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) advisory for enterprise clients, with a concentrated focus on Nigeria's financial institutions (serving over 90%) and telecommunications companies (serving over 80%). Its service portfolio spans four core practices: Security Assessment (penetration testing, vulnerability management, ethical hacking), Live Response/Digital Forensics (24x7 incident response, evidence collection), Security Education Mentoring (certification training in CEH, CHFI, ECSP, PCIP, ISO 27001, ISO 20000, COBIT), and Compliance Implementation (ISO 27001, ISO 20000, ISO 22301, PCI DSS, SWIFT CSCF, NDPA, COBIT 5).

The firm's technical backbone is its senior consultant bench, anchored by a founder with 62+ international certifications including PCI DSS QSA, Fellow of the British Computer Society, and the first SWIFT Certified Assessor designation in Nigeria (granted April 2025). Digital Encode operates as Technical Partner to the Central Bank of Nigeria's Electronic Fraud Forum and is licensed as a Data Protection Compliance Organization by the NDPC. A wholly-owned subsidiary, e|cash, runs a blockchain-based mobile peer-to-peer payments wallet on the Waves platform, launched in 2017 as an adjacent fintech initiative. The proprietary methodology — running IT organizations as businesses to translate strategic objectives into technology solutions — is vendor-independent and positions the firm as a trusted advisor rather than a product reseller. Revenue is generated primarily through custom-quoted, multi-year professional services engagements with enterprise clients, supplemented by transactional fees from the e|cash wallet subsidiary.

Name

Digital Encode

Legal name

Digital Encode Limited

Website

https://digitalencode.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Digital Encode Limited is a Nigerian cybersecurity and GRC consulting firm founded in 2003, serving over 90% of Nigeria's financial institutions and 80% of telecom companies with penetration testing, digital forensics, compliance implementation, and security training services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Consulting and GRC Advisory

NAICS

Computer Systems Design Services (541512)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Fraud Prevention & Identity Verification (IDV/KYC) (BPAMAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Forensics & Malware Analysis (EDAOAIAJ)

Keywords

• Cybersecurity consulting
• Penetration testing
• Compliance advisory
• Incident response
• Digital forensics

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cybersecurity Consulting Services: Professional services revenue from security assessments, penetration testing, risk assessments, digital forensics, and incident response engagements with enterprise clients in financial and telecom sectors.
2. Compliance Implementation Services: Revenue from implementing compliance frameworks including ISO 27001, ISO 20000, PCI DSS, NDPA, SWIFT CSCF, and COBIT 5 for enterprise clients, including pre-certification audits.
3. Security Education and Training: Revenue from conducting training workshops and certification programs (CEH, CHFI, ECSP, PCIP, ISO 27001, ISO 20000, COBIT) for individuals and corporate clients, including customized in-house sessions.
4. e|cash Blockchain Wallet Services: Revenue from blockchain-based mobile wallet services including on-ramp and off-ramp transactions (1% fee up to N2000 maximum), micro-transactions, and blockchain transaction fees (Waves token).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Digital Encode is a cybersecurity and GRC advisory firm that delivers security assessments, penetration testing, digital forensics, incident response, and compliance implementation services (ISO 27001, PCI DSS, SWIFT CSCF, NDPA, COBIT 5) to enterprise clients in Nigeria's financial and telecom sectors. The firm also operates a fintech sub-brand, e|cash Wallet, a blockchain-based mobile peer-to-peer payments application built on the Waves platform. Service delivery is anchored in a proprietary IT-as-business methodology and certified-assessor credentials.

Product overview

Digital Encode is a cybersecurity consulting and advisory firm offering a portfolio of interconnected security services. The core offerings include Security Assessment (penetration testing, vulnerability management), Live Response/Digital Forensics (incident response, forensics investigation), Security Education Mentoring (training, certification programs), and Compliance Implementation (ISO 27001, PCI DSS, SWIFT CSCF). A fintech sub-brand, e|cash Wallet, provides blockchain-based mobile payments. The services are unified by a vendor-independent advisory approach focused on infosec and GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) for financial institutions and telecoms companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• e|cash: Blockchain-based mobile peer-to-peer payments and digital wallet service launched in 2017 as a fintech initiative.

Products and services

• Security Assessment Comprehensive security testing services including penetration testing, ethical hacking, risk assessment, security audits, network architecture review, and application security audits designed to identify and address system vulnerabilities for enterprise clients.
• Live Response / Digital Forensics Incident response and digital forensics services with evidence collection following international standards suitable for legal proceedings, including 24x7 log analysis, intrusion analysis, and forensics investigation, analysis, and interpretation capabilities for organizations facing cyber incidents.
• Security Education Mentoring Research-based training workshops and certification preparation covering ethical hacking, application security, incident response, digital forensics, CEH, CHFI, ECSP, PCIP, ISO 27001, ISO 20000, and COBIT for individuals and corporate clients, including customized in-house sessions.
• Compliance Implementation Compliance and implementation services covering ISO 27001 (Information Security Management), ISO 20000 (IT Service Management), ISO 22301 (Business Continuity), PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry), NDPA (Nigeria Data Protection Act), COBIT 5, and SWIFT CSCF Assessments with experienced ISO 27001-certified lead auditors and implementation experts.
• e|cash Wallet Blockchain-based mobile peer-to-peer payments application for Android enabling users to send digital cash, make in-store QR code payments, and settle domestic remittances using distributed ledger technology with full-reserve backing.
• SWIFT CSP Assessment Services SWIFT Customer Security Programme assessment services conducted by certified assessors to evaluate financial institutions' compliance with Swift security controls, enabling banks to validate their SWIFT environment security posture.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 90%+ of financial institutions and 80% of telecom companies in Nigeria
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Africa Tech Alliance Forum (AfriTECH)supportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 November 2025Digital Encode served as platinum sponsor of AfriTECH 5.0, scheduled for November 13, 2025 in Lagos, to advance Africa's digital resilience through cybersecurity, AI, and digital sovereignty discussions.
• Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Electronic Fraud ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Encode operates as a Technical Partner to the Central Bank of Nigeria's Electronic Fraud Forum, providing cybersecurity expertise and support for securing Nigeria's critical financial infrastructure. This is a flagship strategic partnership that underscores the company's role in national financial cybersecurity.
• QualyssupportingTechnology or IntegrationDigital Encode has a strategic alliance with Qualys as an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) for PCI DSS compliance scanning services. This partnership enables the company to provide external vulnerability scanning required for PCI DSS certification.
• Panacea InfosecsupportingTechnology or IntegrationDigital Encode has a strategic alliance with Panacea Infosec as a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) company, enabling organizations to meet PCI DSS certification requirements through professional assessment services.
• Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC)supportingTechnology or IntegrationDigital Encode is a licensed Data Protection Compliance Organization (DPCO) by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), providing data protection and privacy implementation advisory services in compliance with Nigerian data protection regulations.
• SWIFTcoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital Encode achieved the 2025 Swift Provider – Customer Security Programme Assessment label and became the first company in Nigeria with Swift Certified Assessors, enabling assessment of financial institutions' SWIFT CSP compliance.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• PwC (Cybersecurity & Privacy): Big Four cybersecurity and risk consulting practice serving banks and telecom operators across Africa. Competes head-to-head on GRC, compliance implementation, and security assessments with comparable frameworks.
• Ernst & Young (EY-Parthenon Cybersecurity): Big Four cybersecurity and risk advisory serving large African banks and telecom operators. Competes on enterprise GRC, compliance, and digital forensics engagements.
• Accenture (Security): Global systems integrator with a sizable cybersecurity advisory business expanding in West Africa. Targets the same financial-services and telecom GRC mandates with deeper delivery capacity.
• Deloitte (Cyber & Strategic Risk): Global Big Four firm with a large African cybersecurity advisory practice covering GRC, penetration testing, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and incident response for financial institutions. Directly competes for the same enterprise financial-sector mandates in Nigeria.
• KPMG (Cyber Security Services): Big Four firm operating a dedicated African cybersecurity practice covering ISO, PCI DSS, SWIFT assessments, and managed GRC. Overlaps significantly with Digital Encode's service portfolio for bank and telecom clients.

Emerging players

• Digital Bridge (African Cybersecurity Practice): Emerging Nigerian cybersecurity firm offering penetration testing, compliance, and managed security to banks and enterprises. A credible emerging competitor for mid-market Nigerian financial-sector mandates.

Direct peers

• NCC Group: UK-listed pure-play cybersecurity consulting firm offering penetration testing, compliance, and incident response. Closely comparable service mix and enterprise financial-sector focus.
• Control Risks: Specialist risk and security consulting firm operating across emerging markets including Africa. Comparable in advisory-led GRC and security consulting for large enterprises and financial institutions.
• Trustwave: Cybersecurity services firm specializing in PCI DSS compliance, penetration testing, and managed security for financial and telecom sectors. Highly comparable compliance-led advisory model.
• Mandiant (Google Cloud): Specialist cybersecurity consulting and incident response firm now part of Google Cloud. Directly comparable in penetration testing, digital forensics, and threat intelligence advisory for financial institutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/digital-encode

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Digital Encode