Solving Africa's $330B SME Gap

Most banks call them risky. Hilda Moraa calls them promising. And she’s built a fintech to prove it. As founder and CEO of Pezesha, Hilda's helped facilitate over 500,000 SME loans across Africa — with women as her platform's most reliable borrowers. In this episode, we explore the myths holding back small business lending, why tools matter more than credit, and how regulatory sandboxes can help turn bold ideas into successful businesses.This marks the end of our first 6-episode season. Thanks for listening to Inside Financial Inclusion!Now we'd like to hear from you. Which episode stuck with you most, and why? Send us a note. Your feedback shapes where we go next.

What does it take to run a central bank in an age of AI and constantly shifting global rules? In this episode of Inside Financial Inclusion, Bank Negara Malaysia's Assistant Governor, Suhaimi Ali reflects on how central banks’ mandates have evolved from crisis-era stability to today's focus on innovationand financial wellbeing. From open finance pilots to AI-powered supervision, AG Suhaimi makes the case that no matter how advanced the technology gets, accountability and ethics will always remain central to effective financial systems.

What does it take to build a payments system that works for everyone - including some of the world's most vulnerable people? Maha Bahou, CEO of Jordan Payments and Clearing Company (JoPACC), shares how a bold bet on interoperability, public-private partnership, and an unshakeable belief in leaving no one behind transformed Jordan into one of the world's most surprising digital payments success stories.

Nearly three billion people live in inadequate housing — and the global financial system is struggling to fix it. Patrick McAllister from Habitat for Humanity International joins us to discuss how we can unlock affordable housing finance for families and communities worldwide.

What if the rules designed to keep dirty money out of the global financial system are accidentally also locking ordinary people out? In this episode, we sit down with Elisa de Anda Madrazo — the woman running the body that writes the rules — to explore how we can fight crime without excluding the vulnerable, and whether inclusivity can strengthen rather than weakenfinancial systems.

When May Abulnaga's mother pushed her into banking, she could never have imagined her future role in transforming financial access for Egyptian women. Today, as Sub-Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt, May shares the personal costs, policy battles, and hard-won lessons behind her (and Egypt’s) financialinclusion journey.