Sample of Technical and Strategic Projects

Context

In a recent General Assembly workshop, a fintech company focused on enhancing cross-border remittances in French-speaking Africa aimed to refine its go-to-market (GTM) strategy for the African diaspora residing in France. Their objective was to analyze remittance data between France and various African countries, alongside other publicly available information, in order to select three African countries for the Company's initial launch.

Process

I created a Launch Country Calculator (LCC) that looked into the country's market opportunity (30 points), the Company's existing network (5 points),  money transfer efficiency (15 points) and digital usage (10 points). This allowed a transparent way to access and rank the countries. 

Special Notes  

The LCC puts greater weight on the market opportunity section. By leaning towards larger markets, the LCC would factor in countries that have the potential to grow users and revenue for the Company. It is assumed that the effort to launch into any country would take the same time. Therefore, it may be best to lean towards larger markets.

The Money Transfer Efficiency Index: The calculations in the Main Tables for France tab are in Table 4. Countries with poor, slow, and costly payment systems received more points. The Company would then be able to differentiate its products and market to users more efficiently.

Recommendations and Next Steps

1. The Company should launch their French African diaspora program in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco (2017 Global Findex Financial Inclusion, World Bank's Cost of Remittance and Bilateral Remittance Matrix 2017). 
2. Successful entry into these markets could enable the Company to acquire large numbers of users, given the total remittance volume and share of French remittance into these countries (World Bank's Bilateral Remittance Matrix 2017, Table 3 in the "Main Tables for France Tab"). 
3. The Company will need to set up payment networks before launching into these markets.some text
   1. If setting up a payment network is a prerequisite, then the Company may want to consider Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria as alternative countries because these countries are already part of the Company's payment network. 
   2. If the Company decides on Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and Nigeria due to the existing payment network, then efforts will need to be made to capture a large market share in these markets via mobile payments (World Bank's Bilateral Remittance Matrix 2017). 
4. The Money Transfer Efficiency Index indicated that remittance payments into Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco are slow and expensive. The Company will need to differentiate itself from the current payment system being used by users (World Bank's Cost of Remittance).
5. As mobile remittance payment is not commonly used in Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco, the Company will need to train and teach users how to use mobile payment. Given the concentration of French remittance money in these countries (2017 Global Findex Financial Inclusion), this may involve developing customized in-app training materials and a referral bonus.