AD Tech Watch #3: Copilot Gets an Autopilot, AI Agents Start Paying, CBN Questions “Pay Small Small”

AD Tech Watch is our short, selected roundup of the AI, search and software news that matters to businesses in Nigeria, explained in plain English. In this issue: Microsoft’s Copilot gets an agent that keeps working when you log off, an AI agent pays for something with a real bank card, the CBN asks who should regulate “pay small small” credit, and Meta launches paid plans that include verified WhatsApp Business accounts.

Issue #3 · 27 September 2026 · By AD Technologies Limited, an AI technology company in Lagos

1. Microsoft Rebuilds Copilot Around an Agent That Works While You’re Away

What happened: On 25 September, Microsoft relaunched Copilot for work in three parts. Home combines everyday chat with “Cowork”, where you hand over a whole task, such as a tender response. Code lets staff describe an app, tracker, dashboard or workflow in plain English and have Copilot build it, using GitHub Copilot technology in a secure sandbox. Autopilot is an agent with its own identity, memory and workspace that keeps working on tasks after you leave your computer, and can be called from Teams and Outlook. Home and Code are rolling out to Microsoft’s early-access Frontier programme over the coming weeks, and Autopilot enters private preview at the end of September. Chat stays on the normal Copilot licence, while Cowork, Code and Autopilot are billed by usage through Copilot Credits.

What this means for Nigerian businesses: If your team works in Microsoft 365, AI that finishes tasks on its own is coming to the tools you already pay for. Two things to prepare now. First, tidy file permissions in SharePoint and OneDrive, because an agent can see whatever the person using it can see. Second, budget for usage: with credit-based billing, an agent left running costs money. Start with one repetitive task, such as a weekly report, and measure it. See how Nigerian businesses can use AI.

Sources: Microsoft, Techzine.

2. An AI Agent Pays With a Real Bank Card

What happened: On 21 September, Mastercard and Danske Bank completed Denmark’s first payment made by an AI agent. The agent booked a coffee tasting and paid with a live Danske Bank Mastercard, without the customer typing card details or approving each step. It runs on Mastercard Agent Pay: the agent gets its own card token rather than the real card number, and the customer sets rules such as a spending limit, allowed types of shop and an expiry date, with an optional extra check for bigger purchases. Mastercard has run similar pilots in Australia, Spain, the Netherlands and France this year. No African rollout has been announced.

What this means for Nigerian businesses: The next customer to reach your checkout may be an AI assistant buying for a person. Agents can only buy what they can understand, so write prices, stock, delivery areas and delivery fees on your website in plain text, not only inside images or WhatsApp chats, and keep your checkout simple. This is the same groundwork that gets you recommended by AI today: generative engine optimization in Nigeria.

Sources: Tech Times, Finextra.

3. CBN Asks Who Should Regulate “Pay Small Small”

What happened: CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso raised concerns about buy now, pay later (“pay small small”) offers from companies that are not licensed lenders, naming examples in travel such as Air Peace and Wakanow’s instalment plans with fintech partners. “They are offering credit. For us, they are non-bank, they are not licensed to offer credit. How do we regulate?” he said, adding that it is unclear where customers can take complaints. Nigeria’s buy now, pay later market is projected to grow from $1.42 billion in 2024 to $2.61 billion by 2030, and 525 digital lenders are now registered with the FCCPC, which already enforces rules on digital lending and debt recovery.

What this means for Nigerian businesses: Instalments sell. If you offer “pay small small” on your website or in store, expect closer rules. The safest set-up is to let a licensed or FCCPC-registered partner provide the credit while you sell the product, and to state the full cost, instalment dates and a complaints contact clearly before the customer commits. If you run instalments yourself, get legal advice now rather than after new rules arrive.

Source: Nairametrics.

4. Meta Launches Paid Plans With Verified WhatsApp Business Accounts

What happened: Meta launched Meta One, one subscription across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Meta AI, available globally. Business and creator plans start from $14.99 a month and go up to $499. They include a verified badge and a verified WhatsApp Business channel with impersonation protection (after verification), more use of the Meta Business Agent to answer customers around the clock, and Facebook Page tools such as scheduling posts up to 30 days ahead and links in organic posts. Meta says the core apps stay free.

What this means for Nigerian businesses: Fake accounts copying real businesses are a common scam in Nigeria, so a verified WhatsApp channel can protect your customers and your name. Together with WhatsApp’s new per-message charges from 1 October (see Issue #2), running customer service on Meta is becoming a paid service. Before you subscribe, list what you actually need (verification, AI replies, scheduling) and compare the dollar price against what it saves your team.

Source: Meta.

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