29 Jan 2026
1h 12m

The Most Underrated Chain: Celo’s Surprising Traction Around the World | Marek Olszewski

Podcast cover

Bankless

The discussion centers on Celo's mission to create a global Venmo through peer-to-peer payments, focusing on developing economies. Marek Olszewski, CEO of C-Labs, details Celo's origins, its transition to an Ethereum Layer 2, and its focus on consumer-friendly features like phone number identifiers. Celo has 700,000 daily active users, driven by the MiniPay app, and is gaining traction in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. A key example is a yoga instructor in Malawi using MiniPay to receive payments from European clients, highlighting its cost-effectiveness compared to traditional services like MoneyGram. Celo is positioning itself as the best platform for building neobanks onchain.

Outlines

Part 1: Origins, Vision

Part 2: Infrastructure, Metrics

Part 3: MiniPay, Real-World Use Cases

Part 4: Stablecoins, Onchain FX

Part 5: Technical Evolution, Identity

Part 6: Future Outlook

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