Cross-Border Fintech Isn’t One Size Fits All: Why Global Expansion Fails Without Context

London's fintech customers grumble if a transfer takes longer than 3 seconds, while
in Lagos, people resort to taking screenshots as evidence that their money hasn’t vanished. Both are fintech, but they operate in vastly different worlds.

When you’ve designed for African and European markets, you stop seeing fintech
as a product. You see it as culture, infrastructure, and living behaviour.

One of the biggest misconceptions in fintech is the belief that a single design system
can cater to everyone's needs. The reality is that cultural nuance plays a significant role in
shaping user expectations and behaviours.

For years, financial platforms have attempted to scale across markets using a
single UX framework, presuming that user expectations, flows, and infrastructures
are consistent from Berlin to Nairobi. However, as we've learned, financial behaviour
is fundamentally cultural, and understanding these nuances is crucial for successful design.

Alison Eyo, a 2021 Designer Babe Laptop recipient, proudly presenting a laptop to Gbemisola Owolabi at The Global Creative Festival 2024.

I’ve had the rare opportunity to design fintech products on both ends of the spectrum.
At Flutterwave, I was part of the founding design team that built Barter. Barter was launched
in 2017 to solve a pressing problem: Nigerians had limited means to make online international purchases. Barter’s virtual dollar cards, P2P transfers, and bill payments filled a gap when access to global commerce was still out of reach for many.

At Wise, I designed one of the world's most mature cross-border financial systems, contributing to financial crime and support experiences that ensured global compliance
and user confidence.

My experiences have taught me that Fintech is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s a locally tailored answer with a global vision. To reach billions, we must first design for the difference.

“Cash still accounts for over 90% of African retail transactions. Mobile money, agent networks, and informal systems determine the environment rather than card rails or open banking protocols.”
— McKinsey's Fintech in Africa: The End of the Beginning (2022)

Barter’s interface wasn’t just about sending money. It was about developing a system that people could trust. The design transforms into infrastructure when screenshots replace receipts and agents serve as financial gatekeepers.

Africa's mobile-first, card-limited, and trust-heavy fintech

In 2017, the Nigerian fintech scene was full of ambition. However, the infrastructure was lacking. Traditional banks struggled to connect users to foreign businesses. FX limitations
and unexpected failures damaged trust even when customers could access dollar cards.

We were not simply designing a feature. We were designing possibilities.

Barter provided access to various commodities across the fashion, educational, and entertainment industries. But we couldn’t just replicate Western flows. We had to:

  • Build with instant FX conversion and volatility in mind

  • Offer clear error messaging for low-literacy environments

  • Create a feedback loop between customers early

  • Enable customers to make payments globally affordably 

Europe’s regulated, bank-rooted, expectations-driven fintech

At Wise, the situation was different. Europe's financial system is based on card rails,
bank accounts, and centralised identity systems. Customers expect:

  • Instant, seamless KYC.

  • Real-time notifications.

  • Automated and accurate support

They also anticipate systemic protection. If something goes wrong on the platforms, customers believe that regulations can help resolve issues. We reinforced trust by
creating genuine and reliable support experiences.

At Flutterwave, design had to become the system that users trusted.


This distinction is subtle yet crucial. In one scenario, the system serves as a safety net,
while in the other, the product is.

Where Fintechs Go Wrong

Western fintech companies expanding into Africa frequently:

  • Over-index on visual polish

  • Design for speed rather than reliability

  • You can’t copy-paste Revolut into Kigali because the screens and the assumptions beneath them change


On the flip side:

African fintech companies moving abroad frequently assume:

  • Their product-market fit translates

  • Western users will endure friction

  • Survival-based use cases are appealing in value-driven economies

According to the GSMA, most consumers in the West use fintech to save time, decrease fees, or optimise spending.

What I've Learnt

Barter was a financial technology product and a bridge. It enabled people to do worldwide business when banks refused, serving as both a lifeline and a link.

Wise showed me how scale, regulation, and trust intersect in the real world. That combination of infrastructural empathy and global adaptability informs my design leadership today.

Whether you’re scaling, localising, or starting from scratch, the system shapes the story. Design tells the truth about what the system can or cannot do. 


If you're building fintech across borders, I can help.

  • Assess UX for cross-market readiness.

  • Localise product experiences without sacrificing the product's soul.

  • Build trust in every interaction across regions.

Ready to scale the right way? Book a consultation. Let’s build fintech that fits and belongs.

By Mitchelle Chibundu

5 MIN READ
APRIL 10, 2025