By Efe Onodjae

Artificial intelligence-powered financial platform, BMONI has been launched in Nigeria, aimed at redefining how Africans save, spend, and grow wealth.

Targeting young professionals and small business owners, BMONI allows users to open multi-currency accounts.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Jorn Lyseggen, said the decision to debut in Nigeria was strategic, describing the country as the beating heart of Africa’s tech revolution.

“We are launching BMONI here because the users are highly sophisticated and tech-savvy. Our mission is to give Nigeria’s movers and shakers world-class financial tools to enable active participation in the global economy,” he said.

Jorn, who also founded Meltwater and MEST Africa, explained that the platform combines stablecoins, AI, and biometric technology, backed by 22 awarded patents, to create secure, affordable, and borderless financial services.

Continuing, Jorn said BMONI is a financial services platform designed to give Nigerians access to both local and international financial solutions without the bottlenecks associated with conventional banking.

“We have worked very hard for two years in stealth, and we’re coming out of stealth today. BMONI is a new alternative to banks. We are not a bank ourselves; we are a financial services compan. We partner with licensed companies here in Nigeria and internationally to offer people’s accounts, cards, and international bank accounts in the US, UK, Europe, and Canada,” he explained.

form allows users to open Naira and USD wallets, enabling seamless movement of funds between both currencies at very low cost while enjoying competitive foreign exchange rates.

Addressing regulatory concerns, Jorn clarified that BMONI is not operating in isolation but in full partnership with licensed Nigerian financial institutions.

“Our partners are licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (Nigeria). We work with virtual asset service providers and stablecoin providers that are duly authorized. So, everything we do is backed by regulatory compliance both locally and internationally,” he said.

On physical presence in Nigeria, he noted that while the company currently operates digitally, plans are underway to establish an office in the country soon. “We understand Nigerians want a physical presence. We don’t have an office at launch, but we are seriously considering opening one in the coming months so people can come to us physically,” he said.

Jorn also highlighted the firm’s commitment to security and innovation, revealing that the platform is backed by over 22 patented technologies.

“We’ve developed a technology that uses your facial biometrics and converts it into cryptographic keys. That means your account is safe and protected. No passwords or PINs are required. Our AI makes the app very user-friendly and secure,” he explained.

He added that the use of stablecoins will facilitate faster and cheaper local and cross-border transactions compared to traditional banking.

Jorn disclosed that Nigeria is the first market for BMONI’s global rollout, given the country’s growing population and active fintech ecosystem. “Nigeria is the first country where we are launching. Our ambition is global. After Nigeria, we’ll expand to other African countries, Latin America, and Southeast Asia,” he said.