Willem van Zyl

Willem van Zyl is Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer at Paymenow Group, a South African fintech company revolutionizing earned wage access across Africa. Founded in 2019 alongside Deon Nobrega, Bryan Habana, and Gerbrand Potgieter, Paymenow has grown from processing R20,000 in March 2020 to nearly a quarter of a billion rands in January 2025, serving over 500,000 workers. Prior to Paymenow, Willem co-founded Fintec Labs, an African-based innovation hub using technology to solve challenges for banks, insurers and regulators. His expertise lies in business solutions architecture and software development, with over 20 years of experience in technical leadership roles at major financial institutions including Barclays Africa and Absa.