Episodes

  • As a fintech company, you work hard to ensure that nothing goes wrong. But when things do go wrong, like they inevitably will, how you handle the situation can make the difference between a customer who churns, and a passionate ambassador for life. In this episode, we speak with Francis Appiah, the Operations Manager at expressPay.

    Francis speaks about hiring great support teams, and how a diverse support team leverages past experiences, skills and relationships to go above and beyond when solving customer problems. He also discusses how to balance providing great customer service to even the most difficult customers, while protecting team welfare.

    IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT

    2:38 — How the customer support team is set up at expressPay

    3:53 — What skills should an excellent support team member possess?

    8:11 — How expressPay's customer support team measures success

    9:24 — [Paystack Product Alert] Introducing Paystack Transfers paystack.com

    10:43 — Why cross-functional teams result in better customer outcomes

    11:41 — Values to watch out for when hiring for customer service roles

    13:29 — What an obsession with customer happiness looks like at expressPay

    16:35 — How expressPay handles acutely difficult customers

    LINKSConnect with Francis on LinkedInCheck out expressPayFOLLOW US

    The Decode Fintech newsletter is a weekly email summary of the most important news in African fintech. Subscribe to receive original commentary and curated stories, as well as the latest episode of the podcast.

    Subscribe to the Decode Fintech NewsletterFollow Decode Fintech on TwitterDECODE FINTECH IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAYSTACK

    Paystack helps Africa's most successful fintechs build and scale popular financial service products with the industry's best-documented APIs. Please visit paystack.com/fintech to find out more.

  • Customer service goes beyond just answering emails and phone calls. When managed correctly, every interaction with customers can generate key insights that help grow your business.

    In this episode, Steve Amaza, a Customer Success Manager for User Operations at Paystack, speaks about how Paystack uses customer service data to improve the product, the tooling that the team uses to keep up even as the company scales, and the value of empathy and a problem-solving mindset in building a world-class customer support team.

    IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT

    0:00 — Introduction

    2:08 — Using customer service data to improve the product

    4:12 — Key metrics for support teams

    5:03 — How to handle acutely unhappy customers

    6:47 — Using documentation to scale support

    9:06 — [Paystack Merchant Alert] Introducing Bento paystack.com/bento

    10:17 — Why solving the problem matters more than simply giving a response

    11:40 — Deep empathy as a customer service superpower

    13:38 — Episode recap

    LINKSConnect with Steve Amaza on LinkedInFOLLOW US

    The Decode Fintech newsletter is a weekly email summary of the most important news in African fintech. Subscribe to receive original commentary and curated stories, as well as the latest episode of the podcast.

    Subscribe to the Decode Fintech NewsletterFollow Decode Fintech on TwitterDECODE FINTECH IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAYSTACK

    Paystack helps Africa's most successful fintechs build and scale popular financial service products with the industry's best-documented APIs. Please visit paystack.com/fintech to find out more.

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  • What should you know before expanding your Africa-based fintech to more countries?

    In this episode, we explore the art and science of launching financial service products beyond your home country, covering everything from how to choose which countries to expand into, to how to hire in different markets, and what to watch out for when incorporating the business.

    Our guides through this topic are experienced operators with long experience in expansion: Wiza Jakalasi (Chipper Cash), Marcello Schermer (Yoco), Adia Sowho (ex-Migo), and Maria Rotilu (ex-Branch).

    IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT

    0:00 — Introduction

    2:25 — Why businesses expand into new countries

    3:35 — Expanding for growth

    4:00 — The importance of timing

    4:52 — How to pick your next country

    7:03 — Prioritizing business drivers

    9:49 — The impact of regulation

    14:58 — [Paystack Product Alert] Introducing Paystack's verification service paystack.com/verify

    15:57 — Midway recap

    16:34 — Navigating incorporation

    20:02 — The role of relationships

    21:55 — How to think about hiring

    23:53 — The best part of expansion

    LINKSConnect with Wiza Jakalasi on LinkedInCheck out Africa’s Talking and Chipper CashConnect with Marcello Schermer on LinkedInCheck out YocoConnect with Adia Sowho on LinkedInCheck out MigoConnect with Maria Rotilu on LinkedInCheck out Branch InternationalCheck out the Geert Hofstede Cultural DimensionsLearn more about Delaware C-CorpsCheck out the Mauritius Double Taxation AgreementFOLLOW US

    The Decode Fintech newsletter is a weekly email summary of the most important news in African fintech. Subscribe to receive original commentary and curated stories, as well as the latest episode of the podcast.

    Subscribe to the Decode Fintech NewsletterFollow Decode Fintech on TwitterDECODE FINTECH IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAYSTACK

    Paystack helps Africa's most successful fintechs build and scale popular financial service products with the industry's best-documented APIs. Please visit paystack.com/fintech to find out more.

  • Ghana initially lagged behind other African countries when it came to mobile money adoption, but fast forward to 2020, and Ghana is now the fastest growing mobile money market in Africa. How did the country pull this off?

    In this episode, we go deep into the origins of mobile money in Ghana, its early challenges, and how numerous organizations successfully came together to take this technology mainstream.

    Among the many guests who help break it down for us are Archie Hesse, CEO of Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), and Bruno Akpaka, the first General Manager of MTN Mobile Money in Ghana.

    Listen to learn how Ghana became one of the fastest growing mobile money markets in Africa.

    IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT

    0:00 — Introduction

    02:00 — Mobile Money 101 - A timeline of Ghana's journey

    03:37 — Enter GhIPSS - controller of the spaghetti junction

    06:44 — The Bank of Ghana and GhIPSS' first attempts at improving financial inclusion

    11:24 — The rise and fall of bank-led branchless banking

    13:30 — The rise of MTN Mobile Money

    19:01 — [Paystack Product Alert] Introducing Paystack Transfers paystack.com

    20:03 — The early days of MTN Mobile Money in Ghana

    23:42 — The first iteration of mobile money in Ghana

    25:42 — Improving financial inclusion through mobile money interoperability and agent distribution

    29:06 — The role of mobile money in Ghana's financial system

    LINKSConnect with Kwami Williams on LinkedInCheck out Kwami's companies Moringa Connect and Thrive TogetherConnect with Archie Hesse on LinkedInLearn more about GhIPSSConnect with Bruno Akpaka on LinkedInLearn more about MTN Mobile MoneyConnect with Nana Ama Yankah on LinkedInCheck Nana Ama's company NAYA by AfricaCheck out CGAP: Consultative Group to Assist the PoorLearn more about the Bank of GhanaFOLLOW US

    The Decode Fintech newsletter is a weekly email summary of the most important news in African fintech. Subscribe to receive original commentary and curated stories, as well as the latest episode of the podcast.

    Subscribe to the Decode Fintech NewsletterFollow Decode Fintech on TwitterDECODE FINTECH IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAYSTACK

    Paystack helps Africa's most successful fintechs build and scale popular financial service products with the industry's best-documented APIs. Please visit paystack.com/fintech to find out more.

  • Financial technology in Africa is changing at an accelerating rate, and with it, the very nature of business on the continent. To understand what’s actually happening on the ground, you need to hear from the teams in the field. The Decode Fintech Podcast takes you directly to the operators on the frontlines.

    As one of the largest payments companies in Africa, the Paystack team is constantly speaking to teams doing amazing work all over the continent. The Decode Fintech Podcast allows us to hit "record" and share what we're learning!

    In this season, we switched things up and made a quick trip around the continent, discussing everything from the history of mobile money in Ghana, to best practices for international expansion, to the future of cryptocurrencies on the continent. Thank you for listening!

    Subscribe to the Decode Fintech email newsletter at decodefintech.com

  • The Nigerian Fintech space is seeing an explosion of savings, lending and investment platforms.

    Today's episode features Odunayo Eweniyi, the Co-Founder and COO of PiggyVest, one of the earliest independent digital savings platforms in Nigeria.

    We explore how the idea for PiggyVest was born from a viral tweet, and their journey from being a savings platform, to now, additionally, making investments accessible to every Nigerian.

    In this episode, we talk about

    01:36 - Launching PiggyVest with inspiration from a viral tweet

    03:40 - Making investment opportunities accessible to Nigerian youths

    09:43 - Learning how to make money while providing value

    15:00 - Helping define what financial health looks like for Nigerian youths people

    18:13 - Nigerians' saving habits by income category

    22:36 - How PiggyVest built trust amongst users

    24:23 - [Paystack Merchant Alert] Introducing Luno paystack.com/luno

    27:02 - The typical PiggyVest user

    28:02 - How PiggyVest does marketing

    31:31 - The hardest thing about running a business like PiggyVest in Nigeria

    33:22 - Learning some tough lessons

    36:05 - Rebranding - why PiggyVest changed their name

    41:24 - Overhauling the PiggyVest mobile app

    43:05 - How the team measures success

    44:41 - PiggyVest in 2020

    Follow Us

    The Decode Fintech Newsletter is a weekly email summary of the most important news in African fintech. Subscribe to receive original commentary and curated stories, as well as the latest episode of the podcast.

    Subscribe to the Decode Fintech NewsletterFollow Decode Fintech on TwitterDecode Fintech is brought to you by Paystack

    Paystack helps Africa's most successful fintechs build powerful and scalable financial service products with the industry's best-documented APIs. Please visit paystack.com/fintech to find out more.

  • Nkebet Mesele, Snr Director, Solutions Management, Sub-Saharan Africa at Visa, breaks down Visa QR - their payment product where your camera scans a QR code to pay.

    We explore how it evolved to break down the barriers to commerce for businesses across Africa.

    In this episode, we talk about

    01:52 - Nkebet's journey from telecoms to banking to payments

    03:22 - Exploring Visa's key offline products for Africa

    04:58 - How Visa QR came to be

    06:40 - Visa QR versus POS

    07:40 - Exploring merchant adoption of Visa QR

    08:37 - Understanding how QR payments work

    16:46 - Visa's marketing strategies for winning new markets

    20.00 - [Paystack Merchant Alert] Introducing Branch paystack.com/branch

    20:53 - The most surprising insight Nkebet gained launching Visa QR

    22:56 - The future of Visa QR in Nigeria

    27:15 - The most important question

    Follow Us

    The Decode Fintech Newsletter is a weekly email summary of the most important news in African fintech. Subscribe to receive original commentary and curated stories, as well as the latest episode of the podcast.

    Subscribe to the Decode Fintech NewsletterFollow Decode Fintech on TwitterDecode Fintech is brought to you by Paystack

    Paystack helps Africa's most successful fintechs build powerful and scalable financial service products with the industry's best-documented APIs. Please visit paystack.com/fintech to find out more.

  • Bitcoin... Litecoin... Ethereum. Cryptocurrencies continue to dominate the headlines. What's going on in Nigeria's cryptocurrency landscape, how have regulators responded, and what does the future hold?

    Our guest today is Timi Ajiboye, co-founder and CEO of BuyCoins, a service that enables users trade cryptocurrencies. Timi shares what he's learned from building one of Nigeria's largest cryptocurrency platforms.

    In this episode, we talk about

    00:00 - Introduction

    01:07:12 - Timi's journey to founding a cryptocurrency exchange

    02:00:15 - A brief introduction to cryptocurrencies

    03:34:22 - The inspiration behind BuyCoins

    06:50:11 - The process of introducing BuyCoins to Nigerians

    09:20:28 - BuyCoins' goals for 2020 - expansion and more

    11:00:21 - Milestones and volumes

    11:52:27 - [Paystack Merchant Alert] Introducing Aella Credit paystack.com/aellacredit

    12:48:00 - Exploring the cryptocurrency regulation landscape across Africa

    14:47:17 - The question of regulation in Nigeria

    16:28:17 - How BuyCoins maintains customer safety

    18:56:17 - What Nigeria stands to gain from trading cryptocurrencies

    21:32:00 - The most important question

    Follow Us

    The Decode Fintech newsletter is a weekly email summary of the most important news in African fintech. Subscribe to receive original commentary and curated stories, as well as the latest episode of the podcast.

    Subscribe to the Decode Fintech PodcastFollow Decode Fintech on TwitterDecode Fintech is brought to you by Paystack

    Paystack helps Africa's most successful fintechs build powerful and scalable financial service products with the industry's best-documented APIs. Please visit paystack.com/fintech to find out more.

  • Visa, Mastercard, and Verve. These are currently the dominant card networks in Nigeria. But in September 2018, American Express - the world's largest integrated global payments platform - made waves by announcing their entry into the market.

    In this episode, we speak with Catherine Malec, Vice President of Business Development at American Express. Catherine shares a brief history of Amex, what Amex looks for in local partners, and exactly what American Express' launch means for card users and business owners.

    In this episode, we talk about

    01:12 - Catherine's journey from animal physiology to marketing

    04:41 - What it means to be the world's largest global payments network

    05:10 - A brief history of American Express

    08:19 - American Express' Africa presence

    10:31 - [Paystack Merchant Alert] Introducing Cowrywise paystack.com/cowrywise

    13:20 - Behind the scenes of the Amex launch in Nigeria

    16:52 - What the launch means for Amex users within and outside Nigeria

    21:09 - What Amex looks for in local partners

    27:29 - The most important question

    Links MentionedAmerican Express' Nigeria websiteFollow Us

    The Decode Fintech newsletter is a weekly email summary of the most important news in African fintech. Subscribe to receive original commentary and curated stories, as well as the latest episode of the podcast.

    Subscribe to the Decode Fintech NewsletterFollow Decode Fintech on TwitterDecode Fintech is brought to you by Paystack

    Paystack helps Africa's most successful fintechs build powerful and scalable financial service products with the industry's best-documented APIs. Please visit paystack.com/fintech to find out more.

  • Paga is one of a handful of non-bank companies that have succeeded in building a truly mainstream financial product in Nigeria.

    Over 11 million Nigerians use Paga's mobile wallet to send and receive money and pay their bills. In 2018, the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) recognized Paga with an award for being the top mobile money operator, by transaction count, for the third year in a row.

    Paga recently celebrated their 10 year anniversary, and in this episode, Paga CEO Tayo Oviosu tells us the story of how his team built a B2C African fintech success over the course of a decade.

    In this episode, we talk about

    03:11 - Why Tayo built Paga

    09:27 - How Paga drives brand awareness

    13:32 - [Paystack Merchant Alert] Introducing PiggyVest paystack.com/piggyvest

    16:20 - All the ways you can use Paga's USSD offering to access services

    17:38 - How Tayo sees Paga's offerings evolving over time

    20:15 - The most surprising trend Tayo has witnessed from his time in the payments industry

    22:56 - Paga's international expansion strategy

    26:01 - Why building in-house was tough, and totally worth it

    Follow Us

    The Decode Fintech newsletter is a weekly email summary of the most important news in African fintech. Subscribe to receive original commentary and curated stories, as well as the latest episode of the podcast.

    Subscribe to the Decode Fintech NewsletterFollow Decode Fintech on TwitterDecode Fintech is brought to you by Paystack

    Paystack helps Africa's most successful fintechs build powerful and scalable financial service products with the industry's best-documented APIs. Please visit paystack.com/fintech to find out more.

  • Yemi Atanda, Group Head of ePayments at Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), takes us behind the scenes of GTB 737, GTB's wildly successful USSD service.

    Yemi shares the origin of 737, from how they selected the specific numbers 737, to usage trends, to the wildly successful mass marketing campaign that helped introduce the financial product to everyday Nigerians.

    In this episode, we talk about

    01:06 - Yemi's journey from mechanical engineering to digital banking

    03:34 - What USSD is, and how 737 came to be

    11:56 - Building out 737 with human-centered design

    13:22 - The various use-cases for 737, and the one that trumps them all

    16:55 - [Paystack Merchant Alert] Introducing Renmoney paystack.com/renmoney

    17:46 - The typical 737 customer

    19:08 - How the team came up with the popular 737 jingle

    20:25 - Marketing 737 to the average Nigerian

    22:17 - Preventing fraud on 737

    23:50 - Exploring plans to expand 737 outside of Nigeria

    25:27 - Learning about Nigerian behaviour through the lens of 737 usage trends

    27:23 - The future of 737 as a USSD service

    30:59 - The most important question

    Follow Us

    The Decode Fintech Newsletter is a weekly email summary of the most important news in African fintech. Subscribe to receive original commentary and curated stories, as well as the latest episode of the podcast.

    Subscribe to the Decode Fintech NewsletterFollow Decode Fintech on TwitterDecode Fintech is brought to you by Paystack

    Paystack helps Africa's most successful fintechs build powerful and scalable financial service products with the industry's best-documented APIs. Please visit paystack.com/fintech to find out more.

  • Financial technology in Africa is changing at an accelerating rate, and with it, the very nature of business on the continent. To understand what’s actually happening on the ground, you need to hear from the teams in the field. The Decode Fintech Podcast takes you directly to the operators on the frontlines.

    As one of the largest payments companies in Africa, the Paystack team is constantly speaking to teams doing amazing work all over the continent. The Decode Fintech Podcast allows us to hit "record" and share what we're learning!

    We'll be speaking with a broad range of players from across the African fintech ecosystem, from startup founders, to bankers, to the folks who run the card networks, to regulators, and many others. In each episode, an operator breaks down the ground truth of how they’re handling everything from product development to marketing in some of the world’s toughest business environments.

    Tune in as the people building Africa’s financial infrastructure share what they’re seeing on the frontlines — what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next.

    Subscribe to the Decode Fintech email newsletter at decodefintech.com