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Nigerian fintech Saly AI has surpassed 20,000 users and processed more than N1.5 billion in transaction volume as it expands its conversational financial services through WhatsApp and Telegram.
The milestone, announced by SalyPay, the company behind Saly AI, comes as the fintech broadens its offering beyond domestic payments into cross-border transactions, virtual dollar cards and crypto-backed card services.
The company is also developing Saly Chain, a public Layer 3 blockchain built on Base, as part of its longer-term plan to provide infrastructure for financial applications and services.
Taking Financial Services to Messaging Platforms
A central part of Saly’s strategy is to bring financial transactions into platforms users already use for communication.
Through WhatsApp and Telegram, users can interact with Saly AI using conversational commands rather than navigating multiple standalone financial applications.
The platform supports services including money transfers, bill payments, digital-service purchases, cross-border transactions and access to dollar-denominated card products.
SalyPay co-founder Williams Peter said the company’s latest figures demonstrate that users are employing the platform for actual financial activities, while describing the broader ambition as building infrastructure that connects people with financial services through familiar digital channels.
Cross-Border Payments Become a Key Focus
Saly is also expanding into international transactions, targeting users who need to move money across markets.
The company identified freelancers, creators, merchants, families and businesses working with international customers and service providers as some of the groups that could benefit from easier cross-border transactions.
By placing these services within its WhatsApp and Telegram interface, Saly aims to reduce the number of platforms users need to manage when conducting financial activities across different markets.
Its card portfolio has also expanded to include virtual dollar cards, alongside crypto-backed cards available in both virtual and physical formats for supported users.
Saly Chain Targets Financial Infrastructure
While Saly AI represents the consumer-facing side of the business, SalyPay is simultaneously developing infrastructure underneath the platform.
Saly Chain is being built as a Layer 3 network on Base, an Ethereum Layer 2 network incubated by Coinbase.
The company says the blockchain is intended initially to support its own products but could eventually provide infrastructure that businesses and developers can use to create financial and other real-world applications.
This marks a shift in Saly’s positioning from a fintech application focused on everyday transactions toward a broader financial infrastructure provider.
From Payments to a Broader Financial Ecosystem
Saly’s current roadmap spans conversational AI, payments, cross-border transactions, digital cards, blockchain infrastructure and developer services.
The company says transaction activity generated through the platform is helping inform its product development, infrastructure planning and potential expansion into additional markets.
Its strategy is being developed from Nigeria, with ambitions to serve customers and businesses across Africa and other markets.
According to the company, operating in Nigeria gives it exposure to challenges including fragmented payment systems, multiple currencies, cross-border transactions and the need to connect different financial service providers.
The Road Ahead
With more than 20,000 users and N1.5 billion in transaction volume, Saly’s next phase will focus on increasing adoption of its WhatsApp and Telegram-based financial services, expanding cross-border capabilities and continuing development of Saly Chain.
The fintech’s broader ambition is to combine artificial intelligence, payments and blockchain technology into an ecosystem connecting users, businesses and developers.
For Nigeria’s increasingly competitive fintech sector, Saly’s growth also highlights an emerging approach to financial services: rather than asking consumers to learn another banking or payments interface, fintechs are increasingly attempting to take financial services directly into the digital platforms where users already spend their time.
