Out of Africa

Mr. Open Banking

Introducing a disruptive movement like open banking into an already developed environment can be difficult. By contrast, introducing innovation where there is nothing to replace, often referred to as a “green field,” makes it possible to adopt the latest technology immediately, leapfrogging whatever came before. Africa, the ultimate green field, has been undergoing a quiet but steady technological renaissance over the past two decades, as it aims to leapfrog its peers. In this episode, Eyal sits down with Ismail Chaib from Yassir Tech Hub, a startup based out of his birthplace, Algeria. In 2011, Ismail was COO of the Open Bank Project, where he built open banking before the term was even invented. During their conversation, Eyal and Ismail discuss the back story behind the Open Bank Project, the explosion of fintech in Africa, and how open banking can accelerate that boom.Specifically they discuss:-The story of the Open Bank Project-The state of fintech in Africa-M-Pesa and the rise of mobile money-African emergence of open banking-Market vs. Regulatory-driven approaches-Challenges to fintech adoption in Africa-Financial inclusion for over a billion Africans