Abstract Nigeria's entrepreneurship landscape has been reshaped over the past decade by the rapid expansion of financial technology (fintech), yet the higher education sector that should be supplying its talent pipeline, applied research, and incubation infrastructure remains loosely connected to the fintech and broader financial-services industry. This paper examines the state of higher education institution (HEI)–industry synergy in Nigeria and its implications for financial innovation and technology-enabled entrepreneurship. Adopting a conceptual, desk-review methodology grounded in the Triple Helix model of university–industry–government relations, the paper synthesises recent empirical and policy literature (2022–2026) on university–industry linkages, fintech education, and entrepreneurial ecosystems in Nigeria and comparable African contexts. The review shows that although instruments such as the Nigeria Startup Act (2022), the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) innovation-hub programme, and university-based entrepreneurship centres have created a policy scaffold, synergy remains constrained by curriculum rigidity, weak technology-transfer infrastructure, fragmented funding, low industry participation in curriculum design, and limited fintech literacy among staff and students. The paper proposes a five-pillar framework, curriculum co-design, joint innovation and incubation infrastructure, structured internship and mentorship pipelines, collaborative research and regulatory-sandbox partnerships, and institutionalised funding and reward structures for strengthening HEI–industry synergy. It concludes that deliberate, government-supported institutional collaboration, rather than isolated pilot initiatives, is required to convert Nigeria's youthful, digitally engaged graduate population into a sustained source of fintech-enabled entrepreneurial value.