D'banj Becomes First Nigerian Entertainer to Ring London Stock Exchange Closing Bell

Nigerian singer Oladapo Oyebanjo, known as D’banj, made history on July 22, 2026, as the first Nigerian entertainer to ring the London Stock Exchange closing bell, celebrating the Royal African Society's 125th anniversary. This traditional ceremony comes as the London Stock Exchange Group prepares to launch LSE 24 in 2027, an overnight trading venue designed for automated and algorithmic trading. This shift to 24-hour trading mirrors global moves by Nasdaq and NYSE but raises concerns about overnight liquidity and systemic risks from unsupervised AI agents.

LSE 24 extended-hours venue

• ▪Oladapo Oyebanjo, known as D’banj, became the first Nigerian entertainer to ring the closing bell at the London Stock Exchange on July 22, 2026.
• ▪The London Stock Exchange Group announced the introduction of LSE 24, an overnight trading venue operating from 17:00 to 07:50 London time, Monday to Friday.
• ▪LSE 24 is scheduled to launch exchange-traded products in the first half of 2027, with client testing beginning by the end of 2026.
• ▪Oladapo Oyebanjo participated in the London Stock Exchange closing bell ceremony as part of activities celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Royal African Society.

Algorithmic trading infrastructure

• ▪LSE 24 is designed to support digital, algorithmic, and agentic trading by enabling native connectivity for automated workflows.
• ▪LSE 24 will utilize central limit order book and request-for-quote functionality to support automated trading workflows.

Global overnight trading competition

• ▪The New York Stock Exchange received approval in February 2025 to extend trading hours and is preparing for a targeted launch in 2026.
• ▪Nasdaq received approval in April 2026 to extend trading in NMS stocks to 23 hours a day, five days a week, starting December 6, 2026.

Digital Securities Depository architecture

• ▪The London Stock Exchange Group announced plans in February 2026 to build a Digital Securities Depository for on-chain settlement.
• ▪The Digital Securities Depository is designed to connect traditional and digital markets, support multiple chains, and digitize issuance and settlement.

Overnight liquidity risks

• ▪Overnight trading sessions present risks of thin volumes, patchy liquidity, and unusual price movements.
• ▪Automated trading systems operating during overnight hours can amplify errors when operating without close human supervision.

Agentic AI systemic risks

• ▪The Financial Stability Board warned in June 2026 that agentic artificial intelligence in finance can amplify systemic risks.
• ▪The Financial Stability Board urged corporate boards to implement safeguards for financial systems that execute tasks with limited human oversight.

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