Oluchi Chibuzor
Abraham Efemena is a fintech founder, AI analyst, and leadership consultant whose work sits at the intersection of technology, finance, and inclusion. As CEO of Apex Network, he leads a fast-growing platform serving over 100,000 users globally across cross-border payments, digital savings, and decentralised finance. A firm believer in Africa-led innovation, Efemena is focused on building financial systems that expand economic mobility for everyday people across the continent. In this interview, he discusses how Apex Network is navigating Africa’s evolving regulatory landscape while scaling cross-border financial services. He also shares insights on growth strategy, risk management, and the role of policy in enabling responsible fintech innovation across the continent. Raheem Akingbolu brings the excerpts.
How does Apex Network position itself within the evolving regulatory landscape for virtual assets in Africa?
We position ourselves as a long-term participant in the ecosystem, not a short-term operator. Regulation is constantly evolving, so our focus is on staying engaged, compliant, and adaptable.
Rather than building first and reacting later, we design our products with regulation in mind and work closely with regulators to ensure our services remain responsible and sustainable.
What strategic decisions have enabled Apex Network to serve over 200,000 active users across multiple countries?
One key decision was prioritising simplicity and trust from the start. We focused on making our platform easy to use while investing heavily in security and customer support.
We also adopted a market-by-market approach, understanding local user needs and regulatory realities instead of forcing a single model across all regions.
Cross-border payments remain costly for many Africans. How is Apex Network addressing this challenge?
Cross-border payments are a major pain point, especially for individuals and small businesses. We address this by using digital infrastructure that reduces intermediaries and improves settlement speed.
The goal is to make transfers faster, more transparent, and more affordable, while still operating within regulatory frameworks.
What operational systems ensure speed, transparency, and reliability across your services?
We’ve invested in strong internal controls, automated processes, and real-time monitoring systems. These allow us to detect issues early and respond quickly.
Equally important is our focus on process discipline, clear workflows, accountability, and constant system reviews to maintain reliability at scale.
How do you evaluate risk when building products that connect digital assets with traditional financial systems?
Risk evaluation starts with understanding how users interact with both systems. We assess technical risk, regulatory risk, and user behaviour before introducing any product.
We also roll out in phases, stress-test our systems, and build safeguards that protect users while maintaining operational stability.
With increasing scrutiny on crypto platforms, how does Apex Network maintain compliance without slowing innovation?
Compliance is embedded into how we build, not added at the end. That approach allows innovation to continue without constant disruption.
By maintaining clear documentation, strong internal controls, and open communication with regulators, we’re able to move forward responsibly and confidently.
What metrics guide your assessment of market expansion in regions such as East and Central Africa?
We look beyond user numbers. Engagement, retention, transaction consistency, and support responsiveness are key indicators for us.
We also assess regulatory readiness and local partnerships, because sustainable growth depends on more than just demand.
How have partnerships, technology, or policy shifts influenced your growth strategy in the last two years?
Strategic partnerships have helped us expand responsibly by providing local insight and operational support.
Advances in technology have improved scalability and security, while evolving policies have pushed us to strengthen governance and compliance, both of which have supported long-term growth.
What improvements do you believe African governments can make to encourage responsible fintech development?
Clearer regulatory frameworks and consistent enforcement would go a long way. Ambiguity creates hesitation for both innovators and users.
Governments can also encourage dialogue with industry players, ensuring policies balance innovation with consumer protection.
Looking ahead, what new products or capabilities will shape Apex Network’s next phase of growth?
Our focus is on expanding usefulness, products that support everyday financial activity, not just transactions.
We’re investing in tools that improve accessibility, strengthen compliance, and support cross-border use cases, all while keeping the user experience simple and reliable.
“We want to ensure that these businesses are not only sustained but supported with the required expertise in insolvency and business rescue, so that they do not fail but continue to improve in capacity and service delivery.
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