The Association of Corporate Trustees

What The Association of Corporate Trustees does

The Association of Corporate Trustees (ACT), registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission as "Forum of Trust Providers," is a Nigerian non-profit professional industry association founded in 2000 that serves as the primary platform for all registered Corporate Trustees in Nigeria. ACT is constituted as a Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) registered with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) and operates under Part B of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2004. Its membership comprises licensed corporate trustee firms — visible members include FBN Trustees, Stanbic IBTC Trustees, Custodian Trustees, Cedrus Capital, Cardinalstone Partners, ARM Trustees, United Capital Trustees, Leadway Capital and Trusts, Afrinvest West Africa, FBNQuest Trustees, Meristem Trustees, and Greenwich Trust — engaged in public trust, private trust, collective investment schemes, bond issuances, sukuk issuances, and pension fund administration.

ACT's core offering is not a product or technology but a coordinated set of industry services: legislative advocacy, regulatory liaison with SEC and capital-market operators, professional development via recurring Business Luncheons and Annual General Meetings, and member information exchange. Its published objectives include fostering trustee excellence, harmonizing standards, strategic collaboration with SEC/NGX/CSCS, building global alliances, serving as a strategic forum, and championing capital market development. ACT has formal strategic alliances with the SEC (We-to-Them regulatory relationship), Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS), and its secretariat is hosted operationally by FBN Trustees Limited at 16-18 Keffi Street, Ikoyi, Lagos.

ACT generates revenue through membership dues paid by registered Corporate Trustee firms (recurring subscription model); pricing is not publicly disclosed. It is governed by a six-person executive council (President, Vice President, General Secretary, Assistant General Secretary, Treasurer, Financial Secretary), currently led by President Omolola Iyinolakan (MD of Apel Capital & Trust Limited). The association has no parent company, no external funding rounds, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed revenue figures, and operates with a minimal paid footprint (secretariat is hosted in-kind by a member firm).

Name

The Association of Corporate Trustees

Legal name

Association of Corporate Trustees (Registered as Forum of Trust Providers)

Website

https://corporatetrustees.org.ng

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Association of Corporate Trustees is a Nigerian non-profit Self-Regulatory Organisation founded in 2000 that serves as the recognized industry body for registered Corporate Trustees, providing advocacy, regulatory liaison with SEC/NGX/CSCS, and professional development through Business Luncheons and Annual General Meetings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lagos

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The association generates revenue through membership dues and fees from registered Corporate Trustees in Nigeria who join the association as members.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Association of Corporate Trustees operates as a professional industry association and Self-Regulatory Organisation serving registered Corporate Trustees in Nigeria. Its core offering is non-commercial: providing a unified industry forum for advocacy, regulatory collaboration with the SEC, NGX, and CSCS, and member engagement through Business Luncheons, Annual General Meetings, and legislative advocacy. The association does not sell commercial products or technology services; its value is delivered through industry representation, policy advocacy, professional networking, and strategic collaboration on capital market development.

Product overview

The Association of Corporate Trustees (ACT) is a professional industry association for registered Corporate Trustees in Nigeria, not a technology product company. ACT serves as a forum for interaction, information exchange, and advocacy to advance trusteeship practices in Nigeria. The organization focuses on legislative advocacy, regulatory harmonization, strategic collaboration with bodies like SEC and NSE, and hosting industry events such as Business Luncheons and Annual General Meetings. ACT does not offer commercial products or technology services; its offerings consist of industry networking, policy advocacy, and professional development activities for its member organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers12 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ACT is registered with SEC as a Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO), establishing a formal regulatory relationship for industry oversight and policy coordination. SEC serves as the primary regulatory authority for the capital market within which corporate trustees operate.
• Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACT collaborates with the Nigerian Exchange Limited on capital market development initiatives. Joint activities include industry conferences and knowledge sharing on technology and market growth. The NGX CEO has participated in ACT Business Luncheons discussing capital market advancement.
• Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACT establishes alliances with CSCS for shared objectives and collaboration in the Nigerian capital market ecosystem. CSCS plays a critical role in settlement and clearing operations that affect trustee activities.
• FBN Trustees LimitedcoreOthersFBN Trustees Limited hosts the secretariat of the Association of Corporate Trustees at its offices at 16-18 Keffi Street, Ikoyi, Lagos. This arrangement provides operational support for the association's day-to-day activities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN): Professional institute for company secretaries and administrators in Nigeria; shares ACT's professional-body/SRO-adjacent function in corporate governance and several ACT leaders are ICSAN members.
• Nigerian Bar Association (NBA): Statutory professional body for Nigerian lawyers; ACT's executive council is dominated by Nigerian Bar Association members and operates in the same legal-trustee professional ecosystem.
• Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) Nigeria: Statutory professional body for Nigerian stockbrokers; another SRO-like professional association in the Nigerian capital market that ACT's members engage with on bond issuances and listings.
• STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners): Global professional body for trust and estate practitioners; the most direct international analogue to ACT, with a STEP Charterholder (Anthony Akpati) on ACT's executive council indicating cross-pollination.
• Association of Issuing Houses of Nigeria (AIHN): Nigerian capital market trade body for issuing houses that work alongside corporate trustees in bond and sukuk issuance; a natural counterpart association within the same ecosystem.
• Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp): Association of Nigerian pension fund custodians and PFA operators; corporate trustees play roles in pension fund administration, making PenOp a comparable industry advocacy body.
• Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN): Nigeria's primary professional body for bankers with a parallel mandate to advance professional standards, certification, and industry advocacy in Nigerian financial services.
• Fund Managers Association of Nigeria (FMAN): Trade body for Nigerian fund managers; corporate trustees serve as trustees for collective investment schemes, making FMAN a closely adjacent industry association in the capital market value chain.

Broad incumbents

• Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN): Nigeria's premier accountancy professional body; several ACT executives (e.g., Oluwatobi Egbeyemi, Chiamaka Nweke) are ICAN members, reflecting cross-professional representation typical of large financial-services associations.
• CFA Society Nigeria: Nigerian chapter of the global CFA Institute network for investment professionals; overlaps with ACT's executive council talent pool (Adewale Champion holds a CFA Investment Foundation Certificate).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/corporatetruste
• Facebookfacebook.com/corporatetrustees
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-of-corporate-trustees

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Association of Corporate Trustees