Lights, Camera, Action!
But this is not a movie scene being shot. It is Cardtonic taking centre stage at this year’s Moonshot tech event. Aside from being a platinum sponsor of the event, the CEO and Growth Lead of Cardtonic graced the Moonshot’s stage with an insightful speech and panel session on growth and scaling of Fintech companies in Africa.
For the young tech builders in attendance, Moonshot 2025 served as another reminder to keep dreaming, growing, and building. For Cardtonic, it was much more than just another event. It marked a silver lining in the company’s journey.
Moonshot 2025 and Its Significance in African Technological Development
Moonshot is an annual tech conference hosted by TechCabal in Lagos. This conference has become a major meeting point for innovators and builders shaping the future of tech in Africa.
This event is for the sole purpose of bringing together people in the African tech ecosystem to meet, collaborate, and share insights on the future of tech on the continent. The main purpose of the event is to gather like-minded individuals to discuss a wide range of topics, including fintech, AI, machine learning, and Web3.
This year’s Moonshot theme, ‘Building Momentum’, had a lot of tech enthusiasts in attendance. And with a bigger stage, Cardtonic left an impact during the speech and panel session that will contribute immensely to the growth and building of momentum in Africa’s tech ecosystem.
Cardtonic’s Journey as a Leading Fintech Company in Nigeria
Cardtonic CEO, Emmanuel Sohe, was scheduled to speak on “Building Resilient Fintech Products for Africa’s Dynamic Economy” at this year’s Moonshot event. However, in a truly creative fashion, he chose instead to tell Cardtonic’s story. He highlighted the challenges and breakthrough moments that have shaped the company into what it is today.
He shared a defining moment in 2021 when the CBN released a circular instructing that all crypto-related transactions be shut down in the country. That announcement forced Cardtonic to strip out the crypto-related features from the app and rethink what the platform should become. It was a turning point that led to the birth of new solutions that now allow users to trade gift cards, pay online bills, and even make foreign payments through the virtual dollar card.
Today, Cardtonic is one of the leading fintech companies in Africa. It continues to process transactions that help users feel secure, confident, and in control of their money. Emmanuel ended his speech with words that captured the heart of the Cardtonic mission.
“We did not give up on dreams. We stayed consistent in providing value over vanity marketing campaigns. We focused on revenue as fuel and discipline as our compass. We remained resilient because we wanted to build a company that exists regardless of external funding, not because of it.”
Cardtonic’s Presence at Moonshot 2025: The Panel Session
Aside from the wonderful speech delivered by the CEO at the Moonshot event, the growth lead, Oduyemi Tomi, also participated in a beautiful panel session. The discussion centred on scaling fintech across Africa and the role regulation plays in building trust and unlocking expansion.
During the panel session, Tomi started by noting that many fintech startups enter new markets with a general idea of compliance while ignoring the uniqueness of each country’s trust psychology.
She explained that if a product launches without proper authorisation from relevant regulators, credibility is damaged before users even try it. Compliance is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and fintechs must understand the specific licences and standards that shape how people perceive their product.
Tomi also discussed cross-border regulations. In her words, “If you build disciplined systems at home and engage regulators transparently, you’re more likely to be trusted when you expand.”
She ended the panel session with how compliance shapes Cardtonic’s growth strategy.
Closing Thoughts
This year’s Moonshot event was a spectacular one, and Cardtonic’s presence contributed to its success. From the CEO’s insightful speech to Tomi’s thoughtful contributions on the panel, Cardtonic demonstrated its leadership in driving compliant, customer-focused innovation across Africa.
With products that help users trade gift cards securely, pay online bills with ease, and make foreign payments through its Virtual Dollar Card, the company continues to prove that fintech solutions can be both practical and trustworthy.
