LINQ
Cross-Border Payments
Year :
2025
Industry :
Fintech
Role :
Design Lead & PM
Project Duration :
July 2025 – Sept 2025
Problem: The "Last Mile" payment gap. Travellers and diaspora Nigerians often face difficulties making local payments in Naira while visiting Nigeria. Carrying physical cash is risky, and current solutions lack seamless foreign exchange (FX) integration or acceptance by local merchants.
Solution: We built a dual-sided marketplace. Linq is a mobile-first cross-border app that lets users pay local merchants directly from foreign bank accounts via QR codes, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. All payments are converted in real time at transparent FX rates.
Discovery & Strategy
Client Alignment: We began by reviewing the MVP v1 Product Requirements Document with the client to ensure alignment on the core vision.
Technical Constraints: Our discovery meetings helped us surface and resolve key technical considerations early, allowing us to confirm feasibility and address constraints before moving into wireframes.
Wireframe Kickoff
Mid-Fi: After resolving technical constraints and aligning with the client, we moved forward with creating mid-fidelity wireframes based on the different user journeys provided by the client.
Usability
From Mid-Fi to High-Fi: After creating the mid-fidelity wireframes, we conducted usability testing with our user researcher. Based on the findings, we refined the designs and moved forward with developing the high-fidelity wireframes.
The MVP
The Deliverable: A scalable MVP supporting iOS and Android.
Key Features:
Global Money Transfers: Fast, low-cost international transfers with transparent fees and real mid-market exchange rates.
Multi-Currency Accounts: Users can hold, send, and receive money in multiple currencies, with the ability to convert balances instantly at competitive rates.
Real-Time FX Conversion: Currency conversions use the live mid-market rate, with no hidden markups.
Success Metrics
Impact: The launch focused on validating trust and adoption.
Success Metrics:
Adoption: 100+ active merchant sign-ups within the first 3 months.
Conversion: 80% successful bank account linking rate.
Retention: 70% repeat POS transactions from diaspora users within 30 days.
Transparency: 100% of transactions successfully display the FX rate at the time of POS confirmation.
Credits
Key Collaborators:
LINQ Engineering Team, Kinsdesign
Tools:
Figma