MonieWorld Partners Funke Akindele for Diaspora Remittances

In Short

• MonieWorld is partnering with Nollywood actor and producer Funke Akindele.
• The goal is to grow MonieWorld’s share of the Nigerian diaspora remittance market, which it sizes at $30 billion.
• MonieWorld is positioning itself around instant transfers, bill and school fee payments, and competitive FX rates.

What Happened

MonieWorld, a remittance and cross-border payments product from MonieWorld, has announced a partnership with Nollywood star Funke Akindele as it pushes deeper into diaspora money transfers.

Remittances are payments sent by people living abroad to family, friends, or businesses back home. For Nigerians in the UK, US, Canada, and Europe, that often includes regular support for relatives, school fees, and occasional larger obligations like rent or medical bills.

MonieWorld says its platform is built for these needs, with instant send options, the ability to support family members, and “competitive rates” for foreign exchange, meaning the conversion price between currencies. The company also highlighted security guarantees, although it did not share specific controls or coverage details in the announcement.

Ravi Jakhodia, CEO of MonieWorld, said the partnership is meant to combine Akindele’s reach with the product’s payments infrastructure. Akindele is one of Nigeria’s best known film stars and a major cultural figure with audiences beyond Nigeria.

Why It Matters

Diaspora remittances are one of the largest sources of foreign currency inflows into Nigeria. That attracts fintechs offering faster transfers, clearer pricing, and better user experience than traditional bank wires.

For Moniepoint, diaspora remittances also extend its payments footprint beyond domestic acquiring and business banking. Moniepoint is known in Nigeria for moving high transaction volumes across individuals, SMEs, and enterprises, and MonieWorld gives it a direct consumer channel for cross-border flows.

Celebrity partnerships are also becoming a common growth lever in African fintech. They can reduce customer acquisition costs by building trust quickly, especially in a market where users worry about fraud and failed transfers.