Equity Bank, once technically declared insolvent in 1993, now has more than 9 million customers, more than any other bank in Africa with nearly half of the bank accounts in Kenya. The company’s vision is “to be the champion of the socio-economic prosperity of the people of Africa,” with an agent-based model that has won…
By Olivia Chow Thunes offers a global platform that provides seamless transfer of funds between payment systems in more than 100 countries and 60 currencies. The company was born last year as the cross-border payments offspring of TransferTo, which was established in 2005 beginning with a mobile top-up and rewards business that has become the…
Nabil spent twelve years growing the business at Western Union between 1998 and 2004 across North America, MENA, Asia, and Europe. He also spent 4 years as President and CEO of Omnex Group, 5 years as CEO of Account Control Technology Holdings, and is now President and CEO of CieloPay. This resume has earned him…
I met Ronald Mazursky at his NYPAY event, a New York City payments and mobile commerce group hosting events for innovators and leaders since 2006. He is a founder, officer, and board member of NYPAY. The events often revolve around conversations that involve issuers, merchants, networks, FinTech startups, regulators, and others. As a result, lively…
Sofia Freyder gives us her words of wisdom and joins our RemTECH judging panel again. She’s led the development of international payment products for some of the largest players in the industry, including Western Union, MasterCard, Earthport, and now, JPMorgan. Last year she spoke to us about how innovators can partner with the type of…
When discussing financial inclusion in Africa, it’s hard to have that conversation without including M-Pesa. The product, born in 2007, has utilized the telecommunication networks to provide a way for Kenyans, and now many other Africans, to hold and transfer funds digitally through mobile money. Today, M-Pesa transfers over a $1B each month from their…
Leaf enables users to digitally store savings, receive money from abroad, and manage from a mobile device using blockchain technology. They are the first to make such an application that can be accessed from a USSD platform, as well as a smartphone. We spoke with co-founder and CTO of Leaf, Tori Samples, today who has…
Today it is possible to order almost anything from an app. Within taps and swipes, items can be viewed from around the world, prices and features can be compared, and the chosen items delivered within a few days. The consumer is certainly in control — that is, as long as you have a digital way…
“Crap!” Aamer quickly covers his mouth and apologizes for swearing. My New York ears were shocked. To be sure, Aamer Abedi, Chief Marketing Officer of RemitONE is a good guy. This transfers over to his passion for remittances and the people the money impacts. This, in particular, is true for the case with money transfer…
Catching up with 2018 RemTECH Entry, Guppy.ai I am fortunate enough to speak with Sanjib Kalita, the Chief Marketing Officer who led Money 20/20’s early marketing efforts. Before that, Sanjib worked in payments at Google and Citi Cards for nearly a decade, which he draws upon in his new startup, Guppy.ai. They are putting…
You can’t miss Sofia Freyder. She’s currently Executive Director at JPMorgan Chase for digital payments. Iron straight platinum blond hair, red lipstick, and poise that contrasts the sea of men in what often feels like a ratio of 10 to 1 at a money transfer conference. I hesitate to do the cliche thing of focusing…
This year’s Consensus 2019 was dubbed the “survivor” conference, which eludes to how only the ones delivering real value remain in the blockchain industry after the overpopulation of 2018. I quietly had lunch on Day 2 and met a Henry Balani who took a break from crypto and started talking to me about international money…
I split my time between the crypto and international money transfer world. To speak in generalities, the energy, mindset, and concerns are dramatically different. When it comes to compliance, however, I do think some parts of the cryptosphere are starting to edge closer: Fear the regulator — or your business will face capital punishment. No…
I hold a special place in my remittance heart for Faisal Khan, a name you’ll surely see if you Google anything on remittances or money transfers. Faisal is also an advisor to Hippocorn, a venture capital firm out of Denmark. I would not be working on the RemTECH Awards with the director of the International…
Leon Isaacs once joked that he’d throw me over a boat when I met him in New York at the first RemTECH Awards back in 2016. The comment from the CEO and co-founder of Developing Markets Association (DMA) was in response to the research I had published on the US remittance market. DMA is a…
Co-Chair Olivia Chow reflects on The Blockchain Series (TBS) pilot at IMTC WORLD 2017 in Miami A lot has changed since IMTC Director Hugo Cuevas-Mohr invited Roger Ver, the so-called Bitcoin Jesus, to the IMTC in Miami in 2012, just five years ago. He debated Arun Sharma professor at the University of Miami School of…
