ZyCrypto Interview With Manilla Finance’ CEO, Rutherford Atayobo

1) Give us a little background on Manilla Finance, its mission, and its goal.

Manilla Finance is basically a Web3 project that is committed to bridging traditional fintech solutions to the blockchain. Over the coming years, we will continue to port utilities that consumers pay for with fiat into the Manilla application so that they can settle these bills using top cryptocurrencies.

Why should anyone convert cryptocurrency to fiat before paying everyday bills when they can simply pay for them using crypto directly from their Manilla wallet? We crave simplicity and ease of payment, and that is precisely why we are investing in this project to build a highly innovative and scalable application that can serve this need.

2)  Why P2P?

Well, unlike what happens in many CEX and DEX, P2P platforms do not really suffer from liquidity shortages or liquidity issues. Besides, it was the original wish of Satoshi Nakamoto for cryptocurrencies to be traded on a peer-to-peer basis when he created the first digital asset – Bitcoin.

More to that, our platform is not just a P2P portal. It also houses an important section called the Manilla Service Suite, where users can pay for a wide array of bills, namely utility bills like electricity and water, airtime and data, flight and events tickets, gift cards as well as hotel bills. All these will be easily settled with cryptocurrency in 44 countries, including Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.

3) Compared to traditional payment systems, how different is Manilla Finance, and why should people start to adopt it?

As I mentioned earlier, we are committed to giving cryptocurrency a use-case. So the mentioned utilities that can be paid for on the platform will not be the end of our service roll-out. We will continue to partner with service providers and add those services to the application so consumers can begin to pay for them using their digital assets.

So why should users use the Manilla app? It’s simple! It’s because the blockchain community is so large that it would be a waste of valuable time to continue to convert their funds to fiat before paying bills when they can easily pay for their everyday bills all in one app using digital currency.

Many other perks come with using the Manilla application, which they wouldn’t get when they use conventional payment applications. One of such perks would be our profit-sharing program that rewards holders of the MNLA token with 40% of all profit generated by Manilla Finance every fiscal year.

4) Now that we have a little info on the project, let’s hear about the Manilla team. How many members is your core team made of?

The core team is made up of myself, who is the founder and vision carrier and nine (9) others who are saddled with various responsibilities in setting up the project.

We have 21 developers drawn from West Africa, South Asia & USA working round the clock to ensure flawless delivery. I have managed a tech cohort for about a decade and acted as COO for two high-impact and successful blockchain projects before founding Manilla Finance.

5) Any partnerships with other firms yet?

Manilla Finance has locked hands with two prominent technology companies, and with their technical resources, we are building what we believe would be the first utility bills payment solution within the industry that considers every need of consumers.

At this time, we are careful not to announce our partners for business strategic reasons. We want to hit the market running first before we start unveiling and crediting our technology partners. As we progress, we will continue to partner with more service providers so potential users can pay for services on-the-go using only digital assets.

6) Let’s get some insight into your token. How does the MNLA token get incorporated into the Manilla ecosystem?

The MNLA token will play a huge role for investors in the ecosystem. The token protocol runs a dual token economy. Holders of the tokens who stake it for 365 Days automatically become members of a DAO for open governance of the ecosystem. They will determine the direction of the project mostly through voting. They would also be incentivized with MNLA yield on their stake when the pool unlocks at the anniversary of when they entered the pool. Also, they automatically stand eligible to share 40% of the profit generated by the Manilla platform evert fiscal year as long as their tokens remain locked in the Manilla Vault.  

7) When are you hoping to launch the application and MNLA token?

Given that the web app is ready, and the iOS & Android apps are 90% ready, we should be able to launch the application within the last quarter of 2022. A month after the application launches, the token will be launched.

8) What’s next for Manilla Finance?

We will continue to form worthwhile partnerships with other technology firms within the industry and also connect with regulatory authorities within the countries we are hoping to launch the application in.

9) How can we learn more about your service offerings?

To learn more about the Manilla Finance platform, visit our Website. It’s packed with a good amount of information. We also recommend you to join our community, where most updates are posted on Telegram, Twitter and Instagram.