Akinsola Jegede, founder and CEO of VitalSwap, has introduced a digital financial solution aimed at resolving one of Africa’s most persistent barriers to global economic participation: seamless cross-border payments.
VitalSwap provides a Stripe-like alternative for freelancers, remote workers, digital entrepreneurs, and small businesses across Africa who have historically been excluded from accessing international payment platforms.
The platform allows users to open foreign business accounts denominated in United States dollars, British pounds, and euros under their registered company names. Through these accounts, they can receive payments, convert currencies, and withdraw earnings locally.
Mr Jegede said the platform emerged out of necessity after years of frustration with global payment systems that routinely exclude African users.
“VitalSwap gives African freelancers and startups a way to receive money globally, convert it easily, and manage their businesses without relying on platforms that don’t support their countries,” he explained.
Global platforms like Stripe and PayPal remain unavailable or partially restricted in many African nations, hindering the continent’s vast digital talent pool from participating in international trade.
For African professionals offering services in areas such as software development, design, marketing, or consulting, receiving payments from foreign clients remains a logistical challenge, one that often forces them to rely on informal and high-risk payment channels.
VitalSwap seeks to eliminate these roadblocks by offering a platform built with African realities in mind.
The service integrates an artificial intelligence-powered compliance engine that automates KYC (Know Your Customer), KYB (Know Your Business), and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) processes.
This ensures users can be verified quickly and securely, meeting international regulatory standards without compromising user experience.
“Our onboarding process ensures that African businesses are fully compliant with global financial standards while maintaining simplicity and accessibility,” Mr Jegede added.
Currently in its early rollout phase, VitalSwap has onboarded a pilot group of users and opened a public waitlist for wider access.
According to Mr Jegede, the reception has been overwhelmingly positive, with early adopters praising the platform’s ease of use, transparent currency conversion, and speed of withdrawals.
The company said its vision goes beyond payments. It is building a holistic financial infrastructure that supports the ambitions of Africa’s remote workers and digital businesses, who often operate at a disadvantage due to limited access to trusted financial tools.
As the continent’s digital economy continues to grow bolstered by remote work opportunities, digital exports, and an expanding tech ecosystem experts say the need for accessible global financial infrastructure will become even more pressing.
“Too many African businesses and freelancers have been shut out of global opportunities not because of a lack of talent or ambition, but because of payment restrictions. VitalSwap bridges that gap,” the company stated.
Mr Jegede concluded that VitalSwap’s ultimate goal is to democratise financial access and empower a generation of African professionals who deserve to compete and thrive on a global scale.
