Introduction
Facing soaring inflation, costly foreign exchange fees, and limited access to banking, millions of Nigerians now use cryptocurrency to store value, send money, and engage with the global economy. Today, Nigeria ranks as the second-largest market for crypto adoption worldwide, with Nigerians using stablecoins to digitize their money so they can save and spend with confidence.
Launched in 2019, Roqqu is at the forefront of powering crypto adoption across Nigeria and beyond. With more than 1.8 million users in Africa and Europe and more than $1.5 billion in annual trading volume, Roqqu is on a mission to make crypto accessible, intuitive, and convenient for everyday use.
Challenge
While Roqqu’s platform made it easy to buy, sell, and hold digital assets, users still faced a major obstacle: spending them. This gap limited crypto’s potential as a true currency—and it limited the value Roqqu could provide its users.
Cross-border spending was a particular challenge Roqqu wanted to help its customers overcome. In Nigeria and across much of Africa, international payments are slow, costly, and unreliable. When Roqqu’s users tried to convert their crypto holdings into fiat to pay for overseas tuition, subscriptions, or online purchases, they often faced steep FX markups and hidden conversion fees.
Roqqu had experimented with providing a card solution, but its card provider’s capabilities were extremely limited. Cards were only denominated in fiat, with separate cards for local currencies and U.S. dollars. As a result, users had to manage multiple accounts and cards for local and international spending. In addition, Roqqu’s finance team had to reconcile data and payments across multiple providers. The solution carried high setup and transaction fees, along with unfavorable conversion rates, significantly eroding purchasing power for cross-border transactions.
“The lack of a unified and affordable solution for both local and international transactions created a fragmented and frustrating experience for our customers, directly impacting their satisfaction and our competitive standing in the market,” said Tuwatimi, James Powel, Retail Product lead at Roqqu.
Their previous card solution also frequently failed during a wide range of international transactions, leading to a spike in customer complaints and chargebacks that eroded user trust in Roqqu’s overall platform. In addition, the cards could only be topped up using fiat currency, with no support for cryptocurrencies. This created a point of friction between users’ digital asset holdings and everyday spending.
Solution
Roqqu is partnering with Bridge to launch a stablecoin-powered card program that will let users spend their crypto holdings everywhere Visa is accepted. With the new card program, Roqqu users can spend instantly, securely, and without friction.
Through a single Bridge API integration, Roqqu was able to issue cards to its users in different markets while relying on Bridge and Stripe to manage compliance, program management, and card network relationships. The integration was completed quickly, which helped Roqqu quickly bring a competitive card product to market.
With the new card solution, Roqqu’s users can spend directly from their wallets without topping up from a separate account. Users also avoid typical cross-border and FX markup fees when spending internationally, boosting their purchasing power.
Results
Roqqu’s users can now easily use their stablecoin holdings to pay for everything from local groceries and services to overseas tuition, streaming subscriptions, travel, and online purchases without worrying about conversion rates, hidden fees, or the risk of a failed transaction.
Roqqu’s partnership with Bridge has helped open new opportunities for global expansion. Bridge makes it simple to issue cards compliantly in all major markets across Africa through a single integration, which will allow Roqqu to expand its card program to new markets in as little as a day.
Conclusion
By turning stablecoins into a practical tool for local and cross-border payments, Roqqu is redefining how millions of people across Africa can save, spend, and thrive in a global economy.
Bridge is not a bank. The Prepaid Debit Visa Card is issued by Lead Bank and managed by Bridge Ventures, LLC. Fees may apply. See www.bridge.xyz/legal for more details.
The content in this article is for general information and education purposes only and should not be construed as legal or tax advice. Bridge does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, adequacy, or currency of the information in the article. You should seek the advice of a competent attorney or accountant licensed to practice in your jurisdiction for advice on your particular situation.
