The prospect of providing digital cross-border payments for the world’s unbanked and underbanked population has always been one of the key use cases for Bitcoin. Cryptocurrencies can be seen as a way for people in developing countries to participate in the global financial market by allowing easy cross-border payments, cheap remittance transactions, and simplified lending options.

We’re pleased to be joined by Elizabeth Rossiello, CEO and Founder of BitPesa. BitPesa provides companies in frontier markets with the financial infrastructure to facilitate commerce and payments, where traditional financial markets are known to be fractured and expensive. As an early Bitcoin company founded in 2013, BitPesa is now present in a handful of African countries and provides essential financial services to businesses, allowing them to send and collect payments, and perform quick and affordable Forex trades.

Topics covered in this episode:

Elizabeth’s journey to Bitcoin and BitPesa
BitPesa’s vision and how it compares existing mobile money platforms present in Africa
BitPesa’s offering and how it has evolved since the company was founded in 2013
The primary pain points and barriers to doing business in developing African markets
Foreign exchange markets in Africa
The challenges and opportunities regarding blockchain adoption in African markets
The future of Bitcoin as a payment system

Episode links:

This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/215

Elizabeth Rossiello: BitPesa – Building Financial Platforms for Frontier Markets