Our POS no get network…
The phrase above is a very common one in the Nigerian marketplace. You’ll hear it in supermarkets, kiosks, and roadside stalls anytime a payment fails. It usually means the POS machine can’t connect, the bank app is down, or worse, money has been debited but not received.
These aren’t rare events. They happen all the time, and they’re frustrating for both customers and the merchants/cashiers who just want to get paid.
Meanwhile, the use of stablecoins like USDT and USDC has been quietly growing. In 2024, Nigeria received $59 billion in cryptocurrencies and $24 billion in stablecoins, leading Africa and ranking second globally (CAB, 2025). But most merchants still find crypto tools confusing, risky, and full of strange terms.
That’s where Mercado comes in, a simple mobile app that helps everyday merchants manage stablecoin payments like they would regular money, without worrying about very technical crypto jargon.
The Challenge?
Traditional payment tools are slow, unreliable, and sometimes just unavailable. Crypto has potential, but the current tools feel too technical for non-crypto users.
I dug through public reports and conversations to better understand the gaps:
So I asked: 'How might we make stablecoin payments feel like using mobile money?'
Here's what I did:
Focused on reducing friction, adding clarity, and building trust.
Studied apps like MetaMask and OPay to learn what works (and what doesn't).
Followed conversations from real merchants on WhatsApp and Twitter.
The Solution; Mercado
Homepage
Merchants need quick access to their money and key actions without seeing crypto terms they don’t understand. The Mercado homepage reflects this.
Seamless Onboarding
For onboarding, merchants register using just their email address and password. Then, they verify their account using a 4-digit verification code sent to their email. After this, they can access the homepage. I made sure to use familiar, easy-to-understand language throughout the process.
Collections
Merchants can see their collections, which is basically all the payments they’ve received from their customers, through their cashier accounts.
Refunds
The refunds screen can be accessed directly from the bottom nav, making them easy to find. Merchants can see all refund requests made by cashiers, and can approve or reject a refund. A clear summary of the refund appears before confirmation to reduce mistakes, and they must enter their refund PIN to authorize the action.
Easy Withdrawals
Merchants can withdraw funds either to a linked bank account or a crypto wallet. Before confirming, they see the applicable fees and how much they’ll be receiving. A final confirmation screen is shown to help prevent any errors.
Quick snapshot of some components:
Cashier Management
Many merchants operate across multiple branches or locations and need cashiers to receive payments on their behalf.
Mercado provides an easy way for merchants to manage cashier accounts across different branches, being able to add new cashiers and deactivate/delete cashier accounts.
What's Next?
Conduct usability testing with real life merchants.
I’ll be conducting usability testing with a range of merchants and cashiers to ensure the product is effective in real world environments. Feedback from these sessions will directly influence future iterations, especially for low-connectivity zones and non tech-savvy users.
Design cashiers’ web app for easy in-store payments.
I plan to design a fast, responsive browser-based tool for receiving payments. Cashiers can log in with an authorization code from the merchant and perform essential tasks without needing to download an app. This is ideal for businesses that operate multiple stalls, kiosks, or staff led outlets.
Conclusion
This project mattered to me because I’ve seen shopkeepers lose sales to failed payments, and I know we could do better. Mercado proves that the power of crypto doesn’t have to come with complexity.
I designed the experience around how real merchants work, making stablecoin payments easy and clear to use.Because when payments work smoothly, businesses thrive. And when businesses thrive, so do communities.
