Mobile and Web Platform for Cross-Border Investment Accessibility in Africa

Financial services

Technology

Fintech

Challenges in Providing Reliable Cross-Border Investment Platforms for African Markets

The client faces difficulties in establishing a dependable and scalable investment platform that allows African users to deposit USD, select US stocks, and execute transactions. They also encounter challenges in managing multiple external financial providers, ensuring system reliability amid a dynamically changing environment, and supporting the latest technological integrations to stay competitive in the fintech space.

About the Client

A fintech startup aiming to enable users in emerging markets to access international financial assets via scalable digital platforms.

Goals for Developing a Scalable Investment Platform for African Users

Enable African users to deposit funds in USD and execute investments in US stocks via mobile applications and web portals.
Develop mobile apps for Android and iOS platforms ensuring seamless user experience and secure transaction capabilities.
Implement an admin web portal for effective user and order management.
Integrate with multiple reliable financial and data providers to support diversified features.
Establish robust monitoring, error handling, and non-stop communication channels with third-party providers to maintain high system reliability.
Support the latest technological standards such as WebSockets and WebHooks for real-time data exchange, using custom solutions when necessary.
Ensure system scalability and flexibility to accommodate future market expansion and increased provider integrations.

Core Functional Specifications for the Investment Platform

Cross-platform mobile applications for Android and iOS with secure login and transaction capabilities.
Web-based admin panel for user and order management, including monitoring and reporting functions.
USD deposit functionality supporting integration with multiple financial providers.
Selection, ordering, and execution of US stock transactions.
Real-time communication with external providers via supported protocols, including custom solutions for unsupported features.
Error handling systems with continuous monitoring and alerting mechanisms.
Modular and scalable architecture to support addition of new features and providers.

Preferred Technologies and Architectural Approaches

Mobile development frameworks supporting both Android and iOS (e.g., React Native, Flutter)

Web development using modern frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, Vue.js)

Backend services developed with scalable languages and platforms (e.g., Elixir for real-time workers, Node.js, or Python)

Database synchronization using custom workers or services (e.g., GenServers in Elixir)

Essential External System Integrations

Financial providers for USD deposits and withdrawals
Market data providers for US stocks quote and order execution
Communication protocols support (WebSockets, WebHooks)
Error monitoring and alerting systems

Critical Non-Functional System Requirements

System scalability to support increasing provider integrations and user base
High performance with minimal latency for real-time trading data
Robust security measures to protect financial transactions and user data
24/7 system availability with minimal downtime
Compliance with financial regulations and data privacy standards

Projected Business Impact and Benefits

The development of this cross-platform investment platform is expected to enable African users to access US stock markets seamlessly, increasing user engagement and investment activity. It aims to facilitate reliable transactions across multiple providers, reducing system downtime and errors, and supporting platform scalability. The project will position the client as a competitive fintech leader in the African market, potentially increasing user base and transaction volume significantly.