I have a theory. Startups doing in-country p2p are going to have a bit of a rough time competing vs banks (Nigeria) and telco mobile money (momo markets). When under attack, those can improve or outprice startups severely.
Capital will help for those able and willing to raise gazillions. The next best thing is to price zero and go financial super app style by introducing crypto, stocks, etc.
But banks and telcos are also looking for those stocks APIs too. Crypto is still a trick for them so it’s a great hedge for the startups although they face the some regulatory headwinds.
Those who have been around for some time and have a memory might remember one great startup vs telcos in Zambia. But all in all, I think the market has changed and I’d still vote for startups long term. It’s just going to be a rough ride.
You can’t build your own agent network and still subsidise. Agents are very expensive and need to get paid. You can’t subsidise that cost forever. Telcos can do it better because of sheer scale and fight.
The real winner is the consumer.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
