Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞

Shah of @pingapphq
Building tools that make money move like message.

Backed by @binancelabs @0xpolygon
| Partners @polygon @Base & @bnbchain

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

What happens when you merge Whats app and Robinhood? 👇

[oxpampam.eth @Oxpam_pam]

The first thing you used when you got on the internet wasn’t a bank app. It was email or a social app.

If social apps onboards people to the internet, they can also be the bridge that onboard people onchain. When communication and value live in one place, everything changes.

@hifisoftng Shah of @pingapphq on why he is building a borderless super app in Africa.

[oxpampam.eth @Oxpam_pam]

Builders Block EP 9 is live

@hifisoftng , Shah of @pingapphq, is building a borderless super app. Messaging, money, and services in one place.

He has built with over $1M and is deeply focused on solving real problems, not just following trends.

In this episode, we go deep into his work principles and long term thinking, how he builds sustainably without burning out, how he approaches revenue from day one, his decision to drop out of school and choose a different path, and his perspective on school versus real world building.

This is a masterclass in building with conviction

Timestamps
0:00 Introduction
2:51 - 4:54 Who are you & what mission are you on?
4:55 - 7:16 Growing up in the Eastern part of Nigeria. Values and early lessons
7:17 - 11:16 Studied Computer Engineering, dropped out, and chose a different path
11:17 - 16:30 School vs real-world building. What actually works?
16:31 - 32:04 Discovering crypto, early experiments, and building Gamic
32:05 - 33:45 Curiosity as both a blessing and a curse
33:46 - 36:34 Collaboration over competition in product building
36:35 - 45:52 Why build a super app in Africa right now? (PingApp thesis)
45:53 - 49:50 Why Facebook failed and why Ping succeeded in implementing value in chat.
49:51 - 54:45 From Gamic to PingApp. Pivot or new vision?
54:50 - 58:22 Inside PingApp. Architecture and technical challenges
58:23 - 1:00:35 Building with $1M+. What changes?
1:00:36 - 1:05:22 Revenue model. How PingApp makes money
1:05:23 - 1:13:34 Principles that guide his work
1:13:35 - 1:18:48 Collective wealth is real wealth
1:18:49 - 1:26:49 Health, rest, and recovery while building
1:26:50 - 1:30:50 Geography is destiny + Get a second passport if you can
1:30:51 - 1:35:04 The one trait that makes a great entrepreneur
1:35:05 - 1:41:49 The hardest moment at PingApp and trusting instinct
1:41:50 Break the Block (Rapid Fire)

* if you had fresh capital today, which African startup would you invest in and why (@paycrest, @hyperbridge, @BlockradarHQ)

https://t.co/Ijj3ijJRaj

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

The golden age isn't the future, it existed them.

[oxpampam.eth @Oxpam_pam]

This week, I’m dropping a 1 hour+ conversation with @hifisoftng from @pingapphq Ukeme is the Co-Founder of PingApp, a super app where messaging, payments, and services come together in one place.

We go deep on his unpopular opinion about crypto(in his words, we all have lost our way), how he thinks about sustainability as a founder and not burning out, and why his team believes they are solving what others, including Facebook, couldn’t get right.

In this episode, we talk about:

- Why geography is destiny and why every founder should get a second passport if they can
- The one trait that separates great entrepreneurs
- The hardest moment at PingApp and the instinct that guided him through it
- Growing up in Eastern Nigeria and how it shaped his worldview
- His principles on execution, ownership, and long-term thinking

And a lot more.

Out tomorrow on Builders Block.

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

@gilgNYC how does this work?

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

@zeng_wt @visualelectric @perplexity_ai what is the alternative? or can their solutions be accessed inside of perplexity?

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

@Betraydan @visualelectric @perplexity_ai @colin_dunn what is the alternative? or can their solutions be accessed inside of perplexity?

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

Every SAAS (Software as a service) company will become an AAAS (Agent as a service) company.

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

I don't know what’s crazier… the speed or the fact it works.

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

What happens when you merge Whats app and Robinhood? 👇

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

@tonyolendo @ViFi_Labs Waiting for @ViFi_Labs launch

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

@iam_metamike Show me a conflict and I will show you a map drawn by a British person.

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

@0x_Timi Yes you can.

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

Africa is skipping steps…
and some people don’t even see it yet

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

What happens when you merge Whats app and Robinhood? 👇

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

You’re right. People don’t switch apps for vibes.
They switch for what helps them make life easier.

You’re thinking of this like a messaging network effect. It’s not.

It’s a financial network effect layered on communication.

Adoption comes from cheaper + faster cross-border transfers, access to assets people couldn’t reach before, embedded actions (send, earn, trade) inside chat.

Messaging is just the distribution layer.

The real hook is once money flows through Ping, retention compounds.

If I can chat with you and send you money instantly
without stress, fees, or switching apps…

I’m not going back. Simple.
Because financial activity has higher stickiness than social activity.

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

@olusail @diranoteg @baysemarkets @xngmarkets Lets talk. In the dm

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

Is there anyone tokenising African Stocks?

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

@olusail @xngmarkets Let's make this happen.
It's my dream.

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

What happens when you merge Whats app and Robinhood? 👇

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

Today

Kenyan investors struggle to buy Nigerian stocks.
Nigerians struggle to buy Egyptian stocks.

Tokenisation fixes that.

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

You are right, the challenge isn’t the tokenization itself.
That part is easy.

The real challenge is liquidity and price discovery.
But isn't that where working with market makers come into the picture?

Also, I’m not looking at just trading.

What I’m thinking of is a pan-African capital market layer:
someone in Lagos buying Safaricom in Nairobi, Dangote in Lagos, Standard Bank in Johannesburg, Ezz Steel in Cairo, instantly.

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

@Go_Karsa Convenience.
Life is already too stressful to leave the house just to get USD.

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

The “Nigerians use stablecoins because the naira keeps losing value” narrative is outdated.

In the last year, the naira has actually been one of the better-performing currencies, appreciating roughly ~10% against the USD at certain points.
If your goal was purely holding value vs the dollar, you would have been better off holding naira (or a naira stablecoin like @cngn_co) than holding USD-pegged stablecoins.

So why do Nigerians still use USDT/USDC?

Not because of currency panic.

The real driver is utility are Commerce, Remittance, access and convenience.

> Commerce: Businesses use stablecoins for cross-border payments and imports.
> Remittance: Diaspora transfers settle instantly without banking friction.
> Access: Most Nigerians cannot easily access fiat USD.
> Convenience: Stablecoins move globally in minutes without traditional rails and you can access it right from the convenience of your house.

In Nigeria, stablecoins are becoming less a hedge and more a payment rail.

They function as the internet-native dollar for trade and remittance not just a store of value.

[Leon Waidmann @LeonWaidmann]

USDT vs USDC ownership by country. Ranked.

🥇 🇳🇬 Nigeria: 59% USDT / 48% USDC
🥈 🇦🇺 Australia: 34% USDT / 29% USDC
🥉 🇮🇳 India: 30% USDT / 27% USDC
4. 🇨🇴 Colombia: 25% USDT / 29% USDC
5. 🇸🇬 Singapore: 29% USDT / 24% USDC
6. 🇿🇦 South Africa: 23% USDT / 29% USDC
7. 🇺🇸 United States: 22% USDT / 26% USDC
8. 🇵🇭 Philippines: 27% USDT / 20% USDC
9. 🇹🇭 Thailand: 25% USDT / 21% USDC
10. 🇦🇷 Argentina: 25% USDT / 20% USDC
11. 🇫🇷 France: 21% USDT / 14% USDC
12. 🇩🇪 Germany: 15% USDT / 17% USDC
13. 🇲🇽 Mexico: 16% USDT / 16% USDC
14. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: 16% USDT / 14% USDC
15. 🇧🇷 Brazil: 14% USDT / 16% USDC

Two things stand out:

🔹 Nigeria is in a league of its own. Nearly 60% USDT ownership. Dollar-denominated savings aren't optional when your local currency loses value daily.

🔹 USDC is catching up. In Colombia, South Africa, US, Germany, and Brazil, USDC ownership actually exceeds USDT. The regulated stablecoin is gaining ground.

USDT still leads globally. But the gap is narrowing fast.

Data: @BVNK Stablecoin Utility Report 2026

[Ukeme Okuku | PingApp 🍞 @hifisoftng]

@DefiGodwin_ you can swap on most CEX and DEX.