Streamlining Payouts, Managing Global Expenses, Automating Finances, and Driving Revenue Growth for African Businesses with Dr Austin Okpagu

Episode 155, we speak with Dr. Austin Okpagu, the Country Manager for Nigeria at VertoFX. Dr. Okpagu joined VertoFX in June after an impressive tenure at JumiaPay, where he spent nearly four years driving business growth and expanding partnerships, culminating in his role as Managing Director for West Africa. His extensive experience in the payments and fintech sectors is further highlighted by his impactful contributions to Opay and Pagatech, where he led business development and partnerships. Beyond his professional roles, Dr. Okpagu holds a Ph.D. in Organisational Psychology and serves as a seasonal mentor at Innovest Afrika.

VertoFX is a global B2B financial technology company that enables businesses of all sizes to access advanced cross-border payments, FX and banking solutions. Using a purposefully built tech infrastructure and payment rails, businesses can instantly send and receive money in over 170 countries and convert between 49 currencies. Today, Verto helps 4000+ businesses from startups, SMEs to large corporate companies send millions of dollars per year.

What We Discuss With Dr. Austin

• How his leadership roles at JumiaPay, Opay, and Pagatech influenced his vision and strategy at VertoFX.
• The longstanding challenges of cross-border payments for African SMEs and the factors contributing to their persistence.
• The unique challenges of the African payment landscape compared to regions like Asia or Europe.
• How VertoFX is helping businesses access the $725 billion digital economy and address the challenge of only 17% of African exports staying within the continent.
• The impact of regulatory inconsistency on cross-border payments in Africa and how VertoFX navigates these challenges.

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss A History of Western Ignorance: Why We Need to Think Differently About African Economics? Make sure to check it out!

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Connect with Dr. Austin on LinkedIn at Austin Okpagu, Ph.D, and Twitter (X) @VertoFX

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