Introducing: Raenest Recap

“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” — Søren Kierkegaard. 

Looking back on 2025, these words reflect everything we experienced at Raenest. Every decision, every challenge, every lesson learned has built a story that now stands in full, vivid colour. This was a year of growth that mattered and bold creations that stretched us, ideas that took root and flourished, and a drive that carried us forward. It was a year defined by moments of insight that reminded us why we began and revealed the vision of the global money partner we are becoming, as well as what it means to support our community.

If you set intentions in January and wonder how far you have come, take this as an invitation to reflect on your own journey, to see how your efforts, choices, and ambitions have taken shape over the year. That said, here's 2025 through Raenest's eyes and how we were able to serve you.

Earnings and Deposits

USD sat at the top of earnings all year. It was the currency clients paid in, and the one most work was priced in. Freelancers invoiced with it, businesses settled revenue in it, and creators planned around it, so if you do not have a USD account, now is a good time to create one with Raenest.

In the same vein, USDT was the preferred option for fast transfers, especially when timing mattered. Funds arrived when expected, and people came to rely on that consistency.

At scale, those movements depended on ACH. A large share of deposits flowed through it into Raenest accounts and supporting the movement of money across borders.

Much of these deposits came from the United States, which remained the largest source of payouts. When those payments came in as stablecoins, TRON was the network most people used, familiar and efficient in practice.

And when it came to payment days, Thursday saw the most inflow, which made sense with the weekend just around the corner.

Global Work and Industry

Tech drove Africa’s global work in 2025. Developers, designers, product managers, and creators moved work across borders and turned the continent into a hub that the world relied on for innovative output. Within that environment, Content Writers stood out as the top role. Words shaped the year, powering the stories brands told, the campaigns startups ran, and the projects creators shared. Alongside them, the next top four jobs— graphics designers, virtual assistants, frontend engineers, and technical writers—kept work moving, forming the backbone of global projects.

Unsurprisingly, Upwork was the top freelance platform, connecting that talent to opportunities worldwide and making it possible for work happening in Africa to reach clients anywhere. Most hiring came from North America, the top remote region, where companies offered the highest-value roles and filled the largest number of positions. That’s how the year unfolded across global work and industry.

🔗Did you know that you can now get your Upwork payments in less than an hour with Raenest FastTrack. Here’s how. 

Spending and Card

In 2025, people spent most of their time on screens, and the Raenest card was there for it all. When they signed up for a new AI tool at 2 a.m., the Raenest card did that. When they upgraded their productivity apps before a deadline, the Raenest card did that too. In all of these online payments, SaaS led spending for the year showing up in every side hustle, every project, and every “just one more hour” work session.

Most of that spending was made through several platforms, including Facebook Ads, Apple, TikTok, PayPal, and Namecheap. Ads ran, devices got replaced, and domains were secured.

As for location, the US was where most transactions happened, with merchants powering the SaaS subscriptions, ads, and tools that kept the ecosystem running. Across the Atlantic, the UK embraced tap culture. Raenest cards were in motion everywhere—on trains, in stores, cafés, and across London streets—and with Google Pay, spending and travel felt effortless: tap, glow, go.

Namecheap topped the list of subscriptions, supporting domains and hosting that powered everything from side hustles to full-scale businesses. In all, we are proud to say that the Raenest card was part of every purchase, every project, and every ambition that moved through the year.

Transfers and Payouts

Transfers in 2025 followed the direction of opportunity. Global earnings flowed from the U.S. more than anywhere else; however, what mattered just as much was where that money went. Nigeria stood out as the top payout country, not only in volume but in meaning. That means moving was not just moving in; it was moving into everyday life. Into families, businesses, plans, and long-term commitments. A reminder that no matter how far the work travels, home still pulls. 

Beyond Nigeria, payouts stretched across borders. The United States, Kenya, the United Kingdom, and Ghana completed the picture. Africa, America, and Europe. Different currencies, shared momentum. Work no longer stayed where it was done. It followed people and responsibility.

The most travelled route of the year was USD to NGN. Again and again, global earnings made that journey. Income earned abroad, turning into support, investment, and growth at home. 

When payouts happened, OPay bank accounts were the leading bank destination. In Kenya, M-Pesa continued to lead mobile money, fast and deeply familiar. Raenest fit naturally into both, keeping transfers direct and dependable.

Conversions

Conversions told the most human story of the year.

As mentioned earlier, the top payment corridor was USD to Nigeria. So it followed naturally that the most common conversion was USD → NGN. People earned in dollars, then converted with intention. Bills were covered. Investments were funded. Support was extended. Global income found its way into everyday life.

Then November arrived and concentrated everything. Black Friday, year-end planning, and the final stretch of global work made it the peak month for conversions. It was the moment people stopped accumulating and started deciding. What stays. What gets sent. What needs to be settled before the year turns.

And when people converted, they mostly did it to send. Transfers led the way. Money moved toward family, toward businesses, toward obligations that had waited long enough. And as usual, Raenest kept everything grounded and affordable with our free conversions.

Bills and Education

Still on the use of money, education led the way. The UK remained the top destination for school fees, reflecting where many African students continued to build their futures. What is often a stressful process became simpler, more direct, and more manageable with Raenest.

Everyday needs followed. Airtime topped bill payments because staying connected is non-negotiable. Work, family, coordination, and opportunity all depend on it. MTN stayed on top, powering communication across millions of moments, large and small.

And when it came time to pay for education, people chose what they could trust. Bank transfers remained the preferred method for tuition. Reliable. Traceable. Familiar.

User behaviour and habits

Seems there was something peculiar happening on Thursdays because Thursday was the peak of activity, when users earned, converted, spent, and settled their week, and Sunday was the collective exhale, the day global hustlers took a breath before diving back in. Most users started their day by handling their money, with deposits forming the starting point for everything else on Raenest.

Global Accounts became the window to opportunities beyond borders, while holding USD remained the goal behind many decisions. Android users dominated activity, leading nearly every category and shaping how people interacted with the platform.

Looking back, it’s incredible to see how far we’ve come. Every deposit, every transfer, every conversion tells a story of ambition, action, and possibility. We couldn’t have reached this milestone without the 1 million of you who made it happen, turning daily habits into progress and opportunities into reality.

As the saying goes, it’s better to count the roses we’ve gathered than to dwell on the thorns we passed. Here’s to carrying those lessons forward and embracing the possibilities that await.

Thank you for choosing Raenest.