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I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Karl Marco, co-founder of Octo, an Egyptian fintech startup providing digital financial services, on my podcast. Karl shared invaluable lessons on building a fintech company from the ground up in Egypt. Here are some of the key takeaways from our conversation:

* Octo aims to provide financial services to the unbanked and underbanked population in Egypt, offering a digital payment solution and a credit line combined in one.

* The market in Egypt is largely untapped, with only 24 million out of 110 million Egyptians having bank accounts.

* Octo focuses on the B segment, targeting employed individuals who are banked but lack access to formal credit.

* The biggest challenge for Octo has been navigating the regulatory regime in Egypt and overcoming resistance to change in the financial industry.

* Building a strong team that shares the vision and culture of the company is crucial for Octo's success.

* Octo's plans for growth and expansion are focused on becoming a market leader in Egypt before considering expansion to other markets with similar financial structures and socioeconomic conditions.

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