I’m Adedeji Olowe. I build credit infrastructure. I happen to do it from Lagos most of the time, and from wherever else I feel like being the rest of the time, which is one of the privileges of running a company that was remote-first from day one. Barcelona remains my city of choice if I am ever chased out of Lagos.
I have an academic background in engineering, but I’ve spent all my life in financial services. I once valiantly tried to do a PhD in finance and dropped out, which remains my biggest regret and something my kids tease me about endlessly. I am the founder of Lendsqr, TMBP, and Open Banking in Nigeria and Africa. I also lead the board at Paystack, the payments company Stripe acquired in 2020 in a deal reported at over $200 million. When I’m not doing any of these, I’m here on dejiolowe.com ranting about credit, payments, startups and other things I’m passionate about to anyone willing to listen.
And when I’m not here, you can catch me on LinkedIn doing the same.
Thoughts about using tech and credit to build wealth
Credit is infrastructure, not charity. Wherever it is broken, the economy underneath it stays small. That is true in Lagos, it is true in Lima, it is true in Jakarta, and it is true in most of the places the global financial press does not bother to cover. I work on the plumbing.
Lendsqr – the loan management infrastructure
Lendsqr is a loan management SaaS that helps lenders scale their business with an automated lending stack, backed by sophisticated technology and robust data that simplifies the loan experience for both lenders and borrowers. Lenders can start lending within minutes and for free.
Thousands of lenders, including banks, power their lending with Lendsqr, serving millions of borrowers across eight countries. The architecture is built for any market where credit infrastructure is broken, which is most of them. Lendsqr is also remote-first, which is partly why I get to spend a good chunk of every year working from somewhere different.
Founder of Open Banking in Nigeria and Africa
Nigeria has more bank accounts than the UK. The open banking framework we got the Central Bank of Nigeria to adopt governs all of them. People keep treating this as a local story. It isn’t.
Despite the plethora of innovative solutions from fintechs to advance financial inclusion, executing these services at scale was impossible because there was no single standard for integrating between fintechs, banks and other financial institutions. We fixed that. The Operational Guidelines for Open Banking in Nigeria are the result.
At Open Banking Nigeria, I lead the industry and a coalition of stakeholders working with regulators, the financial ecosystem, and international counterparts to make open banking a reality at scale.
Leading the Board at Paystack
I have the privilege of leading the board at Paystack, one of the leading payment platforms reshaping how money moves across Africa, facilitating seamless transactions and empowering businesses to thrive in the digital age.
Venture Building at TMBP
At TMBP, we experiment with, nurture and incubate innovative ideas into successful ventures, often in collaboration with other founders. With a focus on developing groundbreaking financial technologies, TMBP backs ideas with the potential to scale and create value, and takes them to market in record time.
My work with TMBP involves providing expert guidance and funding opportunities to foster a culture of creating value through solutions that satisfy a real need.
Writing about what I’m passionate about
Beyond my professional endeavors, I write a ton of interesting stuff, sharing my insights and perspectives on topics I am passionate about. Whether it’s the intersection of technology and finance, the future of open banking, or the role of credit in setting economies up for prosperity, I enjoy sparking meaningful conversations in these spaces.
My predictions over the last decade have grown to become an industry favorite and I’ve shocked even myself with how many of these have come to pass; makes me wonder if it’s time for me to pack up and set up shop as a seer instead.
Welcome to dejiolowe.com. Front row seat to whatever I’m thinking about credit, payments, and how financial systems actually work. Africa shows up a lot because that’s where I am. It’s not the only place any of this matters.
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