The recognition of Platnova Chief Executive Officer Benjamin Oyemonlan as the Afrikanwatch Entrepreneur of the Year 2026 highlights the fintech company’s growing role in making cross-border financial transactions easier and more accessible.
Oyemonlan received the award in recognition of his leadership and contribution to advancing digital financial solutions that address some of the challenges individuals and businesses face when moving money across borders. The recognition also acknowledges Platnova’s work in reducing traditional payment barriers through technology.
The award comes alongside the African Gold Merit Award, which recognises Platnova’s work in changing how individuals, creators and businesses manage multi-currency transfers, international card payments and travel bookings through a single digital platform.
Building a simpler way to manage global payments
Under Oyemonlan’s leadership, Platnova has expanded from an emerging fintech platform into a multi-currency financial ecosystem designed to support people and businesses operating across different markets.
The platform brings together virtual foreign-currency card issuing, instant multi-currency swapping and in-app flight bookings. Its wider services include global money transfers, secure savings, crypto deposits and swaps involving more than 300 cryptocurrencies, physical and virtual cards, gift cards, global airtime and data top-ups, bill payments, and tuition and educational payments.
Platnova also offers a multi-currency wallet supporting currencies including the Nigerian naira, US dollar, British pound and euro. Through its Vault service, users can save in pounds, dollars and naira, while its travel and lifestyle services allow customers to book flights, lounges, stays and vacations.
Oyemonlan said the award validates the company’s mission to make financial transactions easier for people operating in a global economy. “We started with a clear belief: moving money and conducting global business should be as effortless as sending a message.”
He added that the recognition also belongs to Platnova’s team, whose work and innovation have supported the company’s growth.
By combining these services in one application, Platnova aims to reduce the need for users to rely on multiple financial and travel platforms. This approach could make it easier for individuals and businesses to spend, save, exchange currencies and make international payments from one place.
Expanding access to borderless financial services
Platnova has a global presence and is registered in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Rwanda and Nigeria. The company provides financial services to both individuals and businesses, with a focus on secure and efficient transactions across international markets.
Its growing product range reflects a wider effort to make digital financial services part of everyday life. From international payments and currency management to cards, savings, cryptocurrency services and travel, the company is building an ecosystem around the needs of customers who increasingly operate beyond one country.
The company says its mission is to empower individuals and businesses worldwide by providing simple, secure and efficient payment processing services. Its broader vision is to make financial empowerment accessible to everyone and integrate financial services more easily into daily activities.
For Platnova, the latest awards come at a time when the company is continuing its expansion and developing next-generation features aimed at making global commerce simpler, faster and more transparent.
Oyemonlan described the recognition as “a humbling recognition and a powerful validation” of Platnova’s mission. For the company, the awards therefore represent more than individual achievement. They also draw attention to the potential of technology to remove barriers that have traditionally made cross-border payments and global commerce difficult for many users.
Source: TechCabal
