EBANX, a Brazilian payments provider, launched in Africa, beginning with Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
The firm facilitates global companies, such as Spotify and Uber, receive payments from customers living in Latin America.
The company has grown into a billion-dollar company with around one billion transactions completed in 15 countries.
Africa’s rising digital economy driven by the rise of fintech companies like Flutterwave, MFS Africa, and OPay is a major attraction for EBANX.
According to the firm,”At least in its first year, EBANX will likely operate not as a disruptor of African fintech but as a student and potential partner of strong local players.”
The company plans to learn from successful African fintech companies and offer products that will “build the digital economy at a rapid pace.”
Africa’s similarities with Latin America’s developing economies, which share similar challenges with brick-and-mortar financial systems designed for a past age, make it an attractive market for EBANX.
Mr Wiza Jalakasi who has been “on the ground” in Africa for 13 plus years, and most recently served as Global Merchant Business team at Chipper Cash, has been hired as the new Director of Africa Market Development at EBANX across the continent to expand and develop its operations across the region, strengthen the connections between its global merchants and African consumers and provide in-depth knowledge about the flourishing digital market in the continent.
His experience spans high-performance tech startups across 16 African countries, and he currently serves as a mentor for Google for Startups Accelerator Africa (Launchpad) and a technical partner at Rally Cap Ventures.
“EBANX has more than 10 years of track record in solving payments and helping global businesses grow in Latin America. Joining this company is a fantastic opportunity to cement the credibility of the payments industry and digital economy in Africa, and help to connect global players to this huge market which is full of potential”, said the new director.
According to Paula Bellizia, the President of Global Payments at EBANX, Jalakasi is going to be instrumental in helping the company grow its presence in Africa, which is the next big market for digital payments and various online industries like SaaS/cloud, streaming, digital games, and online retail.
His expertise in facilitating local payments for international businesses seeking to connect with millions of African companies and digital consumers makes him an important addition to the EBANX team.