Episode 20: The Governor Who Builds Ecosystems (October 2026)

In this episode of Breaking Banks Africa, Matteo Rizzi sits down with Soraya Hakuziyaremye, Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda, to discuss how forward-thinking regulation and technological innovation are shaping Africa’s financial ecosystem. Reflecting on her transition from global corporate banking to public leadership, Governor Soraya shares Rwanda’s vision of serving as a proactive “orchestrator” rather than a passive regulator. The conversation explores the role of the Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC), the importance of ongoing dialogue between central bankers and fintech innovators around virtual assets and stablecoins, and the imperative to build local talent and coding skills to drive sustainable, inclusive economic growth across the continent.

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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