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Across the world, Artificial Intelligence is changing how we interact, work, shop, etc. AI tools now help designers, animators, and even software engineers turbocharge or simplify their work processes, and dedicated AI agents cater to specific parts of our lives, like Mamo does with personal finance. One product leveraging AI to solve localized problems that everyone should know about is Azza.
Azza is an on-ramp-off-ramp AI agent built on WhatsApp that allows users to buy, sell, hold, and convert cryptocurrencies (currently supporting USDT and USDC) without ever leaving the messaging platform.
Its aim is to simplify the onchain payment experience for individuals with straightforward needs, such as off-ramping their crypto, by meeting them exactly where they are — a crucial strategy given that over 200 million Africans are active on WhatsApp daily.
The decision to build on WhatsApp stems not only from its immense distribution, but also from research conducted by Blocverse, the blockchain company developing Azza.
“From research, [we learned] a lot of people purchase their first crypto from friends over chats on WhatsApp, so a lot are already used to that [approach]”, explains Blocverse’s CEO, Tochukwu Okoro. The team recognized WhatsApp as a powerful distribution channel already housing a vast pool of potential users and appreciated that the platform's familiarity would foster trust, a hurdle for individuals new to onchain solutions.
Azza’s origin story is rooted in an unexpected opportunity. It emerged from last year’s Base Around the World Buildathon, which Tochukwu initially wasn't planning to participate in. Blocverse had already been "tinkering with WhatsApp" and had experimented with a rudimentary version of the product, built in just three to four days at a prior hackathon in Ghana. That initial attempt secured a top-three position, signaling that "there was some prospect here."
When the Base hackathon opportunity came, Tochukwu viewed it as another chance to validate the idea. This time, they significantly refined the concept with “specific integrations”. The effort paid off: Azza emerged as one of the winners, sharing in a 25 ETH prize pool.
“It was a huge morale boost and a very good validation that what we are building made a lot of sense. We just continued development, and that’s how we got here,” he notes.
Winning the Base Hackathon brought more than just validation; Azza also gained instant recognition and invaluable exposure. “My team and I are not the best at making a lot of social media noise,” Tochukwu admits, “but we got that initial boost where a lot of people got to know about the product.”
This visibility was amplified by the Base community in West Africa in different ways, including a weekly product spotlight, where a selected product is reviewed and trialed by community members — including marketers, product testers, and designers — who contribute to its advancement. “That actually helped unlock the first two to three hundred users for Base products,” explains Damilare Aregbesola, Base West Africa Lead. “So Azza got their first hundred users from that initiative.”
"Once Azza got that traction, they got some volume as well on Base and BSC, and then they got a [retroactive] grant from Base," Damilare explains further on how Base supported the products and founders. . "After that, we also got them into Magma, Africa's most prestigious accelerator."
Azza’s unique selling proposition lies in its leverage of WhatsApp and AI agents — a decision driven by functionality rather than merely following an AI trend. This approach stems from Blocverse’s focus on building practical solutions that address everyday needs, which is formed from their experience developing products they could not scale. Prior to Azza, the team had developed TixHive and TAAS; the latter is an asset organization (or tokenization) platform designed to help businesses put their assets onchain. While “the idea made sense, but then going into the market, looking at the current market we are operating in, due to our location, we didn't stand much chance,” Tochukwu reflects.
That experience reshaped the team's approach to product development. Blocverse now focuses on understanding the specific needs of people and providing natively tailored solutions. This user-centric approach has quickly made Azza one of the most beloved and fast-growing onchain products on Nigerian CT and beyond. Launched initially on Base late last year, it has rapidly expanded to major EVM chains like Optimism, Arbitrum, Binance Smart Chain (BSC), and now Celo, Assetchain and Solana. This multi-chain support has boosted its accessibility and transaction volumes.
Tochukwu shares that Azza has been doing great volumes recently, consistently processing between $25,000 to $35,000 in volumes weekly. Daily volumes often range from $4,000 to $6,000, “and on good days, we have like over $10,000”. The all-time on-off-ramp transaction volume stands at approximately $330,000. It's crucial to understand that these numbers are primarily derived from “micro-volumes,” driven by individuals performing daily on-ramp and off-ramp transactions, rather than large OTC deals. “We are growing gradually,” he states with his characteristic modesty.
These numbers are guaranteed to balloon as Azza gains more attention and spotlight with its multichain support. The team is also working on an ambitious roadmap that includes improving the overall user experience, simplifying onchain payment, incentivizing users, and scaling participation across various chains. “There’s going to be other variations of the products, there’s going to be specialized features coming out,” Tochukwu explains. “It is very exciting! We look at our roadmap, there are a lot of things that’s going to happen. We are just taking it bit by bit.”
The ultimate aim is to provide good enough value across numerous markets and see where that momentum takes Azza.
Across the world, Artificial Intelligence is changing how we interact, work, shop, etc. AI tools now help designers, animators, and even software engineers turbocharge or simplify their work processes, and dedicated AI agents cater to specific parts of our lives, like Mamo does with personal finance. One product leveraging AI to solve localized problems that everyone should know about is Azza.
Azza is an on-ramp-off-ramp AI agent built on WhatsApp that allows users to buy, sell, hold, and convert cryptocurrencies (currently supporting USDT and USDC) without ever leaving the messaging platform.
Its aim is to simplify the onchain payment experience for individuals with straightforward needs, such as off-ramping their crypto, by meeting them exactly where they are — a crucial strategy given that over 200 million Africans are active on WhatsApp daily.
The decision to build on WhatsApp stems not only from its immense distribution, but also from research conducted by Blocverse, the blockchain company developing Azza.
“From research, [we learned] a lot of people purchase their first crypto from friends over chats on WhatsApp, so a lot are already used to that [approach]”, explains Blocverse’s CEO, Tochukwu Okoro. The team recognized WhatsApp as a powerful distribution channel already housing a vast pool of potential users and appreciated that the platform's familiarity would foster trust, a hurdle for individuals new to onchain solutions.
Azza’s origin story is rooted in an unexpected opportunity. It emerged from last year’s Base Around the World Buildathon, which Tochukwu initially wasn't planning to participate in. Blocverse had already been "tinkering with WhatsApp" and had experimented with a rudimentary version of the product, built in just three to four days at a prior hackathon in Ghana. That initial attempt secured a top-three position, signaling that "there was some prospect here."
When the Base hackathon opportunity came, Tochukwu viewed it as another chance to validate the idea. This time, they significantly refined the concept with “specific integrations”. The effort paid off: Azza emerged as one of the winners, sharing in a 25 ETH prize pool.
“It was a huge morale boost and a very good validation that what we are building made a lot of sense. We just continued development, and that’s how we got here,” he notes.
Winning the Base Hackathon brought more than just validation; Azza also gained instant recognition and invaluable exposure. “My team and I are not the best at making a lot of social media noise,” Tochukwu admits, “but we got that initial boost where a lot of people got to know about the product.”
This visibility was amplified by the Base community in West Africa in different ways, including a weekly product spotlight, where a selected product is reviewed and trialed by community members — including marketers, product testers, and designers — who contribute to its advancement. “That actually helped unlock the first two to three hundred users for Base products,” explains Damilare Aregbesola, Base West Africa Lead. “So Azza got their first hundred users from that initiative.”
"Once Azza got that traction, they got some volume as well on Base and BSC, and then they got a [retroactive] grant from Base," Damilare explains further on how Base supported the products and founders. . "After that, we also got them into Magma, Africa's most prestigious accelerator."
Azza’s unique selling proposition lies in its leverage of WhatsApp and AI agents — a decision driven by functionality rather than merely following an AI trend. This approach stems from Blocverse’s focus on building practical solutions that address everyday needs, which is formed from their experience developing products they could not scale. Prior to Azza, the team had developed TixHive and TAAS; the latter is an asset organization (or tokenization) platform designed to help businesses put their assets onchain. While “the idea made sense, but then going into the market, looking at the current market we are operating in, due to our location, we didn't stand much chance,” Tochukwu reflects.
That experience reshaped the team's approach to product development. Blocverse now focuses on understanding the specific needs of people and providing natively tailored solutions. This user-centric approach has quickly made Azza one of the most beloved and fast-growing onchain products on Nigerian CT and beyond. Launched initially on Base late last year, it has rapidly expanded to major EVM chains like Optimism, Arbitrum, Binance Smart Chain (BSC), and now Celo, Assetchain and Solana. This multi-chain support has boosted its accessibility and transaction volumes.
Tochukwu shares that Azza has been doing great volumes recently, consistently processing between $25,000 to $35,000 in volumes weekly. Daily volumes often range from $4,000 to $6,000, “and on good days, we have like over $10,000”. The all-time on-off-ramp transaction volume stands at approximately $330,000. It's crucial to understand that these numbers are primarily derived from “micro-volumes,” driven by individuals performing daily on-ramp and off-ramp transactions, rather than large OTC deals. “We are growing gradually,” he states with his characteristic modesty.
These numbers are guaranteed to balloon as Azza gains more attention and spotlight with its multichain support. The team is also working on an ambitious roadmap that includes improving the overall user experience, simplifying onchain payment, incentivizing users, and scaling participation across various chains. “There’s going to be other variations of the products, there’s going to be specialized features coming out,” Tochukwu explains. “It is very exciting! We look at our roadmap, there are a lot of things that’s going to happen. We are just taking it bit by bit.”
The ultimate aim is to provide good enough value across numerous markets and see where that momentum takes Azza.
Celo is now live on @useazza!
Keep reading for more on AZZA & to get started today! ↓
Celo is now live on @useazza! Keep reading for more on AZZA & to get started today! ↓
1 comment
You did your research so well!