Payroll is the heartbeat of any business, ensuring employees are paid on time and trust is maintained. But what happens when a payroll system fails? The shocking collapse of Bento Africa, a Nigerian HR and payroll fintech, in February 2025, answers this question with a warning. What happened to Bento left businesses stranded, employees unpaid, and trust shattered, a story of promise turned to chaos. Bento’s sudden shutdown exposed the risks of relying on unstable payroll providers.
From financial mismanagement to alleged fraud, its downfall offers critical lessons for businesses. By understanding what happened to Bento and adopting strong payroll security measures, you can avoid similar disasters and keep your operations running smoothly. This article dives into what happened to Bento, why it failed, and how your company can protect its payroll with practical steps and a trusted partner like Salario.
The Rise and Fall of Bento
Bento Africa launched in 2019, offering an easier way for businesses to manage payroll, HR, and compliance. It served over 900 companies, including big names across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda. Its cloud-based platform promised to automate salary payments, tax filings, and pension contributions, making life easier for small and medium-sized businesses. But what happened to Bento shows that even a popular platform can crumble without strong foundations.
In January 2025, cracks appeared. Bento laid off its 10-member tech team after they protested unpaid salaries. Clients reported missing tax and pension payments, with one claiming ₦50 million in unremitted funds. By February, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Lagos Inland Revenue Service (LIRS) launched investigations into alleged tax fraud and forged receipts. CEO Ebun Okubanjo resigned abruptly, and Bento’s board halted operations, advising clients to stop funding payroll accounts. What happened to Bento left businesses unable to pay employees, facing legal risks and angry workers. High-profile clients cut ties, and Bento’s reputation collapsed.
This wasn’t just bad luck, it was a mix of financial mismanagement, weak cybersecurity, and poor oversight. Its failure to secure client data and comply with regulations exposed businesses to risks. What happened to Bento teaches us that a payroll provider must be financially stable, secure, and compliant to avoid disaster.
Why Payroll Security Matters in 2025
Payroll systems hold sensitive information like employee bank details, tax IDs, and some other personal information, making them targets for criminals. In 2023, over 353 million records were exposed in data breaches worldwide, with payroll systems often being a victim. Payroll fraud, like fake employees or unauthorized pay raises, costs businesses their revenue yearly. Cyberattacks, such as ransomware and phishing, have risen year-over-year, and human errors or malicious insiders result in breaches.
In Nigeria, regulations are getting stricter. The Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) requires businesses to protect employee data, with fines up to ₦10 million or 2% of annual revenue for violations. The Finance Act 2020 and Personal Income Tax Act mandate accurate tax filings, and non-compliance can lead to penalties from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) or LIRS. What happened to Bento, with its alleged tax fraud, shows the consequences of ignoring these rules. A payroll failure can mean financial losses, legal trouble, and a damaged reputation.
5 Simple Steps to Safeguard Your Payroll
What happened to Bento doesn’t have to happen to you. By taking these five steps, you can protect your payroll and keep your business safe. Salario, a trusted payroll platform, supports each step with secure, easy-to-use tools.
Choose a Secure Payroll System
Pick a provider with strong security features like encryption, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and restricted access. A weak system, like Bento’s, can expose your data. Salario uses top-level encryption and MFA to keep your payroll safe, ensuring only authorized users can access sensitive information. Its simple design makes payroll management easy without sacrificing security.
Check Your System Regularly
Conduct monthly or quarterly audits to spot issues like weak passwords or outdated software. What happened to Bento might have been caught early with better checks. Salario offers real-time monitoring and alerts to detect suspicious activity, like duplicate payments or unauthorized logins, so you can act fast.
Train Your Team
Human error causes most data breaches. Teach employees to recognize phishing emails, use strong passwords, and avoid unsecured Wi-Fi. What happened to Bento highlights the need for a vigilant team. Salario provides built-in training resources to help your staff stay alert, reducing risks and keeping your payroll secure.
Back Up Your Data Safely
Ransomware or system failures can lock you out of your payroll. Secure, encrypted backups and a recovery plan are essential. Unlike Bento, which left clients stranded, Salario’s cloud-based platform automatically backs up data and ensures quick recovery, so you’re never left in the dark.
Partner with a Reliable Provider
What happened to Bento shows the danger of trusting an unstable provider. Choose a company with a strong track record, financial stability, and compliance with laws. Salario is a compliant focused company, meaning it meets global security standards. Its scalable platform grows with your business, avoiding the pitfalls that led to what happened to Bento.
Why Salario Is Your Best Choice
What happened to Bento proves that not all payroll providers are equal. Salario stands out as a secure, reliable, and user-friendly solution for businesses of all sizes. Here’s why:
Top-Notch Security
Salario uses advanced encryption, MFA, and AI-driven fraud detection to protect your data from cyber threats. Unlike what happened to Bento, where weak security left clients vulnerable, Salario ensures your payroll is locked tight.
Easy Compliance
Keeping up with laws like NDPR, PAYE, NSITF, or state regulations can be tricky. Salario automatically updates to meet compliance requirements, so you avoid fines and legal headaches, unlike the businesses affected by what happened to Bento.
Employee-Friendly Features
Salario’s self-service portal lets employees securely check their payslips and tax forms, boosting transparency and trust. This prevents the frustration employees faced during what happened to Bento.
Scalable and Simple
Whether you’re a small startup or a large company, Salario grows with you. Its intuitive design makes payroll easy, and stress free for business owners
Always There for You
Salario offers 24/7 support to answer questions and fix issues fast. Bento’s clients were left with no help during its collapse, but Salario ensures you’re never alone.
Conclusion: Learn from Bento, Act Now
Bento Africa’s collapse is a great reminder of what’s at stake when payroll systems fail. Financial mismanagement, weak cybersecurity, and regulatory lapses can cripple even the most promising platforms, leaving businesses and employees stranded. In 2025, with cyber threats and compliance demands intensifying, safeguarding your payroll is non-negotiable. By adopting robust strategies and partnering with Salario, you can protect your company’s financial health, maintain employee trust, and avoid the chaos Bento’s clients endured. Don’t wait for a crisis before you secure your payroll with Salario. Ready to protect your payroll? Book a demo to see how Salario can keep your business safe and your employees happy. Don’t let what happened to Bento happen to you, choose Salario for peace of mind!