Episodes
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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 ABOUT2:38 — 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 USThe 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 PAYSTACKPaystack 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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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 ABOUT0:00 — 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 USThe 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 PAYSTACKPaystack 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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Missing episodes?
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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 ABOUT0:00 — 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 USThe 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 PAYSTACKPaystack 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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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 ABOUT0:00 — 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 USThe 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 PAYSTACKPaystack 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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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
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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 about01:36 - 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 UsThe 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 PaystackPaystack 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.
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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 about01:52 - 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 UsThe 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 PaystackPaystack 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.
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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 about00:00 - 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 UsThe 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 PaystackPaystack 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.
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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 about01:12 - 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 UsThe 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 PaystackPaystack 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.
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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 about03:11 - 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 UsThe 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 PaystackPaystack 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.
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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 about01:06 - 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 UsThe 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 PaystackPaystack 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.
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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
