Every year, millions vow to save more… but most never do. Imagine the difference if that promise actually stuck. So how did a casual tweet from one of the world’s most dynamic tech regions turned into a platform that rewrote how people manage money?

In the UK and across the West, fintech has reshaped banking from mobile apps to seamless investing.

But halfway across the globe, in Lagos, Nigeria, innovation took a different path rooted in tradition, built for mass impact.”
“On New Year’s Day 2016, entrepreneur Joshua Chibueze floated the idea of digitising the “kolo” — a traditional wooden savings box. A tweet later, he teamed up with Odunayo Eweniyi to build PiggyVest, an app that automates savings, adds interest, and gamifies discipline..”

Contrasting old-school kolos with modern app features like “Smart Target.”

“PiggyVest didn’t just mimic a simple piggy bank—it transformed it. With features like Smart Target, based on the traditional “ajo” group-savings model, they modernised a practice that’s helped families thrive for generations.”

With rates between 6–10% interest and a community-driven mindset, PiggyVest turned saving into something achievable—especially when banks were out of reach.
Today, PiggyVest stands out as the only African fintech in CNBC’s 2025 global WealthTech category—among giants like LendingTree and iCapital.”
It’s a powerful reminder: fintech isn’t one-size-fits-all—by anchoring innovation in local culture, you can build tools that scale—and change lives.

So next time you hit “save,” think about the kolo, a tweet, and how technology can turn tradition into transformation for millions, not just for one.”