By Prince Osuagwu

As diaspora remittances remain critical to Africa’s economy, Nigerian-born product lead, Ayodeji Jegede is building financial infrastructure to make cross-border support more efficient.

In 2025, remittance inflows to low- and middle-income countries in Africa reached approximately $105 billion, underscoring their role in sustaining households and driving economic resilience.

Based in the UK, he is the founder of MoneyHive, a fintech platform simplifying diaspora remittances and essential bill payments, starting with the UK-Nigeria corridor. The platform tackles persistent challenges such as high fees, fragmented services, and delays that reduce the real value of funds sent home.

Ayodeji’s move into fintech follows nearly a decade in banking, fintech, and enterprise technology, where he observed a recurring gap between the volume of remittance flows and the quality of services available to families. He sees this as an infrastructure problem rather than a lack of demand. For Nigeria alone, remittance inflows hit a five-year high of $23 billion in 2025, highlighting the scale of opportunity for innovative solutions.

MoneyHive bridges African markets with global financial systems by integrating remittances with bill payments and other essential services on a single platform. The approach improves transparency and reduces friction in cross-border transactions. The startup gained recognition through Techscaler Catalyst, a Scottish Government-backed accelerator supporting scalable technology solutions with public value.

Operating from the UK provides strategic advantages, including access to a mature fintech ecosystem, regulatory frameworks, and global talent. From this base, Ayodeji plans to build Africa-focused financial infrastructure that can scale across multiple diaspora corridors while meeting international compliance standards.

As remittances remain a lifeline for millions, founders like Ayodeji are at the intersection of technology, policy, and economic development, using global platforms to solve long-standing challenges at home.