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Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem has emerged as one of the most vibrant in Africa, driven by innovation, necessity, and a growing demand for inclusive financial services.
While much of the spotlight has historically focused on male founders and executives, a powerful cohort of women is quietly, and boldly, reshaping the landscape.
From digital payments and savings platforms to financial inclusion advocacy and wealth-building tools, these women are not just participating, they are building, leading, and transforming Nigeria’s digital economy.
These women represent different layers of Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem, from infrastructure & global payments; savings, lending & investments; financial literacy & inclusion, to policy, research & ecosystem development.
Together, they are shaping a future where financial services are more accessible, inclusive, and technology-driven.
As Nigeria continues its journey toward a fully digital economy, the contributions of these women highlight a critical truth: The future of fintech is not just innovative, it is inclusive, and women are leading that charge.
In celebration of International Women’s Day 2026 under the theme, “Give to Gain,” Techeconomy celebrates these 10 women redefining fintech in Nigeria, and the impact they are making across the ecosystem:
1. Folasade Femi-Lawal, country manager & area business head, West Africa, Mastercard
Folasade Femi‑Lawal is a seasoned financial services and digital payments executive with over 25 years of experience spanning banking, management consulting, telecommunications, and business advisory. She currently serves as Country Manager and Area Business Head for West Africa at Mastercard, where she leads strategy, innovation, and growth across one of the continent’s most dynamic markets.
In her role, Folasade drives Mastercard’s strategic vision for West Africa, deepening partnerships with public and private stakeholders to accelerate financial inclusion and build a more connected, digital economy. She has played a key role in collaborations that extend digital payment capabilities and advance the region toward a cashless society.
Before joining Mastercard, she built an impressive track record at major Nigerian financial institutions, including First Bank, where she led mobile financial services and digital banking strategy, significantly increasing card subscriber numbers and market share. She also served as Head of Loan Monitoring at United Bank for Africa and held earlier roles in consulting and telecommunications, including at PwC and Airtel.
Folasade is widely recognized for her commitment to inclusive growth and empowerment, particularly for women and children. She supports mentorship and leadership initiatives with organizations such as Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) and the U.S. White House Academy for Women Entrepreneurs. Her accolades include the Outstanding Women in Management award by the United Nations Association in Nigeria and being named one of Africa’s Top 50 Women in Management. She also serves on the Forbes Business Development Council and has held leadership roles in industry bodies such as the Committee of eBusiness Industry Heads.
2. Odunayo Eweniyi, co-founder/COO, PiggyVest
Odunayo Eweniyi is a leading Nigerian tech entrepreneur and co‑founder and Chief Operations Officer of PiggyVest, the country’s largest digital savings and investment platform that has revolutionised how millions of Nigerians save, invest, and build financial discipline. With a first‑class degree in Computer Engineering from Covenant University, she transitioned into tech entrepreneurship, co‑founding PiggyVest in 2016 to digitise informal saving habits and democratise access to wealth‑building tools.
Under her operational leadership, PiggyVest has grown from a simple online savings product into a multi‑product fintech powerhouse, serving millions of users with features such as automated savings, investment options, and micro‑investment products that make finance accessible to everyday Nigerians across demographics.
In the first half of 2025 alone, the platform recorded users saving significant sums collectively, underscoring its role in transforming financial behaviour among youth and underserved populations.
Beyond PiggyVest, Eweniyi is a serial innovator and investor in the African tech ecosystem. She co‑founded FirstCheck Africa, a female‑led angel investment firm focused on supporting women‑led startups and early‑stage founders, and serves on the board of global organisations such as Village Capital.
Her contributions to fintech and entrepreneurship have earned her recognition on prestigious lists including Forbes Africa 30 Under 30, Bloomberg New Economy Catalysts, and TIME100 Next.
Eweniyi also co‑founded the Feminist Coalition, advocating for gender equity and social justice, reinforcing her commitment to both economic inclusion and social impact. Her influence extends beyond product innovation to shaping a more inclusive fintech ecosystem where women and young innovators can thrive.
3. Yanmo Omorogbe, co-founder/COO, Bamboo
Yanmo Omorogbe is co‑founder and Chief Operating Officer of Bamboo, a trailblazing digital investment platform that gives Nigerians and Africans real‑time access to buy, sell, and hold assets on the U.S. stock market using their mobile phones and computers.
As COO, Yanmo leads Bamboo’s operations, growth strategy, and customer‑focused execution, playing a central role in scaling the platform since its launch in 2020. Under her operational leadership, Bamboo has become one of Africa’s fastest‑growing investment apps, enabling thousands of users, many of whom were first‑time investors, to participate in global markets and build long‑term wealth.
Before co‑founding Bamboo, Yanmo built her finance expertise working in investment and asset management. She served as an investment analyst and associate at African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM), a leading infrastructure private equity firm, and briefly worked in both public and private sector roles including at Nigeria’s Ministry of Power, Works & Housing.
A graduate of Imperial College London, Yanmo holds a degree in engineering and is also progressing professional qualifications such as the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Her work at Bamboo reflects a deep commitment to expanding financial inclusion and making global investing accessible to Africans, breaking traditional barriers to participation in wealth markets.
4. Solape Akinpelu, founder/CEO, HerVest
Solape Akinpelu is a leading Nigerian fintech entrepreneur and gender‑finance expert, best known as the Founder and CEO of HerVest, an inclusive fintech platform dedicated to expanding financial access and economic opportunity for African women.
HerVest leverages technology to provide goal‑oriented savings, impact investing, and credit solutions specifically designed for women, particularly smallholder female farmers and women‑led SMEs, helping to bridge the continent’s gender finance gap and unlock economic potential.
Under Solape’s leadership, HerVest has grown to serve tens of thousands of women, enabling members to build savings, access tailored investment opportunities, and secure flexible financing that fosters business growth and long‑term financial resilience. Solape’s vision is rooted in gender‑inclusive financial design, challenging traditional financial norms and supporting women who have historically been excluded from mainstream financial services.
Beyond building HerVest, Akinpelu actively shapes broader discussions on financial inclusion and gender equity. She serves on national and international committees, including advisory roles focused on women’s economic empowerment and advancing women’s financial participation.
She also holds leadership positions in organisations such as the Nigerian‑British Chamber of Commerce, where she champions tech‑driven collaboration and trade, and the Women in Tech Global Movement, where she advocates for greater female representation in tech and finance.
Solape’s work has earned recognition across the tech and business landscape, including prestigious awards such as the 2025 Aurora Tech Award, where she was celebrated for HerVest’s impactful innovation in fintech and agriculture finance.
Her leadership continues to inspire a new generation of women entrepreneurs and underscores the transformative power of fintech to drive inclusion, empowerment, and economic growth across Nigeria and beyond.
5. Foyinsola Akinjayeju, chief executive officer, EFInA
Foyinsola Akinjayeju is a seasoned leader driving data‑led financial inclusion and economic empowerment in Nigeria. She currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of EFInA, the country’s foremost financial sector deepening organisation dedicated to expanding access to quality financial services and advancing inclusive finance across all segments of the population.
With over two decades of experience spanning strategy, financial management, and operational transformation, Akinjayeju brings both technical expertise and visionary leadership to EFInA.
Prior to her role at EFInA, she held senior positions at organisations including PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Phillips Consulting, where she led high‑impact projects and supported institutional development across sectors. She is a Chartered Accountant with an MBA from Lagos Business School.
Since her appointment as CEO, Akinjayeju has strengthened EFInA’s role as an evidence‑based catalyst for financial inclusion, championing research, advocacy, innovation, and systems‑strengthening initiatives that address access barriers for underserved populations including women, youth and micro‑entrepreneurs.
Under her leadership, EFInA was honoured with The Financial Inclusion Partner CEO of the Year Award at the 2025 MSME Finance and CEO Awards, in recognition of its sustained impact on MSME finance and inclusion in Nigeria.
Akinjayeju has steered EFInA through a strategic evolution that emphasises not only expanding access to financial services but ensuring those services contribute to economic resilience, opportunity creation and long‑term prosperity for excluded communities. Her agenda prioritises tailored solutions, evidence‑driven policy engagement, and partnerships that strengthen Nigeria’s inclusive financial ecosystem.
Her work reinforces the critical connection between inclusive finance, sustainable growth, and broader digital economy participation, positioning EFInA as a trusted voice in shaping Nigeria’s financial landscape.
6. Ife Durosinmi-Etti, founder, Herconomy
Ife Durosinmi-Etti, founder, HerconomyIfe Durosinmi‑Etti is a Nigerian entrepreneur, author, and fintech leader who has carved out a niche by championing financial inclusion for women in Nigeria and across Africa. She is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Herconomy, a female‑focused fintech platform that combines digital savings tools with a vibrant community to empower women economically and socially.
Herconomy, originally launched as AGSTribe, was born out of Ife’s vision to build a support ecosystem where women can save, connect, access opportunities, and grow their financial agency. The platform provides tailored financial services, capacity‑building programs, and access to grants, scholarships, fellowships, and jobs, helping users move beyond traditional banking limitations.
Ife’s leadership is grounded in over a decade of diverse professional experience across marketing, corporate communications, and entrepreneurship, having worked in sectors ranging from retail and FMCG to tech before founding Herconomy.
She holds a BSc in Biochemistry and an MBA in Global Business, and her work has earned her recognition as a Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneur Awardee and a Mandela Washington Fellow.
Under her stewardship, Herconomy has rapidly grown into a community‑driven digital platform that aims to financially empower one million women, mobilising savings and opportunities for them to thrive economically.
Ife’s journey underscores her belief that financial freedom for women requires more than accounts, it requires community, education, and targeted financial tools, making her a standout voice in Nigeria’s gender‑focused fintech space.
7. Oluwatosin Olaseinde, founder, MoneyAfrica & Ladda
Oluwatosin Olaseinde is a Nigerian fintech and edtech entrepreneur pioneering financial literacy and wealth‑building tools that are shaping how Africans understand and interact with money.
As the Founder and CEO of MoneyAfrica and Ladda, she has built a dual‑platform ecosystem that bridges financial education with practical investment opportunities.
At its core, MoneyAfrica is a widely respected financial literacy edtech platform that empowers individuals with the knowledge to save, invest, and make informed financial decisions. With a community that reaches hundreds of thousands of users, the platform has become a trusted resource for personal finance education across the continent.
Recognising that education without accessible tools limits real financial progress, Olaseinde also founded Ladda, a fintech platform that enables everyday users to save and invest in curated portfolios, mutual funds, stocks, and other wealth‑building options, all designed to simplify access to investment products traditionally available only to elite investors.
A Chartered Accountant by training, Olaseinde’s professional journey spans corporate finance, auditing, and financial analysis, including early roles at major media and financial institutions.
Her work has earned her global recognition, including selection as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, LinkedIn Top Voice in Finance and Economy, and placement among the Top 50 African Business Heroes.
In 2025, she was appointed to the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Financial Education, where she contributes to shaping global strategies that make financial knowledge more accessible and relevant in the digital age.
Oluwatosin’s mission is clear: to empower millions of Africans to achieve financial independence by combining education, technology, and accessible investment solutions, demonstrating how fintech can be a vehicle for sustainable economic empowerment.
8. Nkem Okocha, founder, Mamamoni
Nkem Okocha is a Nigerian social entrepreneur and fintech innovator whose work blends empathy with technology to transform the lives of low‑income women.
She is the founder and driving force behind Mamamoni, a fintech social enterprise dedicated to empowering underserved women, especially in rural and urban slum communities, through financial inclusion, vocational skills training, and access to capital.
Inspired by her own upbringing and the struggles her widowed mother faced, Okocha left a banking career in 2013 to start Mamamoni. Under her leadership, the organisation has evolved from a grassroots skills‑training hub into a digital platform that provides micro‑loans, business education, and mobile financial tools tailored for women excluded from traditional banking systems.
Through Mamamoni, Okocha has impacted thousands of low‑income female entrepreneurs, helping them build sustainable micro‑businesses, improve household incomes, and achieve financial confidence, outcomes that go beyond typical credit provision to deepen economic resilience and inclusion.
A 2015 Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneur Programme alumnus, 2016 LEAP Africa Social Innovator, 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow, and winner of several national and international awards, Okocha is widely recognised for her impact‑driven leadership in fintech and social empowerment.
Her work exemplifies how fintech can be both innovative and compassionate, using digital tools to unlock opportunities for women who have long been left on the margins of Nigeria’s financial system.
9. Chinyere Don-Okhuofu, divisional CEO, Interswitch Group
Chinyere Don‑Okhuofu is a seasoned fintech and digital payments executive driving strategic expansion and adoption of digital commerce solutions across Nigeria and beyond. She serves as the Divisional Chief Executive Officer, Sales Networks at Interswitch Group, one of Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce platforms.
With over 16 years of experience in banking, financial control, strategy and electronic banking operations, Chinyere brings deep expertise to her leadership role, where she is responsible for broadening Interswitch’s footprint, driving merchant acquisitions, and ensuring businesses adopt digital payment solutions.
She joined Interswitch in January 2012 as Chief ATM and Devices Officer, before rising through the ranks to lead industry vertical markets and sales strategy. Under her direction, Interswitch’s digital payment infrastructure, spanning Quickteller, Verve and enterprise solutions, has seen deeper market penetration across sectors including retail, corporate, and government.
A qualified Chartered Accountant, Chinyere is an alumna of Lagos Business School and London Business School, bringing both technical and strategic insight to fintech growth.
Her leadership contributes to strengthening the foundational infrastructure that supports cashless transactions and financial inclusion in Nigeria’s digital economy.
Interswitch, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Lagos, has played a pivotal role in shaping the country’s payment landscape and remains a cornerstone of the region’s fintech ecosystem.
10. Emelia Sunday-Edet, head of Engineering/Product, FlashChange
Emelia Sunday‑Edet is a product and engineering leader at FlashChange, a fast‑growing digital finance company redefining secure digital asset exchange, bill payments, and everyday financial services for users across Africa. She serves as Head of Product & Engineering, bringing a strong background in software quality assurance, product development, and cross‑functional leadership to Nigeria’s burgeoning fintech landscape.
In her role, Emelia guides the product vision, strategy, and execution for FlashChange’s suite of financial solutions, ensuring reliability, security and user trust are built into products from conception through launch.
Her leadership has been instrumental in evolving the platform beyond basic trading into a multipurpose digital financial ecosystem that meets the real‑world transaction needs of everyday users, including payments, airtime/data recharges, and digital asset conversion, all while maintaining high standards of performance and user experience.
Prior to taking on her current responsibilities, Emelia developed deep expertise in product quality and engineering workflows, leading cross‑disciplinary teams and fostering disciplined execution practices that deliver resilient fintech products tailored for emerging markets. She also serves as Training Lead at The Bug Detectives, a global quality assurance community where she mentors aspiring tech professionals and supports practitioners transitioning into software development and testing roles.
Emelia is passionate about trust‑centered innovation, believing that scalable fintech solutions must combine technical excellence with user confidence and accessibility.
Her voice has been featured in thought leadership about how fintechs must go beyond product updates to reimagine how people interact with money and financial services in their daily lives.
FACTS about Nigeria’s Fintech Ecosystem
- Combined Valuation of Top Fintechs: Nigeria’s largest fintech companies, such as Flutterwave, OPay, Moniepoint, Interswitch, PalmPay, Moove, Kuda, Paystack, and Paga, have a combined estimated market valuation of about $10.6 billion as of January 2026.
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- Flutterwave alone is valued at around $3 billion, with OPay close behind at $2.75 billion.
- Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem attracted over $1 billion in investments in 2025, reflecting sustained investor confidence in the sector’s long‑term growth potential.
- Broader industry estimates project that Nigeria’s fintech market, spanning payments, lending, wallets, digital banking, wealthtech and more, could grow from an estimated $5.2 billion in 2025 to over $17 billion by 2033, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of ~16%.
- The digital payments segment alone is projected to contribute roughly $6 billion to Nigeria’s GDP by 2026, highlighting fintech’s deepening role in the national economy.
Together, these figures illustrate that Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem is not only financially sizeable but also a key driver of economic activity, investment attraction, and digital financial inclusion in Africa’s largest market, and women are not just part of the drive, they lead!
The post 10 Women Redefining Fintech in Nigeria’s Digital Economy appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.
