BBA 17: Building Bridges Across Emerging Markets (July 2026)

July 27, 2026 Matteo Rizzi Breaking Banks Africa 0:29:29 Comments Off on BBA 17: Building Bridges Across Emerging Markets (July 2026)

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In this episode of Breaking Banks Africa, host Matteo Rizzi sits down with Waleed Sadek, Founder and CEO of Fintra Holding and Paysky, to explore how interoperable payment infrastructure is transforming financial ecosystems across Africa, the Middle East, and beyond. Waleed shares the vision behind his group’s four businesses, from national payment systems and cross-border payment networks to digital banking platforms and Banking-as-a-Service. The conversation also examines the future of payments, digital banking, stablecoins, and financial inclusion, highlighting the importance of connecting emerging markets through scalable technology. The episode also previews Waleed’s participation as a speaker at the Silk Road Finance & Technology Forum, taking place in Uzbekistan from 24–26 August, where he will discuss how emerging economies can accelerate financial innovation through interoperable infrastructure, digital banking, and cross-border collaboration, while building stronger bridges between Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East.

Author, Co-Founder of FTS Group, BBE Executive Producer
About the Author
Matteo Rizzi is an unconventional entrepreneur with two decades of experience in Financial Services, constantly referred amongst the top executives in the industry. He spent 13 years at SWIFT - where he co-founded Innotribe, the innovation arm of the cooperative, launching the first global startup challenge. Since 2013, he has had a FinTech Investor and/or Venture Partner role with global VCs and CVCs (20+ deals, 5 exits). In 2015, he co-founded FinTechStage (FTSGroup.eu) - a platform for Investors and Innovators to boost FinTech innovation globally. In 2019, Matteo founded Timepledge a global initiative to foster financial inclusion and entrepreneurship. In 2025, Matteo aligned FTS and Timepledge’s into a single mission and founded the African Talent Academy. In 2019, he also launched Breaking Banks Europe (as the Executive Producer) and in 2025 the spin-off Breaking Banks Africa. In 2023, he was appointed Senior Advisor for Elevandi (MAS) now GFTN.com. He is the author of "The FinTech Revolution" and "Talents & Rebels" and is fluent in 5 languages. X:https://twitter.com/matteorizzi Website: https://matteorizzi.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matteorizziofficial Linkedln:https://www.linkedin.com/in/matteorizzi/ Provoke: https://provoke.fm/author/matteo/
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