Ready To Hear Views From The Most Influential Payments & Regtech Experts?
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Africa Payments & RegTech Forum
Based in Limassol, Cyprus, Lola oversees all the company's strategic relationships and helps foster long-term partnerships and technical alliances. Having joined TFB 9 years ago, Lola started as a Sales Manager and advanced to Senior Sales Executive in only three years. An expert in networking and the fintech world, Lola quickly built a reputation as an empathetic and knowledgeable professional, which helped her grow an extensive partner base. The latest promotion to the Head of Partnerships enables Lola to focus on partner relationships and expand TFB's alliances worldwide.
OUR SPEAKERS
Rahul Jain
CEO and Co-Founder at Peach Payments
Rahul is the CEO and Co-founder of Peach Payments, a fast-growing African payment solution provider (PSP) that makes online commerce and digital payment acceptance easier and more accessible across Kenya, Mauritius and South Africa. He has worked with leading e-commerce websites and apps across Africa to improve their conversion rates, mitigate risk and optimise customer experience. He has participated in accelerators sponsored by Google and Barclays Africa as well as spoken at numerous events including Youth Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, Africa FinTech Festival, ECOM Africa, and Seamless Africa. He was named IESE Business School’s 40Under40 Entrepreneur of the Year in 2022, the school from which he earned his M.B.A. Previously, Rahul worked with a strategy consulting firm in Boston, USA where he advised large retailers and airlines regarding e-commerce, marketing and ancillary revenue streams.
Raadhika Sihin
Head of Public Policy at GFTN
Prior to joining GFTN, Raadhika spearheaded regulatory engagement for Meta in EMEA, particularly focussed on digital assets. She had previously worked at the SA Reserve Bank and the National Treasury of South Africa, the Alliance for Financial Inclusion and Mastercard. Her core work has primarily focussed on payments, financial stability, integrity and financial inclusion. She sits on the Steering Committee of the Start Up Act movement and is an ambassador in Women for Payments in SA.
Hamish Houston
Co-founder & Group Chief Operating Officer at Enza
Hamish has spent his entire career in technology, predominantly in the commercialisation of new and disruptive tech-enabled services and in developing new market opportunities. Hamish has enjoyed senior executive positions in the MEA payments and fintech industry since 2006, with experience spanning general management, strategy, commercial development, operations, sales & marketing, and executive leadership.
Hamish has also had the full range of business life-cycle exposure - from working in nimble bootstrapped start-ups, through MBOs, to working for notable private equity shareholders and listed entities. Through this journey, Hamish has also gained experience in capital raising (debt & equity) and mergers and acquisitions (both buying and selling).
Hamish is inspired by people, culture and team dynamics, and has been privileged to be part of great teams that have delivered amazing things.
Hamish co-founded Enza to construct the foundations of a new generation of financial services capability for the African continent.
Frank Macha
Product Manager Online and Channels at UBA Tanzania
​Frank J. Macha is an award-winning IT executive, digital strategist, author, and keynote speaker on AI, Blockchain, and fintech, with over a decade of experience in Africa’s banking and fintech sectors. He received the 2025 Top 100 Executives List Award (CIO / Head of Product Design & Innovation of the Year) and was among finalist at the CIO100 Symposium & Awards 2025. Certified in Agile Project Management and Digital Product Management, He is known for leading secure, user-centric digital platforms and advancing financial inclusion, turning bold ideas into impactful solutions.
Bradwin Roper
Chief Payments & Partnerships at JUMO
Brad Roper is a visionary leader in banking, fintech and telecommunications. He has 17 years of diversified experience in these sectors and is renowned for his strategic vision, financial acumen, and leadership. His proficiency in engaging with stakeholders at multiple levels has consistently resulted in delivering impactful outcomes in complex scenarios. Before joining JUMO, Brad was the CEO of MTN South Africa’s fintech division, where he led initiatives to broaden access to mobile financial services. His prior leadership at FNB Connect saw him drive the growth of the bank’s telecom and e-commerce ventures, emphasising the democratisation of data and mobile access in South Africa.
Benjamin April
Associate Director in Risk and Regulatory Advisory at KPMG
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Benjamin April is an Associate Director in Risk and Regulatory Advisory. Benjamin April has over 25 years of international and local working experience at FSB, SARB, ECB, UK PRA, US SEC, ISDA, BIS BCBS, World Bank, international regulators, asset managers, and international and sovereign wealth funds. In-depth knowledge of regulations and compliance standards in South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, DRC, the UK, the European Union, and the USA.
Before joining KPMG, he was Head of Risk for SARB Financial Markets: Prudential, National Payments, SADC Regional Payments; General Manager Prudential and Payment Regulations at the Banking Association of South Africa: Barclays Africa Treasury Risk Director for Barclays Capital; Head of Risk at the South African Reserve Bank; Head of Economic Capital Nedbank Group: Chief Risk Officer roles at Tier 2 banks; Senior Manager Internal Audit Barclays Capital and Senior Risk Manager at the Industrial Development Corporation.
Esti Louw
Head of Legal at Revolut
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Esti Louw is a seasoned legal leader with over 15 years of experience specializing in the fintech, payments, and regulatory landscape. Currently the Head of Legal at Revolut South Africa, she directs the institution’s bank licensing application and manages its comprehensive legal risk and corporate governance frameworks.
With a background leading regional legal operations for PayU and JUMO World, Esti has a proven track record of navigating complex expansion efforts across Africa. She is a dedicated advocate for plain language drafting, using her expertise in contract law to bridge the gap between technical innovation and regulatory clarity. Through her strategic oversight and industry advocacy, she has established herself as a leading voice in the evolution of digital financial services.
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Liam Reddy
Chief Compliance Officer - State Bank of India South Africa
Liam is a dynamic and accomplished risk and compliance professional with over 22 years of experience in the banking sector, including more than 15 years dedicated to developing and executing strategic, tactical, and operational plans for enterprise-wide risk assessment and mitigation. Certified in financial crime compliance and anti-money laundering, Liam brings deep expertise in regulatory frameworks and a proven ability to foster a culture of integrity and accountability.
Liam holds a Master's degree in Financial Crime and Compliance in Digital Societies from the University of Manchester, a Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Governance, Risk, and Compliance from the International Compliance Association (UK), and certifications from Harvard University Publishing's Harvard Manage Mentor Programme and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Leading Digital programme.
Wiza Jalakasi
Director: Country Growth, SSA
Wiza Jalakasi is an international business development expert with 17 years of experience building and scaling technology startups across 20+ African countries. He currently serves as the Director of Country Growth for SSA at EBANX, a global payments leader, and previously served as VP of Global Merchant Business at Chipper Cash - a cross-border mobile money service with over 5 million users.
A dedicated ecosystem builder, Wiza is the Africa host for ThisWeekInFintech.com, where he facilitates premier networking events for thousands of professionals across the continent. He is also a Venture Partner at RallyCap, a global collective fund investing in emerging market innovation. Wiza holds an honours degree in Information Systems Technology from USIU-Africa and frequently shares industry insights on Twitter @wizaj.
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Stasha Battye
Chief Delivery Officer at Block Markets
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I bring over thirty years of experience in technical and managerial roles, with my journey leading to the role of Vice President of Digital Payments at a Tier 1 retail group. My expertise lies in navigating the intricate landscape of payments, financial services, value-added services, and point of sale systems. As a leader, I am passionate about expanding consumer tender options, boosting basket size, and increasing the frequency of spend. I have a solid track record of driving innovation, cutting costs, and simplifying payment processes to enhance overall business performance. With a strategic mindset and a knack for collaborative problem-solving, I thrive in delivering exceptional results in a dynamic and competitive market.
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Cindy Sieberts
Manager FX and Banking at Onafriq
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Cindy Sieberts currently holds the role of Manager FX and Banking at Onafriq, overseeing the growth, operations and revenue for the FX and Banking portfolio within the Treasury department. She joined Onafriq in February 2022 and has held various Senior Positions in the Commercial team during that time, including Vice President Partnerships, Country Director Southern Africa and Head of Global Partnerships: Rest of the World. Her previous roles include Business Development at Paxos Trust Company and Group Treasurer at Gold Fields Limited. Cindy has previously engaged in multiple speaking opportunities at various global conferences, relating to her experience in Commodities and FX, and more recently representing Onafriq at multiple conferences. She has been nominated and selected as an Honoree in Global Finance Magazine's "Who's Who in Treasury and Cash Management" in 2015 and 2016. Cindy has a BComm Accounting Degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, and a Certificate in Principles of Business and Management from the University of the Witwatersrand Graduate School of Business.
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Drisha Kirkman
Head of Strategic Alliances and Schemes at Lesaka Technologies
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With nearly 20 years in payments and fintech, Drisha Kirkman has built a career at the forefront of banking innovation, card issuing, and financial inclusion across emerging markets.
She is a senior leader at Lesaka Group, a NASDAQ- and JSE-listed fintech accelerating digital financial services across Africa. Drisha leads Alliance Banking for the Group, where she enables banking-as-a-service solutions for fintechs in South Africa — designing compliant, scalable infrastructure that allows partners to launch, innovate, and grow at speed. She also oversees strategic network partnerships across the Group, strengthening ecosystem relationships and expanding market reach.
Beyond commercial delivery, Drisha drives Lesaka’s ESG strategy, with a focus on meaningful empowerment. Her work centres on using financial technology as a catalyst for inclusion — ensuring digitisation translates into real economic participation, opportunity, and long-term social impact for everyday Africans.
Earlier in her career, Drisha was part of the founding team of Tutuka, the South African start-up that scaled into the global issuer processor now known as Paymentology. That journey — from inception to global scale — shaped her entrepreneurial, resilient, and impact-driven leadership style.
She is passionate about building financial infrastructure that not only drives growth, but expands access, unlocks opportunity, and creates lasting change across Africa
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Larry Cooke
Africa Head of Legal at Binance
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Larry has been instrumental in guiding Binance through Africa's evolving digital assets landscape. With his extensive legal expertise, and complementary strategic, policy, regulatory and commercial (public and private) skillsets within the Traditional Finance and Fintech arenas, he ensures that Binance’s operations align with regional and global compliance standards, focusing on fostering responsible innovation through balanced regulations in the cryptocurrency space.
Before joining Binance, Larry served as Lead Legal Counsel at the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). In this role, he was responsible for overseeing all legal matters related to SARB’s subsidiaries, the South African Mint Company and Prestige Bullion. Larry also provided legal counsel to SARB’s FinTech, SADC (Southern African Development Community), FinSurv (Financial Surveillance), and Corporate Services divisions. He was also Chairman of SARB’s Under-35s alumni group.
Before his tenure at SARB, Larry spent over six years at Absa Group (also previously operating as Barclays Africa), holding various senior legal roles. As Senior Legal Counsel, he provided commercial legal advice on procurement, technology, and operations. He also played a key role in driving cultural transformation at Absa as the Culture Lead, where he led enterprise-wide initiatives to align organizational culture with strategic objectives. He was also Chairman of Absa Africa alumni group.
Earlier in his career, Larry was an Attorney at Webber Wentzel, where he gained valuable experience in employment, banking, finance, and regulatory practices.
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Happy Shihau
Head of Compliance, Investec Corporate and Investment Banking
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Happy Shihau is a lawyer by training and holds a LLB Degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and is currently the Head of Compliance for Investec’s Corporate and Institutional Banking. Happy has more than a decade of experience in the financial sector and has held various positions within the sector with regulatory authorities such as the Financial Services Board (which is the now Financial Sector Conduct Authority), the Prudential Authority and at other financial institutions, including Absa Capital. In Happy’s previous life she was a Civil and Criminal Litigation attorney at Fluxmans Attorneys and practiced for several years. Her love for the regulatory environment coupled with her passion for the financial markets industry has propelled her to be involved in industry initiatives such at the South African Markets Surveillance Conference, which is hosted and lead by Investec Bank. Happy wishes to leave a legacy behind of a financial services industry that is better than the one she found and her mantra in life is to treat people with kindness.
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Lebogang Langa
Cloud Engineer at Vaxowave
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Lebogang Langa is a data and technology professional and host of Let’s Talk Data, a platform where she convenes executives and leaders across Africa and globally to explore the evolving role of data, AI, and digital transformation.
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She currently contributes as a Cloud Engineer, working on enterprise data initiatives via Vaxowave, with a focus on cloud migration, analytics pipelines, and scalable intelligence solutions.
Lebogang has a strong track record of translating complex data challenges into actionable insights, enabling organisations to make informed, strategic decisions.
Through her work and podcast, she explores the intersection of data strategy, technology adoption, and digital transformation, with a particular focus on responsible AI, governance, and building resilient, data-driven organisations in emerging markets.
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Priza Mantsena
Assistant General Counsel | Regulatory Affairs at Mastercard EEMEA
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Priza Mantsena is a seasoned legal and regulatory executive in financial services based in Johannesburg, South Africa with over 20 years’ post-qualification experience across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EEMEA).
Currently serving as Assistant General Counsel at Mastercard, she leads regulatory strategy and advocacy across the EEMEA region, providing critical counsel to regional executives and supporting market expansion through robust regulatory alignment.
Ms. Mantsena brings a unique blend of technical legal expertise and strategic foresight. Her career spans leadership roles in both the public and private sectors, including foundational work in building payments infrastructure across emerging markets. She has played a pivotal role in driving financial inclusion, shaping payments regulation, and guiding fintech innovation across jurisdictions such as South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, and Kazakhstan.
A qualified attorney with a Master’s degree in Banking Law, Priza has held independent roles of national importance, notably supporting the South African Reserve Bank’s policy evolution. She served as an independent member of the SARB Standing Committee for the review of the National Payment System Act (2012–2015) and as an expert advisor in the SARB’s NPS Act Review Expert Group, where she contributed to reforms aimed at modernizing and securing South Africa’s payments environment. She was also an independent panelist for the Payments Association of South Africa’s (PASA) Compliance Enforcement Committee, reinforcing compliance and integrity across the national payments ecosystem.
Prior to Mastercard, she held executive and advisory roles at the City of Tshwane, Postbank, Standard Bank, and founded Pinn Payment Services, where she led regulatory initiatives across the SADC region. Her work led to the development of the SADC Mobile Money Guidelines adopted by central banks across 15 member states.
Recognized as a thought leader and advocate for diversity, Ms. Mantsena has been featured in Forbes, honored as a Legal 500 Top GC (2024) and DHL Rising Star (2015), and serves as an ambassador for Women in Payments Africa. She is an active voice on global platforms, contributing to discussions on AI, cybersecurity, and digital financial inclusion.
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Dineo Moalusi
Head of Group Compliance at Sanlam
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I am strategically minded professional with over 14 years’ compliance experience across banking, fintech and insurance. I have worked across different markets in Africa and Middle East providing compliance advisory services across markets and businesses, ensuring regulatory compliance, managing risks, establishing and ensuring mature compliance environments across markets and teams.
Calvin Christopher
Partner at Spencer West
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Calvin Christopher is a legal adviser and risk manager who is dedicated to assisting clients to capture opportunities and secure sustainable profitability.
Calvin is a Partner in the South African Office of Spencer West, an international law firm based in the UK which supports clients across 25 countries globally. Calvin’s practice focuses on regulatory and compliance advisory for banking and financial services firms. Calvin also specialises in support for cross-border entrants into the Southern African market.
Prior to joining Spencer West, Calvin served as the Chief Compliance Officer for Standard Chartered Bank for South & Southern Africa, with responsibility for markets including Angola, Botswana, Mauritius, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Calvin also served as an Executive Director in the Dubai Regional Officer, with oversight of 25 countries across Africa and the Middle East. Calvin supported the bank to achieve significant progress in the reduction of regulatory fines, improvement of audit outcomes, strengthening of regulatory relationships and embedment of compliance and controls.
Calvin previously served as a legal advisor and compliance officer for the Barclays Africa Group, specializing in financial markets and treasury businesses across Africa.
Calvin began his career in private practice, focusing on capital markets and corporate finance. He practiced with the London office of Skadden, Arps and with White & Case in Johannesburg.
In his career and studies, Calvin has been focused on the relationship between economic growth and prosperity, on the one hand, and sustainability and good governance, on the other. He completed his undergraduate degree at the Princeton University School of Public Policy and International Affairs, and obtained his law degree from New York University.
Rutendo Nyathi
Chief Risk and Governance Officer at Ozow
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Rutendo is a recognised leader at the forefront of South Africa’s payments landscape. With over a decade of experience spanning law, regulation, and financial services, she is widely regarded as a specialist in regulatory strategy, governance, and enterprise risk within high-growth fintech environments.
Tendi began her career at leading African law firm ENS, where she built a strong foundation in corporate and financial services law, before going on to complete a Master of Laws (LLM) at Cornell University. She brings a unique combination of legal depth and commercial insight to the evolving payments ecosystem.
Over more than nine years at Ozow, Tendi has played a pivotal role in shaping not only the company’s trajectory, but also the broader regulatory and compliance landscape in which it operates. She has been instrumental in key milestones, including Ozow’s Series B fundraise, and has led strategic regulatory engagement and lobbying efforts that have helped influence industry standards and strengthen collaboration between fintechs and regulators in South Africa.
As Chief Risk and Governance Officer, she is responsible for defining and embedding Ozow’s enterprise-wide approach to risk, governance, and regulatory alignment, ensuring the business scales responsibly while maintaining the highest standards of compliance and ethical oversight.
Tendi is a passionate advocate for progressive, well-balanced regulation that enables innovation while safeguarding the integrity of the financial system. She continues to play an active role in shaping the future of payments by championing governance and risk as critical enablers of trust, resilience, and long-term industry growth.
Faith Burn
Chief Technology and Operations Officer, at The Land and Agricultural
Development Bank of South Africa
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Faith Burn has extensive business experience which includes the following industries:
Energy, Utilities, Pharmaceutical; Services, Facilities management; Telecommunications;
Financial Services; Aviation & Aerospace; Construction; Education; Services and Mining.
She currently serves as the Chief Technology and Operations Officer of The Land and
Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa. Her portfolio essentially includes the roles of
Chief Technology Officer and Chief Operations Officer. Previously she served for 5 years as
Chief Information Officer at a large multi-billion-rand public sector organisation. She has held
several executive positions over the past, more than 15 years. Generally fulfilling roles of
Group CIO position at multinational organisations and large corporates with her
responsibility across especially the Africa region since 2015 and served prior to that as Chief
Audit Executive at a parastatal and Associate Director at a professional services
multinational organisation.
Ms. Burn has served and is still serving on various boards. She holds an MSc in
Mathematics from University of Johannesburg (then RAU) and an MBL from UNISA. She
has attained a CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) in 2014 and has internationally recognized
and/or accredited certifications in the fields of Project Management, Business Continuity
Management and Computer Science. Ms Burn has been recognised as an industry leader
through various awards not least of which was the Public Sector CIO 2023, by CIO South
Africa.
She is an international speaker and has delivered keynote presentations and panel
discussions both locally and on global stages such as GITEX in Dubai, GITEX Africa in
Marocco, World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, Africa Tech Festival in South Africa, Nutanix
Conference in Barcelona, Huawei Connect in South Africa, to name a few. She has
delivered presentations and panel discussions to audiences of varying sizes ranging from
hundreds to thousands of people.
Among Ms Burn’s vast achievements, the one true to her heart is her passion for the care
and advancement of women and children. Although no longer directly involved, she has
previously co-founded a non-profit organization called Kingdom Consultant Center (known
as KCC) which aims to educate children from disadvantaged communities.