Fintech & Web3 Founders Podcasts Series

Card-Issuing API: A Pan-African Opportunity (Union54 with Perseus Mlambo) | Fintech

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Perseus Mlambo was our guest on episode six of the Fintech Founders Series and with his help we learned more Union54, Africa’s first card-issuing API. The process of card issuance for many companies is a painstaking one, as it comes with many complex regulatory requirements and time consuming licensing processes with the issuer banks. Union54’s API solution enables businesses to skip the compliance work, and seamlessly issue virtual payment cards on their app or website in just 48 hours without needing a bank or third party processor.

The start-up has already proved high potential by attracting funds from some of the largest investors such as yCombinator and Tiger Global. In Episode 6’s discussion, we chatted with the Co-founder, Perseus, who offered meaningful insights on:

🔹 The original inspiration of Union54 and what is card-issuance API

🔹 Consumer needs in Africa regarding payments

🔹 Tailoring a product for African markets  

🔹 Fundraising as a start-up

As Perseus said,

“The biggest problem was not that farmers did not have enough information, it was that they did not have access to good quality financial services. So they did not know more about money, or Fintech. As a result, they could not participate in the global economy.

Perseus Mlambo, Ceo OF Union54

You can watch the sessions below on Youtube, or listen it on Apple and Spotify Podcasts.

Episode Guest

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Podcast hosts

Ronit Ghose

Ronit Ghose

Ronit Ghose is the lead author of Citi’s GPS Bank of the Future and FinTech report series – the first edition has had more than 250,000 downloads making it the most read report ever published by Citi, and one of the most read FinTech reports ever published. Since joining Citi in 1997, Ronit has covered banks in the Americas, Asia and EMEA. He is the Global Head of Future of Finance in Citi Research. He is also an Advisory Board Member at the Centre for Finance, Technology, and Entrepreneurship. Ronit previously worked at the British Bankers’ Association and as a research assistant in Parliament. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Oxford, a postgraduate diploma from the University of London and is a CFA charter holder.

Gaurav Dhar

Gaurav Dhar is the CEO of the Payments Solution Provider Marshal in Dubai. Gaurav has been working at Marshal for over 19 years now He strives to continually be on the frontier of building FinTech ecosystems and solutions. His personal time is spent on working with and investing directly in innovators, with a view to the future of Fintech both locally and globally via his cache of relationships which include VCs, incubators, accelerators, and start-ups and Angel Syndicates. In his position as a board member of the MENA FinTech Association and several advisory positions to international family offices, start-ups, and funds, he looks to grow the relationships within the FinTech and start-up ecosystem to contribute towards the education of budding disruptors and eventually the growth of economies and the job market where possible in the MEA Region and abroad.

Gaurav Dhar

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Fintech & Web3 Founders Podcasts

Hosted by Gaurav Dhar and Ronit Ghose