This episode of the BIG5D Podcast is brought to you by Duda
We’re very excited about the latest guest on our podcast. Firas Ahmad is one of the sharpest observers of the evolution of fintech in Africa. In particular, Firas is a thought leader on how mobile money is evolving to help consumers and small merchants gain access to financial services, build sustainable businesses, and more.
Firas is Group CEO of AzamPay, a fintech platform housed within Tanzania’s AzamGroup conglomerate. This year, AzamPay launched a momo product in East Africa called AzamPesa that is focused more on facilitating commerce than simply moving money around.
Our conversation with Firas ranges from the state of mobile money to what’s wrong and right about Africa’s tech startup funding ecosystem to why cash will always be a key component of the African payments ecosystem.
“The legacy [mobile money] players are attempting to innovate. I've seen some new products come out around agriculture, around financing, around credit. And all these types of things extend different types of services to consumers,” Firas said.
“Yet at the same time, I still think there is a ways to go. I come back to this question of, are we moving money? Or are we facilitating commerce? If we're focused on moving money, that’s one type of business. If we're facilitating commerce, it's a different mindset.”
We hope you enjoy the interview.
We include a bonus section for our BigFive Digital members and paid subscribers where we talk to Firas about the ongoing role of cash in Africa.
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