UNILORIN Alumni Spotlight is on Tope Akande — Class of 2014!
Meet Tope Akande, an exceptional alumnus of the University of Ilorin and a rising force in the fintech landscape across Africa and the UK. His journey reflects innovation, resilience, and a deep commitment to community empowerment.
Tope is the Founder & CEO of Buckstrybe, a financial technology platform that began in Nigeria in 2023, helping people run transparent, secure, and digitised Ajo (Esusu) savings groups.
Since its launch, Buckstrybe has:
• Supported 1,000+ users
• Processed ₦45,000,000+ in community savings, thrift contributions, and lending cycles
• Delivered trust, transparency, and financial discipline to informal savings communities
Building on this foundation, Tope expanded Buckstrybe to the UK, where it is now developing the UK’s first Community Credit Registry, an alternative credit data infrastructure that converts everyday financial behaviour (rent, bills, Ajo, peer lending, savings groups) into verified credit profiles using AI and Open Banking.
Tope’s expertise spans banking, payments, and customer-centric innovation. Before founding Buckstrybe, he worked with Stanbic IBTC Bank (Nigeria) and Barclays Bank UK. These experiences shaped his understanding of financial systems and the gaps faced by excluded communities, inspiring him to build technology that bridges those gaps.
Tope embodies the Better by Far spirit—using global exposure, local insight, and bold innovation to create financial systems where everyone can rise and be a better version of themselves.
