Episode 12: Shaping Climate Innovation in Africa: From Finance to Tech (December 2025)

December 23, 2025 Matteo Rizzi Breaking Banks Africa 0:38:09 Comments Off on Episode 12: Shaping Climate Innovation in Africa: From Finance to Tech (December 2025)

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In the last episode of 2025 of Breaking Banks Africa, Matteo Rizzi interviews Shirley Mburu, Director of Advisory at BFA Global, to reflect on impact, innovation, and financial inclusion across the continent. Based in Nairobi, Mburu shares her journey into development finance and explains BFA Global’s work as a development consulting and venture-building firm supporting underserved populations. The conversation explores the tension between impact and financial returns, particularly in African investment contexts where entrepreneurs often must build missing infrastructure alongside their core businesses. Mburu highlights stark differences between urban and rural inclusion, stressing the importance of trust, financial literacy, and context-appropriate solutions. She also discusses the risks of under-supported capital deployment and BFA Global’s approach of pairing funding with tailored technical assistance. Finally, the interview spotlights climate and green fintech initiatives such as the Africa Blue Wave and TECA programs, emphasizing resilience, job creation, and long-term livelihoods as critical priorities for Africa’s future.

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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