Key services range from virtual US dollar and Nigerian naira currency cards to spending trackers and budgeting tools, as well as bill payment and savings-backed loans. The startup even offers long-term financial planning tools such as estate planning and retirement savings goals.
Joseph drew on his time at Booth to help design Fundall’s operating and business model to ensure that the company can weather an unpredictable regulatory and economic environment while continuing to remain accountable to its customers. Retaining customer trust is vital to any fintech company, he says, but particularly challenging in a market like Nigeria.
His Organization Design course at Booth has been critical for him as a founder. “I am keen on ensuring that there is accountability for performance and integrity in all aspects of the business,” Joseph says. “At the end of the day, we are providing financial services and products via technology, which optimizes costs and efficiency. There’s a trust factor you need to make sure you have with customers, and risk management that you need to have. The organizational structure helps drive both.”
Fundall recently took a huge step forward when a majority equity stake was sold to the Emerging Africa Group, a leading financial services company based in Nigeria. Joseph remains involved in guiding Fundall as the chairman of the board and a significant equity shareholder. Fundall relaunched in August with additional product and service offerings.
Fundall’s goals do not stop there. Joseph’s sights are set on Fundall entering nearby Ghana in the next two years, before expanding through Africa.
“The biggest challenge for trading in Africa is actually allowing transactions to move across borders,” he says. “You use your local currency to pay for products and get a viable exchange rate for a product from Ghana. How can you do that efficiently? We’re trying to solve that with a multicurrency wallet.”
Despite the challenges, Joseph says it is clear that Nigeria is ready for fintech as more and more startups like Fundall emerge. There will be speed bumps, he says, but also much to look forward to in the future.
“Regulation is evolving, so you don’t know what may come next and when things will change. But there is some understanding that fintech is here to stay,” he says.