We’re Building Payment Infrastructure for Nigerian Businesses. Here’s Why We Need Your Help

The Problem We Keep Hearing

Over the past three weeks, I’ve sent 50+ emails to Nigerian businesses — fashion designers in Lagos, freelance developers, gadget retailers, drone wholesalers, and crowdfunding platforms.

The feedback has been surprisingly consistent.

These aren’t isolated complaints. They’re systemic infrastructure gaps.

The pattern is clear:

• Businesses are losing 10–15% to international payment fees
• Freelancers are watching Naira devaluation eat their savings in real-time
• E-commerce businesses are dealing with failed cross-border transactions
• Operations teams face manual reconciliation nightmares
• There’s constant fear of frozen accounts when accepting international payments

Traditional payment rails weren’t built for this moment. Banks can’t solve it. Payment processors won’t solve it. Someone has to create the alternative.

That’s why we’re building BillingBase.

BillingBase | Non-Custodial Billing Layer for Stablecoins

What We’re Building (And Why It’s Different)

BillingBase is non-custodial crypto billing infrastructure for global businesses.

Let me break down what that actually means:

1. Non-custodial means payments go directly to YOUR wallet. We never hold your funds. We don’t control your money. We don’t have the ability to freeze your account. You maintain complete custody while we handle the infrastructure.
2. Crypto billing infrastructure means we provide the payment primitives you’re already familiar with — checkout links, subscriptions, refunds, webhooks, invoicing — except they work with stablecoins instead of traditional payment rails.
3. For Nigerian businesses, this means we understand the specific problems you face: Naira devaluation, international payment friction, high platform fees, and the need for dollar-denominated earnings that hold their value.

Here’s what you can do with BillingBase:

• Accept stablecoin payments: USDT, USDC, DAI, and CNGN (Naira-pegged)
• Use familiar tools: Payment links, recurring subscriptions, one-time payments, refunds, webhooks, and a dashboard to track everything
• Get built-in protection: Chainalysis wallet screening, transaction-level risk checks, KYB verification, and audit trails for compliance

Why We’re Starting with a Beta

We don’t have all the answers yet.

What we know:

Nigerian businesses need better cross-border payments. Naira devaluation makes dollar earnings critical. Platform fees (Upwork’s 15%, Stripe’s 3.9%, PayPal’s conversion markups) are too high. International customers increasingly pay with stablecoins. Operations teams need reconciliation tools that traditional banks don’t provide.

What we need to validate:

1. Core features: Which payment primitives matter most? Do fashion designers prioritize deposit handling or subscription billing? Do freelancers want simple payment links or full API integration? Where’s the acceptable onboarding friction threshold?
2. Compliance: What documentation feels reasonable versus invasive? KYB is necessary, but where’s the line between thorough and annoying?
3. Infrastructure: Which blockchains — Base (lowest fees), Polygon (widely supported), Arbitrum (fast settlement)? Do businesses care, or just want “cheapest and fastest”? USDC (dollar-pegged) or CNGN (Naira-pegged)?
4. Integrations: QuickBooks? Xero? Google Sheets? Slack notifications when payments arrive?

Questions only real usage can answer:

• How do designers handle deposits versus final payments?
• Do freelancers prefer shareable links or automated invoicing? What reporting do finance teams need?
• How often do merchants convert stablecoins to Naira?
• What’s the right balance between automated risk controls and merchant control?

We can’t answer these in a vacuum. We need real businesses using BillingBase with real customers.

That’s why we’re opening a beta.

Sign up here!

Who We’re Looking For

We’re looking for specific businesses where stablecoin payments solve real problems.

1. SME Businesses with Global Clients Fashion designers, bridal boutiques, custom clothiers, bespoke service providers with international clients who ship worldwide or provide remote services.

Your pain: 3–7 day payment delays, high cross-border fees, difficult deposit handling, currency conversion losses.

What you get: Instant stablecoin settlement, payment links for deposits/finals, dollar-denominated earnings, free integrated website during beta.

2. Freelancers & Service Providers Developers, designers, consultants, educators working directly with clients or through Upwork/Fiverr/Toptal.

Your pain: 10–15% platform fees, poor PayPal conversion rates, dollar invoices settled in devalued Naira, no professional low-cost direct payment option.

What you get: 0.5% transaction fees, payment link dashboard, dollar earnings protected from devaluation, automatic receipts and audit trails.

3. E-commerce & Retail Gadget stores, tech retailers, drone wholesalers, online merchants (B2B/B2C).

Your pain: Failed international transactions, 3–5% gateway fees, chargebacks, fraud, reconciliation headaches.

What you get: API integration, payment links, 0.5% fees, no chargebacks (crypto is final), and clean transaction records.

4. Content Creators & Educators: Web3 educators, course creators, online tutors, digital content producers.

Your pain: Platform fees (Gumroad, Teachable, Patreon), platform dependency, limited international payment options, and expensive recurring billing.

What you get: Subscription billing, one-time payment links, direct payments (no middleman), and automatic invoicing.

5. Fundraising Platforms: Crowdfunding platforms, donation platforms, NGOs raising money locally and internationally.

Your pain: Slow, expensive wire transfers, high cross-border fees, poor reporting, and difficulty tracking recurring contributions.

What you get: Donation links (one-time/recurring), lower fees, instant international contributions via stablecoins, and clean reporting for finance teams and donors.

What we’re NOT looking for (yet):

High-volume enterprises: If you’re processing 10,000 transactions per day, we’re not ready for you. We’re optimizing for businesses with 10–500 transactions per month during beta.

Businesses requiring instant Naira conversion: We don’t provide off-ramp services yet. You’ll need your own method to convert stablecoins to Naira if needed (P2P platforms like Binance, Bybit, or local exchanges work well).

Companies needing white-label solutions: If you want to rebrand BillingBase as your own product, that’s not our focus right now.

Anyone expecting zero bugs: This is a beta. There will be rough edges. If you need production-perfect software on day one, wait for our public launch later this year.

What Beta Participants Get

1. Free Integration & Setup

• No setup fees: Most payment platforms charge $500-$2,000 for integration. We don’t.
• No monthly subscription during beta: Use BillingBase for free while we’re testing.
• Transaction fees waived for first 90 days (or first 100 transactions): Whichever comes first. After that, standard fees apply (0.5% or lower depending on volume).
• One-on-one onboarding support: We’ll walk you through wallet setup, dashboard usage, and first transactions. No “figure it out yourself” documentation dumps.

2. Custom Solutions Based on Your Business Type

For fashion designers: We’ll build you a one-pager website with integrated payment links. Free during beta. Professional design. Consultation booking system if needed.

For e-commerce businesses: We’ll integrate BillingBase API directly with your existing website. Custom checkout flow. Webhook setup. Testing support.

For freelancers: Payment link dashboard optimized for invoicing. Easy sharing via email, WhatsApp, or social media. Automatic receipt generation.

For educators: Subscription billing for courses or memberships. Payment links for one-time consultations or content. Recurring payment automation.

3. Direct Access to the Team

• Weekly feedback calls (optional): Tell us what’s working and what’s broken.
• Slack/WhatsApp channel with founders: Direct line to Ngozi and the team. No support ticket black holes.
• Priority bug fixes: If something breaks, we fix it fast. Beta participants get priority.
• Your input shapes the product roadmap: We’re not building in isolation. If you need a feature, we’ll consider adding it based on beta feedback.

4. Early Mover Advantage

• Lifetime discounted pricing after beta: When we launch publicly, you’ll pay less than new customers — forever.
• Featured case studies (with permission): If you’re willing, we’ll showcase how you’re using BillingBase. Good for your brand, good for ours.
• First access to new features: New integrations, reporting tools, or blockchain support? Beta participants see it first.
• Referral program with revenue share: Refer other businesses to BillingBase and earn a percentage of their transaction fees.

What We’re Asking From You

This isn’t passive testing. If you just want to “try it out and see,” that’s not what we need.

Time Commitment:

• 30–60 minutes: Initial setup (wallet, KYB verification, dashboard walkthrough, first test transaction)
• 15–30 minutes periodically: Feedback calls (every 2 weeks to monthly, depending on usage)
• 24–48 hour response time: When we ask “Can you try this again and tell us what happened?”
• 5–10 minutes monthly: Survey on feature usage and pain points

Honesty Requirement:

We need brutal feedback, not polite validation.

Tell us what’s confusing, broken, or doesn’t fit your workflow. Share what your customers say — positive and negative. If onboarding felt complicated, the dashboard doesn’t make sense, or a feature exists but you don’t understand why you’d use it, tell us. Screenshots help. Screen recordings are better.

We’re not looking for cheerleaders. We’re looking for honest partners who’ll tell us when we’re wrong.

Real Usage:

Use this with real customers. Test transactions catch bugs, but real revenue matters more. We can’t improve what we don’t see in production.

Send a payment link to a real client. Use BillingBase for a real deposit. Integrate it and see if customers choose the crypto option. We’re not asking you to bet your entire business on this, but we need real scenarios to see what happens when money is on the line.

Patience:

There will be bugs — we’ll fix them fast. Some features won’t exist yet — we’re prioritizing based on feedback. Documentation might be incomplete — we’re improving it weekly.

Beta means “we’re still learning.” If you need production-perfect software on day one, wait for our public launch.

How to Apply to BillingBase Beta

Step 1: Visit the Waitlist Page and Sign Up

Go to billingbase.io/waitlist and fill out the form:

• Input your email

Step 2: Quick Call (15 Minutes)

If your business is a good fit, we’ll schedule a short call:

• We learn about your workflow and payment challenges
• You ask questions about BillingBase
• We determine if it’s a mutual fit

This isn’t a sales call. It’s a conversation. If we don’t think BillingBase solves your specific problems, we’ll tell you honestly.

Step 3: Onboarding

Once approved:

KYB verification (1–2 business days):

• Business registration documents
• Owner/founder identification
• Basic compliance screening

We know this feels bureaucratic, but it’s necessary. Compliance protects everyone in the ecosystem — including you.

Wallet setup assistance:

• We’ll help you set up a non-custodial wallet if you don’t have one
• Connect your wallet to BillingBase
• Fund it with a small amount for testing

Dashboard walkthrough:

• How to create payment links
• How to track transactions
• How to generate invoices and receipts
• How to set up webhooks (if needed)

First test transaction:

• You’ll make a test payment to yourself
• We’ll verify everything works
• Then you’re ready for real customers

And that’s all.

We’re Building Payment Infrastructure for Nigerian Businesses. Here’s Why We Need Your Help was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.