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VideoYouTubeCoinDeskOctober 17, 20241y ago21:45

Nigeria's Crypto Leap: Providing Solution to the Currency Crisis

Yeli Badamozi (Nest Coin) and Guerra Kuwana (OnAfrique) discuss how blockchain and stablecoins are addressing Nigeria's currency crisis and enabling financial inclusion across Africa, LATAM, and Southeast Asia through on-chain neobanking and payment infrastructure.

Emerging MarketsFinancial InclusionPayments
Lumen Loop's take

In this discussion, Yeli Badamozi (CEO of Nest Coin) and Guerra Kuwana (Blockchain VP at OnAfrique) explore how the Naira's 70% devaluation and capital controls are driving adoption of stablecoins and blockchain solutions in Nigeria and across Africa. They explain how Nest Coin's Onboard platform functions as an on-chain neobank offering USDC and euro accounts with non-custodial wallets and spending cards, while OnAfrique leverages its 15-year-old payment gateway network across 40 African countries to enable cross-border remittances and intra-Africa trade. Both emphasize the importance of localized, utility-focused solutions rather than copying global models, highlight Stellar's MoneyGram partnership for off-ramping, and discuss how young people in emerging markets are leapfrogging traditional banking to adopt on-chain wallets first, creating opportunities for builders across Africa, LATAM, Southeast Asia, and underserved regions globally.