Spotlight Summary
Career Focus: Driving inclusive digital finance, cross-border payments, market expansion, and ecosystem growth across Africa.
Country / Region: South Africa, Ghana
Key Moment: Relocating from California to Ghana in 2013 and joining Africa’s mobile money revolution, an experience that sparked her lifelong commitment to expanding financial access through technology.
Guiding Belief: Leadership must put people at the center; when you invest in others, you create impact that strategy alone cannot achieve.
Personal Vision: To build a more connected, interoperable, and collaborative African fintech ecosystem where inclusive finance and cross-border innovation thrive.
Advice to Women: Your identity and perspective are strengths—use them. Lead confidently, stay purpose-driven, build partnerships, and embrace opportunities across diverse cultures and markets.
Profile Overview:
Julie Neogy is a seasoned professional in Africa’s fintech ecosystem, with a rich track record across multiple leadership roles:
- Co-CEO, Expand in Africa (Current)
- Venture Partner, First Circle Capital (Current)
- Head of Sales, Yellow Card
- Head of Revenue, CrissCross
- Managing Director, Global Payments, MFS Africa (Onafriq)
- Chief Commercial Officer, MFS Africa (Onafriq)
- VP, Growth & Regional VP, Southern & East Africa, MFS Africa (Onafriq)
- GM, Product Marketing & Monetization, MFS Africa (Onafriq)
Her experience spans payments, cross-border fintech, business development, commercial growth, and scaling operations across many African markets. This diverse background makes her a dynamic driver of strategy, market expansion, and innovation in Africa’s digital finance space.
Julie is a catalyst for growth, collaboration, and adaptive leadership; trusted for her ability to build partnerships, lead high-performing teams, and navigate fintech’s evolving landscape. In short: she combines deep sector experience with strategic vision, making her one of the influential voices shaping Africa’s fintech future.
Q – Could you briefly share how your career led you into fintech?
A – I began my professional career in California, focusing on digital marketing and ecommerce. My transition into African fintech was a very deliberate choice. I became fascinated by Africa’s fintech evolution and the rapid adoption of mobile money, which has become a powerful tool for financial inclusion across largely unbanked populations. I knew I wanted to contribute to that transformation by using technology to expand access to financial services throughout the continent.
In 2013, I moved to Ghana and joined the mobile financial services sector at a pivotal moment in Africa’s digital payments revolution. That experience ignited a lasting passion for inclusive finance and the role technology plays in bridging economic gaps and leveling the playing field.
I joined MFS Africa (now Onafriq) and later relocated to South Africa, where I helped expand the company’s footprint across more than 30 markets, built a high-performing commercial team, and forged global partnerships with some of the world’s leading money transfer companies.
In recent years, I’ve had the privilege of working on cross-border FX and payments with organizations such as ICAP, CrissCross, and Yellow Card. Exploring how stablecoins and blockchain-based payment rails can simplify international settlements has reinforced my belief that there is space for both traditional finance and digital assets, and that these two sectors can thrive independently of one another.
Q – What does your current role entail, and what excites you most about it?
A – As Co-CEO of Expand in Africa, I focus on helping global organizations enter, scale, and succeed across African markets. Our mission is to facilitate market entry and unlock growth opportunities by connecting businesses with the right networks, regulatory insights, and local expertise.
What excites me most is collaborating with some of the finest fintech innovators on the continent while also connecting them with international companies eager to expand into Africa’s dynamic markets. I am proud to be involved in strengthening the ecosystem and helping forge the strategic connections that drive the growth of African fintech and international collaboration.
Q – What professional milestones or achievements are you most proud of?
A – Moved to a different continent and built a meaningful career at the center of Africa’s fintech revolution, becoming an influential voice in Pan-African innovation and a passionate advocate for inclusive digital finance.
· Negotiated and signed strategic agreements with major telecom operators across Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone African countries, securing partnerships that enabled mobile money interoperability and expanded financial access to millions of users.
· Expanded fintech operations across 30+ African markets at MFS Africa (now Onafriq), building a high-performing commercial team and leading strategic partnerships that significantly increased transaction volumes and market share.
Q – As a woman in fintech, what challenges have you faced and how did you navigate them?
A – It’s true that I may be in a minority as a woman in fintech in Africa. But my identity as a woman, as well as my multicultural background, are powerful assets that, in my experience, have contributed positively to a diverse and culturally rich sector. My language skills and my ability to communicate across cultural and economic divides have been instrumental in building trusted relationships across diverse markets.
Any initial hesitation or doubt I encountered, often more about my age or the novelty of my approach than my gender was quickly overcome by demonstrating tangible experience and results. My work with leading global telecom partners such as MTN, Orange, Airtel, and Vodafone, combined with extensive travel across the continent, has been instrumental in building valuable on-the-ground experience and insight into Africa’s rapidly evolving markets.
Being a woman has also allowed me to bring different perspectives to discussions. I see myself as collaborative, empathetic, and inclusive, and I strongly believe this approach adds value in an industry that has always benefitted from diversity of thought and experience.
Q – What do you see as the biggest opportunity for fintech in Africa right now?
A – Africa’s greatest fintech opportunity lies in building interoperable infrastructure; seamless, connected payment and settlement systems that span borders. This is how we unlock the full potential of intra-African trade and drive financial inclusion at scale.
Yet, one of the biggest hurdles remains fragmented regulation. To sustain growth and strengthen consumer trust, our industry must continue advocating for better alignment between innovation and oversight, and for deeper collaboration among African nations.
Q – Who or what has inspired you along the way?
A – I’ve always admired leaders who combine clear vision with humility, those who stay focused on collective progress and bring others along as they grow. Along the way, I’ve been lucky to work with people who lead with purpose, champion diversity, and think long-term, even when it’s the harder path.
Working with Dare Okoudjou has been especially inspiring. He’s one of those rare leaders who makes you see what’s possible while staying deeply grounded. He’s shown me how impactful true leadership can be when it’s rooted in purpose and humility.
Q – What leadership lesson has shaped how you approach your work?
A – I’ve learned that trust is the foundation of strong leadership. When you give people clarity, ownership, and the confidence to lead, results follow. My role as a leader is to listen, empower, and create space for others to do their best work.
Q – How do you balance personal life, family, leadership, and professional demands?
A – Outside of work, I try to slow down and make time for life’s lighter moments, sharing good food and wine with family and close friends, and playing as much padel as I can. The game helps me switch off and stay in the moment, but what I enjoy just as much are the conversations afterward. Many of the friends I met through padel work in finance, and those discussions always leave me more knowledgeable, more curious, and more inspired.
Q – Do you have a personal mantra, quote, or saying that inspires you and could inspire others?
Q – What advice would you give to young women or professionals aspiring to build careers in fintech?
A – Be curious, be brave, and don’t wait until you feel ‘ready’ to step into opportunity. Fintech rewards people who are willing to learn fast, ask good questions, and take ownership.
Your background, culture, and perspective are not obstacles, they’re advantages. Use them to build bridges, not boxes. Invest in relationships, seek out mentors, and spend time understanding the markets and people you serve. Most importantly, stay purpose-driven. When your work is rooted in impact, confidence and credibility follow.
Q – What vision do you hold for the future of fintech in Africa?
I also believe the next phase of growth will be driven by collaboration, between fintechs, banks, telcos, regulators, and global partners. Innovation will continue to accelerate, but sustainable impact will come from building systems that are trusted, inclusive, and designed with the end user at the center.
Q -What legacy do you hope to leave in this ecosystem?
