Our Hands-On Experience with Minipay: A Journey Through Kenya and Nigeria

If you’re familiar with Celo, you’ve likely heard of Minipay, the digital wallet built on the Celo blockchain, aimed at bridging the financial gap in Africa. Designed for fast, secure, and seamless transactions, Minipay integrates with local payment systems while giving users access to global markets. It’s more than just a payment app—it’s a tool for financial inclusion across the continent.

Recently, we traveled to Kenya for EthSafari and Nigeria to document our firsthand experience with Minipay. What started as an experiment quickly became an essential survival tool during the trip. From everyday purchases to cross-border payments, Minipay’s flexibility and convenience made it the perfect companion for navigating both countries.

Experimenting with Minipay in Real Life

Before we set out to Africa to film a documentary about Minipay, I was curious to see what the app was all about. Sitting at the airport, I decided to onboard myself. Within minutes, using just my email address, I was set up and staring at the app’s main page. The interface was clean and intuitive, which immediately caught my attention. I scrolled through the features, intrigued but wondering, will I actually need this?

Once we arrived in Nairobi, I caught up with Joan from Celo EU, who had been there a week before. He walked me through how payments work in Kenya. I quickly learned I had four options:

• Cash
• Mpesa
• Minipay
• Visa (for established merchants)

Since I didn’t have a local SIM for Mpesa and the setup process was a bit extensive, I withdrew some cash and decided to give Minipay a try. Out of curiosity, I used it to pay for groceries and snacks at EthSafari. While I could’ve used cash or Visa, I was impressed by how easy Minipay was to use. It felt natural, but I still wasn’t convinced it was necessary.

From Experimenting to Survival

Everything changed on the last day of EthSafari. On our way to the venue, our tuktuk rolled down a hill, and in the chaos, I lost my wallet with all my bank cards inside. Panic set in—we still had to travel to Nigeria, and I had no physical means of payment. My videographer made a joke, saying, “At least you have Minipay.” While I didn’t appreciate his snarky remark in the moment, I realized he had a point.

Suddenly, Minipay transformed from an experimental app to my financial lifeline. I loaded up my wallet using Fonbnk, added some cUSD i had by Mento, and received some cashlinks from the Minipay team at EthSafari. Nervous but excited, I prepared for the next leg of our journey to Nigeria.

Upon arriving in Lagos, I booked an Uber to our apartment. Eager to test the limits of Minipay, I asked the driver how I could tip him. He mentioned Opay, a service I hadn’t encountered in Kenya. With a few taps, I navigated Minipay and found an option through Pretium to pay merchants with Opay. In less than 10 seconds, I tipped the driver in Naira using my cUSD through Minipay. That’s when it clicked.

Minipay removes the complexity of cross-border payments. I didn’t need to figure out local payment rails or exchange currencies—the app did it all for me, instantly and seamlessly.

Three Days in Nigeria with Minipay

For the next three days, I confidently used Minipay to pay for everything—from restaurants to Uber rides to tour operators. I even tried buying art at the Nike Art Gallery using Minipay. Every transaction was fast, secure, and reliable, regardless of the payment method accepted by the merchants.

As a European, I’ve never had to worry much about payment systems. Our infrastructure is well-developed, and we take for granted the ease of cross-border payments. But traveling through Africa made me realize the power of crypto payment rails, like those provided by Minipay, in unifying a continent where neighboring countries often have incompatible financial systems, and remittances can take over a week to settle.

Key Takeaways from Using Minipay

After talking to different users and using Minipay extensively in both Kenya and Nigeria, I came away with several key insights:

• Extremely Fast Transactions & Low Fees: Across all my interactions, transactions were processed in seconds with a minimal fee compared to traditional banks or remittance services.
• Seamless Integration with Local Payment Systems: Minipay allows users to pay directly in local currency, avoiding the hassle of currency exchange or onboarding new payment rails.
• Crypto-Friendly Digital Wallet: Minipay is more than just a traditional wallet. It allows users to hold, convert, and spend cryptocurrency.
• The Ability to Hold and Save in Dollars: One of the standout features is the ability to hold and save in US dollars. This is crucial due to the volatile currencies and difficulty in creating a dollar bank account.
• Seamless Cross-Border Transactions: Moving between countries, I experienced how easy it was to do cross-border payments without worrying about exchange rates or the complexity of different financial systems.
• Fast and Cheap Remittances: For users sending money across borders, Minipay offers fast and affordable remittance options, significantly reducing the time and cost associated with traditional money transfers.
• Better Integration with Global Financial Markets: Minipay allows users to access stablecoins and digital assets, giving them more financial flexibility and allowing them to interact with global opportunities.
• Protection Against Currency Volatility: For many, the ability to hold and transact in stablecoins provides protection against local currency volatility.

The Bigger Picture: Financial Inclusion in Africa

The use cases and Minipay ecosystem is beyond what I’ve experienced and explained in this article. I saw how Minipay enables financial inclusion in Africa. For many people, access to traditional banking is limited or nonexistent, but Minipay offers a secure, reliable alternative. The ability to hold and save in dollars protects users from local currency volatility, while seamless cross-border payments make remittances and business transactions faster and cheaper. It’s not just about convenience—it’s about giving people access to a financial system that previously excluded them.

My Final Take: A Game-Changer for Payments in Africa

Using Minipay for a few weeks changed my perspective on digital payments and the future of finance in Africa. What started as an experiment quickly became an essential tool that not only made my trip smoother but also opened my eyes to the challenges many people face when it comes to basic financial transactions.

Minipay is more than just a wallet—it’s a tool that bridges financial gaps and creates opportunities for millions of people. As more people and businesses adopt Minipay, it will continue unlocking new possibilities for cross-border payments, financial inclusion, and crypto adoption across the continent and beyond.

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