Kuda — Nigerian Digital Bank

Independent creative company Barkas has partnered with Nigerian digital bank Kuda to create a bold and distinctive brand identity, built for their next stage of growth. The work spans Kuda's core brand for personal banking and its natural extension into business banking, unified under one ecosystem and evolving their position from challenger to established, culturally-relevant finance brand. Beyond the challenger bank Kuda was notoriously the ‘new kid on the block’ when it launched as “the bank of the free" 7 years ago, initially driven by product innovation. Now, they’re moving up the ladder, embracing a larger audience that’s growing with their bank. The core aim was to become the first financial brand to authentically represent contemporary Nigerian youth - a new generation of aspirational Africans who are digitally savvy and intentional with their money. “Life in Nigeria moves fast - it’s full of hustle, ambition and creativity. But for too long, banking hasn’t kept pace. It stopped seeing the human behind the account number and the dream behind every Naira. It stopped seeing life,” says Babs Ogundeyi, Group CEO, Kuda. Introducing “More Life” Kuda is built on the belief that banks exist to enable life. Enabling life means removing the limits, delays, and complications that slow people down. It means giving them clarity, control, and possibilities. "More Life" is about young Nigerians living full lives: creating, working, running their many side hustles, and savouring the moments of joy. “Born in Jamaica and now used globally, the phrase carries a universal wish for abundance – one Kuda's audience already live and speak through music, conversation and aspiration,” says Luca Rasmussen, Partner at Barkas. “In a category obsessed with features and finance jargon, it gives the brand something more human. The visual identity expresses this through vibrancy and real, everyday snapshots of life, capturing the momentum, confidence and pace of Lagos.” Bringing the energy of Lagos to life Incorporating strategic positioning, brand identity, website design, and implementation across product and marketing, Kuda’s partnership with Barkas actively challenges the existing aesthetics of the fintech industry. “The result is a bold, distinctive brand that feels authentically Nigerian and gives Kuda a stronger platform for growth,” says Romney Taylor, VP of Marketing at Kuda. “We re-positioned Kuda for a very specific audience, and it has driven the customer behaviour you dream of from a rebrand: account openings and transactions are up, dormant customers are reactivating, and deposits are flowing in.” A new logo uses Kuda's short, memorable name in geometric letterforms inspired by Nigerian art and architecture, with four iterations developed for legibility and flexibility across applications. The identity also includes a custom Naira sign, created with local partners to authentically reflect Nigerian culture, and a typeface designed to cut through the noise of a conservative industry. Motion also plays a key role, with rhythmic editing techniques and layered sound bringing the energy and movement of Lagos into the brand. Photography and illustration ground the identity in real life - documentary-style images shot with local photographers capture authentic, unfiltered moments, while hand-drawn illustrations add warmth and playfulness. The overall layout system is modular, drawing on grids, repetition and bold geometric forms rooted in the same local references as the logo.