Why Busha refreshed its product, from the Product Manager who worked on it

At Busha, we recently introduced a refreshed product experience as part of our broader brand refresh. The update reflects how the product has grown beyond its early focus and how people now use Busha to manage various aspects of their finances.

We sat down with Oluwadara Openiyi, Product Manager at Busha, to talk through what changed in the product, what was not working before, and what the new experience is designed to fix for you.

Below are her answers, in her own words.

What is the Busha product refresh about?

The refresh is about becoming a complete money app.

We started as a crypto exchange, but over time, we saw that you want to do more than buy and sell digital assets. You also want to manage your cash, save in familiar currencies, and use your money easily in everyday life.

With the refresh, the app now supports both crypto and fiat more clearly. You can save in Naira, USD, and other supported currencies. Savings is now a core part of the app, not something hidden or secondary. You can decide how long to lock your money and see exactly what you earn.

We also introduced loans. If you want to buy crypto and do not have enough cash, you can use your existing crypto as collateral and borrow fiat, then pay it back over time. The goal is simple. Busha should support how you actually manage money, not only how you trade.

What changed in the new Busha app?

A lot changed in how the app is organised.

Before, the app had many tabs that made it hard to quickly understand what was going on. You had to move around too much to see your balances or complete simple actions.

Now, the app is organised into three clear areas. Home shows your cash balances and savings in one place. Crypto shows your digital assets. Spend covers things like airtime, data, vouchers, and betting.

This separation helps you always know where your money is and what type of money you are dealing with. Cash stays with cash. Crypto stays with crypto. Everything still lives in one app, but it feels calmer and easier to follow.

What was not working well in the old product experience?

The old app worked, but it made some important things hard to find.

From user interviews, we saw that people often moved around the app too much before completing simple tasks. Some features were present, but not obvious. People would say they could not find what they were looking for, even when it existed.

A good example was during the Busha Stack Race campaign. People struggled to set it up because the feature did not stand out enough in the interface. That feedback mattered to us.

With the new app, key features are easier to see and access. You spend less time searching and more time doing what you came to do.

What user problems is the new app built to fix?

The biggest problem we focused on was complexity.

The new app is easier to understand and easier on the eyes. You can tell what each feature does and why it matters to you. Information about savings is clear. You can see your interest rate, where your money goes, and how long it stays locked.

We also wanted to help you build better saving habits. Savings is now more visible and better explained. Loans are designed to help you act when you see an opportunity, without feeling stuck because you don't have cash on hand.

Spend has also grown, especially for users in Kenya. You can buy airtime, data, and vouchers directly in the app. This makes Busha useful for daily money needs, not just long-term plans.

Is there anything else you want users to know?

Busha 3.0 was built for you.

The refresh is a signal that Busha is here to stay and serious about helping you manage your money better. We want you to take your financial habits seriously, and we want to give you tools that support that goal in a simple and clear way.

Explore the new app, use the features, and let it fit into your daily life. That is what it was designed for.

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