Quick Fire 🔥 with Michael Emeeka

Michael Emeeka is the Business and Customer Operations Lead and Country Lead for Blockchain.com in Nigeria, where he oversees user operations, market growth, and customer-centric strategies for one of the world’s leading crypto platforms.

Previously, Emeeka worked at Luno, an Africa-focused crypto firm, as a Customer Relationship Specialist, supporting high-value and high-volume traders across retail and business accounts. Before he entered crypto, Emeeka had a tenured career in traditional finance, where he worked as a Customer Service Executive at Nigerian lender, Zenith Bank. Today, he focuses on building user experience, customer support, and building practical systems that help more people participate in Nigeria’s digital asset market.

• Explain your job to a 5-year-old.

You know how you can send a message on a phone? I help people send money like that, making sure none of it gets lost.

• Describe a day in the life of a Country Lead for a large crypto firm like Blockchain.com.

I spend most of my day fixing problems, talking with my team, and trying to make things easier for people using our app. I’m also focused on growth, finding ways to get crypto to more people who actually need it. Some days are calm, and everything runs smoothly. Other days, it feels like everything is on fire and we’re just trying to fix things as fast as possible. 

• If your job were a warning label, what would it say?

Be ready. Things will break.

• Why did you leave banking to join crypto? Wasn’t that a risky move as of 2022, when the status of crypto in Nigeria was murky?

Honestly, it felt like a bet on the future, but also curiosity. I wanted to really understand what was going on. Crypto had become global; everyone was talking about it, and I always felt like there was light at the end of the tunnel, even with all the uncertainty. In Nigeria, especially, people were already using it regardless. That was the signal for me. Banking was stable, but this felt like where things were heading. I just felt like if I got in early and figured it out properly, it would be worth it long term. 

• From your perspective, what does it take to become an executive in the global crypto industry? 

It takes time, mostly. You need to be willing to learn all the time, solve problems, and really understand people. You also give up some comfort. You’re constantly dealing with pressure and making decisions that affect a lot of people. 

• What is the biggest misconception people have about the crypto market here in Nigeria and abroad?

Most people think crypto is either a quick way to make money or just a scam. There’s a lot of noise like that, to be fair. But at the end of the day, it’s really just another way to send and receive money. Like anything else, there are good parts and people who misuse it. But the real value is that it makes it easier for people and businesses to move money across borders and operate globally without so many barriers. 

• What’s your favourite way to switch off from the noise of being a crypto executive, whether it’s a place you go or an activity you enjoy? 

I keep it simple: go to the gym, listen to music, watch football and have a bit of banter about it, or play games on my phone like Call of Duty: Mobile.