I sat down with Ali Mazanderani, Chairman of Lesaka, a nasdaq traded, leading fintech in Southern Africa with over $400 million in revenue and 2 million active customers. Ali is a fintech veteran investor and builder, who’s been closely involved with several multi-billion dollar fintechs in emerging markets, including Stone, Pine Labs, Kushki, Thunes and is also a co-founder of Teya. We discussed why Southern Africa is one of the most exciting fintech opportunities in the world, how Lesaka is turning 120,000 merchants from cash-only to digital, the strategy behind acquiring Bank Zero, and why being a publicly traded company is a feature, not a bug.
Timestamped Overview: 00:00 Intro & Ali’s Background 05:00 Creating positive impact through fintech 09:23 Founding Taya Joy in Building 10:32 Customer first approach to success 14:49 Benefits of Public Market Discipline 18:12 Fintech's Limited Impact in Africa 20:36 South Africa's business opportunities 25:45 Bank Zero Digital Advantage 27:46 Customer-First Mindset & Innovation 32:27 Key Focus Growth and ARPU Trends 33:41 Value Over Price Wins Customers 38:35 Driving Merchant Payment Efficiency 42:52 Digitizing Africa's Future 43:58 Ambition for global excellence 47:14 Authenticity and empathy drive success
Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.
Do you prefer a written summary? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join ~85,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!
Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör
Miguel Armaza. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Miguel Armaza och inte av,
eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.
