Obi Emetarom

I am a serial tech entrepreneur who has focused my entire career on the Fintech space in Africa. For my first venture in 2004 (fresh out of college), I co-founded Parkway projects in Lagos Nigeria as a provider of bespoke fintech solutions for commercial Banks in Nigeria and grew the venture to over $1m in revenue before I exited. In 2008, I cofounded Zone and since then (as CEO) I have led the creation of a bespoke Fintech software business, Africa’s first Banking SaaS platform on the cloud, Africa’s first card management system and card vending machine as well as Africa’s first private Blockchain network for payment in Fiat and regulated digital currencies. I have led Zone’s expansion to a team size of 300+ servicing 500+ Banks in 7 African countries. In addition, I have raised combined funding of $15m for the company since its inception and secured critical regulatory licenses and global certifications like PCI DSS, ISO27001, PSSP License, EFT Switching License, and Super-Agent license to enable operations as a Fintech solution provider in Nigeria. I am now super-focused on our most recent venture and my greatest passion which is to build out cheap, fast, reliable and scalable payment infrastructure for Africa’s cashless economy on Blockchain with support for (and native interoperability between) Fiat and regulated digital currencies. To achieve this we are innovating at the cutting edge to unlock mass adoption of digital currencies and DeFi through compliance with regulation, interoperability with the existing financial ecosystem and very simplified user interactions that ordinary people can relate with.