Fintechamps opens a new office in Nigeria

Today, we are very excited to announce that we are officially opening our office in Nigeria, expanding our services to West-Africa.

In 2023, we embarked on our international journey, facilitating numerous fintechs in expanding globally, particularly within and beyond the MEA region. As part of our ongoing commitment to global outreach, we’re thrilled to announce our upcoming office in West Africa, further solidifying our position as a key player in the international fintech landscape.

“We see this region as one of the most if not the most promising regions worldwide, but also one of the most difficult to enter without local knowledge and assistance. Therefore, our services are in high demand in West-Africa . By establishing an office and local knowledge in these regions we can ensure the quality established previously in Amsterdam and Istanbul. We will have better access and communication with the local market and infrastructure, which is one of the most important aspects of expanding to West-Africa.”
Mark van der Sluis (co-founder) 

The (West) African market is widely perceived as one of the most promising in the fintech world, with much value yet to be unlocked. However, Fintechs and investors face several hurdles, including high costs and different regulations in each jurisdiction. Five areas, in particular, that require attention are digital infrastructure, regulation & compliance, local knowledge availability, establishing a (licensed) entity, and attracting and retaining talent.

Sil Thonen will lead the new office in Lagos as he will step up as a Director for the West-African region. He is an all-around expansion expert with specialized local knowledge in cultural aspects, import/export, FX risk mitigation, logistics, entity establishment & regulation, and compliance. In the past, Sil has worked closely with the founders of Fintechamps, on several projects in West-Africa. 

“Nigeria and West-Africa are all about knowing who to reach out to. Connecting people to help businesses succeed so that they can support Nigerians and the local economy.”

Sil Thonen (Director for West-Africa)

Besides Sil, Fintechamps has established a wider network of experts within this region. This ecosystem is ready to be leveraged every step of the way for coming projects. This new step will let us support merchants and fintechs to enter the West-African market and achieve their goals. With our international experience and expertise, we can help companies move into West-Africa through our services which will include 

• Mitigation Forex risk 
• Strategic consulting
• Establishing entities throughout West Africa
• Trade missions and building business cases
• Regulation and compliance assistance
• Becoming a licensed entity, through application or alternative routes
• Tax and Audit services
• Procurement and buying house set up (for merchants)
• And more

Sil will help us expand our service offering to new levels by bringing his expertise and an established network.

For more in-depth information about our expansion and services feel free to reach out!