Back in 2018, when agency banking in Nigeria was still in its infancy, Bello Kano and Tayo Akintoye pooled ₦400,000 ($285) to start a point-of-sale (PoS) business. What began as two friends experimenting with payments soon evolved into something much larger. Within three years, their small stake had ballooned into ₦50 million ($35,700). Their secret? A combination of customer trust, bold innovation, and an uncanny ability to see value where others didn’t.
Kano’s first breakthrough wasn’t in payments—it was in community building. By designing and constructing affordable shops for roadside vendors in Kano State, he created what would later be known as a mini “Computer Village.” Nearly a thousand traders found a home there, and in return, Kano and Akintoye earned something more powerful than profit: trust and loyalty.
Instead of trekking long distances to banks, these traders deposited daily earnings—sometimes millions of naira—with the duo. This consistent flow of cash gave their PoS business an edge. As Kano recalls, “We weren’t just agents; we became part of their financial backbone.”
That spirit of reimagining financial access became the foundation of BellBank Microfinance Bank. While urban fintech giants like Moniepoint and OPay dominate the spotlight, Kano and Akintoye set their sights on Northern Nigeria’s unbanked millions, a population often excluded from the digital finance boom.
Their flagship product? The BellBox, a compact speaker that costs only ₦5,000 ($3). Unlike traditional PoS machines priced at ₦80,000 ($53), the BellBox instantly announces payments out loud—no smartphone, no Internet, no guesswork. A seller receives money, and both buyer and seller hear the confirmation. Simple, affordable, and designed for noisy, chaotic markets where missed alerts are common.
While similar “payment soundboxes” are already popular in China, BellBank’s version is tailored to Nigeria’s realities: week-long battery life, compatibility with local networks, and a subscription model that keeps the device sustainable. Traders pay a one-time purchase fee and a monthly ₦1,000 (less than $1) service charge.
But BellBank’s ambitions don’t end with micro-traders. The company plans to white-label the BellBox for banks and fintechs, letting other institutions distribute the device under their own branding while BellBank powers the technology behind the scenes. This dual model—direct subscriptions plus enterprise partnerships—positions BellBank as both a consumer-first startup and a behind-the-curtain infrastructure provider.
At its core, BellBank is not just about gadgets—it’s about financial inclusion as empowerment. Despite progress, 28 million Nigerian adults remain outside the financial system, most of them in rural areas. For Kano and Akintoye, solving this isn’t just business—it’s a mission.
From two men with a PoS machine to the architects of a fintech built for the underserved, BellBank’s story is a reminder that innovation doesn’t always begin in Silicon Valley boardrooms. Sometimes, it starts at a dusty roadside stall—with trust, vision, and ₦400,000.
