In this episode of the Africa Series, Joke Adekunle spoke to Odun Eweniyi, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Piggyvest - an online saving and investment platform founded in 2016 to help Nigerians achieve their financial goals. Today, the startup has over 3 million customers and has recently acquired companies like Abeg - popularly known as the Cashapp for Africa.

Joke and Odun discussed modern finance in West Africa and building a FinTech startup on the continent.

Here is what Joke asked Odun:

Tell us a bit more about PiggyVest story
You and your team launched PiggyVest at a time when digital banking wasn't well recognized or trusted. What were the learning curves you had to navigate at the time?
There's a lot of funding available today - especially for FinTech companies - how do you see that changing things in the African market?
What - in your opinion- are the most challenging parts of building a fintech company in Africa?
What lessons have you learned lately about building a fintech business in Nigeria?
As an investor in several African companies, I'd like you to share your perspective on the idea that "every tech company today is or can be a fintech company" - do you agree?
Still on the topic - PiggyVest acquired Abeg in 2020 - the startup popularly known as the Cashapp for Africa - what key factors led to that decision, and what are the opportunities for both companies with the acquisition?
As an investor in several African companies, I'd like you to share your perspective on the idea that "every tech company today is or can be a fintech company" - do you agree?
There's an emerging trend in the African fintech landscape of startups focused on the informal trade market; what are your thoughts on savings and investments for the informal market?
Given your experience, what trends do you see emerging in the African tech market that the world should pay attention to?
PiggyVest has some interesting projects in the pipeline, I believe. So what should our expectations be over the next few months?