In September 2021, Twitter had announced its tipping feature Tips – a means through which persons could get paid as a results of their tweets.
Tips which are means of supporting Bitcoin via the lightning network, is a transactional means for people to send money through cryptocurrency and other means on its social media platform. A user of the mini blog site can link their Cash App, Patreon, Venmo and other platforms where persons can send to them. The feature which is an addition to Twitter Spaces allows persons to send digital currencies across borders with little frictions in regards to banking charges and destinations.
Twitter which had opened its doors to the African continent by opening its headquarters in Ghana has annnounced that the tipping feature is now made available to its Nigerian users, with pan-African payment solutions, Paga and Flutterwave serving as payment providers for the new features. By adding the two African-focused payment providers, this’d be an added advantage to the Bitcoin and Ethereum wallet address support on the tipping feature.
Furthermore, the new feature and addition of the duo indicates Twitter’s desire in bridging the gap between Africa and the rest of the world. It also shows its readiness to creating opportunities for people on the African continent.
Outside the African continent, Twitter has also added India to the list and also added an Indian-focused payment provider, Paytm as its payment provider.
Flutterwave via a blog post titled, It’s Time to Get Paid for Your Tweets revealed that it’d make use of its by-product known as Barter, on the tipping feature. Barter is a web and mobile app that allows its users to send and receive money from abroad instantly, and safely, at affordable rates.
Also, while speaking on the inclusion of Flutterwave and Paga into the tipping feature, Olugbenga Agboola, the CEO and Founder of Flutterwave said, “As a frequent Twitter user, creators, artists and businesses add immense value to my experience on the platform —creating an avenue to reward or tip them is a good step in the right direction by Twitter”.
“So we’re excited to be partnering with them to create a safe, fast and easy way to tip these amazing creators through Barter by Flutterwave. We have the reach and abilities to enable creators from Africa to receive tips from parts of the world. I will likely be one of the biggest users of Tips, and that’s because it’s an awesome feature that has huge potential for the creator economy in Africa”, he added.
Tayo Oviosu, the Founder and CEO of Paga also added, “Our mission at Paga is to simplify payments for individuals and businesses. Through this partnership with Twitter, via Tips, we can create an effective way for Creators to get paid into their Paga accounts, directly from Twitter”.
“As an avid Twitter user, I’m thrilled about this partnership. Creators are a key demographic we are building for at Paga, and this partnership allows us to enable them to effectively monetize their work. We are really excited about solving payments in the most innovative ways, especially with companies such as Twitter.”
The inclusion of the two African focused payment providers is a clear indication that both parties have the capability to provide the answers to the needs of their users. This also marks a major step forward for cryptocurrencies as the feature will further encourage more people to participate in the economy and help people send each other money across borders and with as little friction as possible.
