When Chris Maurice first arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, in 2018, he had been on a plane only four times in his life. Faced with two options—make Yellow Card work or stay in Nigeria indefinitely—Maurice chose the former, kicking off a journey that would eventually position the fintech as a pan-African crypto powerhouse.

Starting with just $90, Maurice and co-founder Justin Poiroux initially aimed to launch a remittance app. But after realizing Nigeria already had hundreds of similar platforms, they pivoted to solving a more fundamental problem: enabling international payments that interact seamlessly with local economies. In 2019, Yellow Card launched in Nigeria, quickly gaining traction thanks to a tech-savvy population willing to adopt new solutions. By 2021, Nigeria accounted for over 90% of the company’s revenue, cementing its status as the engine of Yellow Card’s growth.

Then came February 2021, when the Central Bank of Nigeria restricted banks from processing cryptocurrency transactions—a move widely interpreted as a crypto ban. Many startups folded under the pressure, but Yellow Card survived without layoffs, leveraging its existing infrastructure in seven other African countries. The company used the crisis as a catalyst, diversifying aggressively and expanding to 20 countries. Today, Yellow Card has raised a Series A, transitioned its focus to enterprise clients, and positioned itself as a leading crypto infrastructure provider across the continent.

Maurice credits Yellow Card’s success to openness, adaptability, and a willingness to fail fast. “The options were build something that works or live in Lagos for the rest of my life,” he says. Through regulatory partnerships, pan-African expansion, and a culture of experimentation, Yellow Card turned a risky move into a sustainable, continent-wide crypto operation—demonstrating that what seemed like a setback became the foundation for growth.