Exploring Nigeria's payments landscape and CBDC eNaira's adoption, with Remita's Alisa Chinedu

Lex interviews Alisa Chinedu of Remita - a payment solution platform that helps individuals and businesses make and receive payments, pay bills, and manage their finances; making it key to supporting the Nigerian payments and fintech ecosystem. discussing the company's role in enhancing the Nigerian fintech ecosystem. Alisa delves into Remita's functionality, strategic corporate partnerships, and its integral position in commerce and e-commerce. The discussion then proceeds to analyze Nigeria's banking system's dynamics and mobile banking's significance, focusing on Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD). The conversation touches on the economic implications of COVID-19, the transition to digital currency, and the intricacies of eNaira, Nigeria's Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). They discuss Remita's role in eNaira's adoption, the application of CBDC in social services, and the banking sector's perspective on CBDC. The interview concludes with a future-oriented exploration of eNaira's adoption, market penetration, and the multichannel approach to CBDC distribution. MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Remita's Website: https://bit.ly/3OUWbMQ Alisa's LinkedIn profile: https://bit.ly/42n16t1 Topics: Payments, Paytech, CBDC, Digital Wallets, Fintech, Banking Companies: Remita, eNaira, SpeedWallet ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT 🔥Subscribe to the Fintech Blueprint newsletter to stay at the forefront of Fintech and DeFi: https://bit.ly/3hyhlC2 🤝 Partner with Fintech Blueprint through sponsorships: https://bit.ly/3UZllsV 👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin TIMESTAMPS 1’29”: Remita: what it is, what it does, how it got started, and how it works with corporates 3’31”: Exploring Nigerian digital payment systems: A closer look at Remita and its role in commerce and E-commerce 6’26”: Understanding the dynamics of the banking system: An exploration of banking concentration, consumer banking situations, and the integration of digital wallets 9’03”: Exploring mobile wallets and smartphone access: Understanding digital funds transfers, population coverage, and the role of USSD in mobile banking 12’09”: Dissecting merchant codes and regulatory landscapes: Understanding the interface between feature phones, financial institutions, and mobile money providers amidst government regulation 16’32”: Deciphering Nigeria's economic landscape: Insights into inflation, impact of COVID-19, and the transition from cash to digital currency amidst economic fluctuation 21’06”: Delving into eNaira: Understanding CBDC adoption, wallet accessibility, transaction volume, and user experience amidst evolving digital currency landscape 24’39”: Remita's role in eNaira adoption: Understanding the integration process, contribution to design ideation, and the function of financial agents in product distribution 28’35”: CBDC and social services: Examining government utilization of digital currency for welfare distribution, transaction tracking, and understanding the underlying technical infrastructure 33’04”: Exploring bank relations with CBDC: Assessing retail and wholesale models, potential disintermediation concerns, and bank perspectives on eNaira adoption 35’21”: Envisioning the future of eNaira: Assessing current adoption, potential for market penetration, and the multichannel approach to CBDC distribution 39’52”: The channels used to connect with Alisa & learn more about Remita