For African remote workers, freelancers, and small business owners, cross-border payments can be a persistent challenge. High fees, lengthy transaction times, and unreliable services often hamper financial stability and hinder access to global opportunities.

Blockroll, a fintech startup, is taking on these challenges with a streamlined solution tailored specifically for Africa. By leveraging stablecoins, virtual cards, and multi-currency wallets, Blockroll simplifies the process of sending and receiving cross-border payments, making global financial participation seamless and accessible.

Blockroll’s mobile app, set to launch soon, will allow users to convert between stablecoins and local currencies, store funds in both NGN and USD, and make global transactions with minimal fees. Built on the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP), Blockroll also ensures that all transactions are secure, transparent, and affordable, removing the traditional barriers of complex and costly cross-border financial services.

Beyond payments, Blockroll envisions a holistic ecosystem where users can pay bills, purchase airtime, and even request payments in a user-friendly way. Blockroll has already attracted nearly 1,000 remote workers on its beta version, all of whom benefit from a simple, transparent, and compliant payment process designed to meet international standards.

Key Features and Functionalities

The upcoming Blockroll mobile app will deliver a suite of features developed to simplify financial transactions and enhance user control over funds:

1. Multi-Currency Wallets: Blockroll allows users to manage NGN and USD fiat currencies alongside stablecoins like ckUSDC, simplifying cross-currency transactions for seamless global payments.
2. Virtual Cards: Users can generate virtual cards for online transactions, including bill payments and subscriptions, granting easy access to international services.
3. Efficient Cross-Border Payments: Stablecoins enable fast, low-fee transfers, empowering users to send and receive payments quickly and affordably from anywhere in the world.
4. Convenient Bill Payments and Airtime Purchases: Blockroll integrates bill payments and airtime purchases into its platform, offering users a streamlined, all-in-one financial tool.
5. Payment Request Feature: The app includes a payment request feature, where users can request payments using personalized usernames, simplifying the collection process for freelancers and remote workers.

Why Choose The Internet Computer Protocol?

ICP provides a robust infrastructure for Blockroll’s vision of financial accessibility. With high-speed transactions, low latency, and minimal fees, ICP enables Blockroll to maintain cost-effective services essential to cross-border payments. Its decentralized architecture ensures that Blockroll’s users experience a secure, scalable, and transparent payment process, with every transaction immutably recorded on the blockchain.

ICP’s scalability also aligns with Blockroll’s mission to grow sustainably, allowing the company to scale its platform as demand increases. This scalability and security make ICP an ideal foundation for Blockroll, ensuring that the app remains resilient, fast, and affordable for African users.

Building on ICP has been an enriching experience for the Blockroll team. The community around ICP is highly supportive, offering resources and insights that have simplified the development process.

Building Toward a Borderless Financial Future

Blockroll’s roadmap is crafted to establish the company as a vital financial resource for Africa’s remote workers and freelancers. In the short term, Blockroll aims to launch its mobile app with core features like multi-currency wallets and cross-border payments, followed by an ambitious goal to acquire 10,000 users within three months post-launch.

Looking further ahead, Blockroll envisions growing its user base to 100,000 active users across Africa within the next twelve months, with plans to roll out advanced features like savings and lending tools to create a more robust financial platform. While Africa remains the primary focus, Blockroll also intends to expand into other emerging markets, including Latin America and Southeast Asia, to address similar cross-border payment challenges and broaden its global impact.

A Passionate Team Driving Financial Transformation

Our team members have extensive experience in fintech, blockchain technology, and product design. Each team member contributes unique expertise, shaping Blockroll’s growth and strategy.

CEO and Product Manager: Sadiq Isiaka

• Brings a strong background in product management.
• Leads Blockroll with a clear and targeted vision.

Chief Product Officer (CPO): Stephen Adeyemo

• Focuses on creating a user-centric experience.
• Ensures that the platform’s design meets the needs of its target audience.

Chief Marketing Officer (CMO): Emmanuel Nwaka

• Manages marketing strategies to increase brand awareness.
• Drives user acquisition and builds Blockroll’s brand presence.

Backend Lead: Ugochukwu Paul

• Oversees the platform’s technical infrastructure.
• Ensures robustness, scalability, and optimization of Blockroll’s backend.

Customer Success Lead: Ifeoluwa Otubaga

• Enhances user satisfaction by providing top-notch support.
• Builds and maintains strong connections with Blockroll’s user base.

Together, the team is developing a transformative platform. We are focused on empowering African workers and businesses through financial solutions.

Paving the Way for Financial Inclusion

As the fintech and blockchain industries evolve, Blockroll is at the forefront, pivoting a borderless financial ecosystem for Africa’s remote workers and freelancers. Blockroll not only bridges local and global markets but also empowers users to control their finances with ease and confidence. Blockroll aims to become a trusted, decentralized financial hub that brings global markets closer to the African workforce, fostering economic empowerment and inclusion across the continent and beyond.

Article by: Mana Lamja