Adesuwa Ugubode

A Nigerian fintech pioneer bridging financial inclusion gaps for women through blockchain and mobile banking solutions.

Adesuwa Ugubode is a Nigerian fintech innovator and CEO of Kudi, a mobile banking platform empowering unbanked women in West Africa. Born in Lagos in 1992, she observed how financial exclusion trapped women in poverty, leading her to develop user-friendly digital tools.

Kudi, launched in 2020, offers microloans, savings accounts, and insurance products accessible via basic feature phones. By 2024, it had served over 1.2 million users, 70% of whom are women. The platform’s blockchain integration ensures secure transactions even without internet connectivity. Ugubode’s partnership with the African Development Bank (AFDB) in 2023 expanded services to Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.

Ugubode’s "Women’s Financial Freedom Initiative" provides business training and mentorship to female entrepreneurs. Over 20,000 participants have launched small businesses through the program, generating $40 million in local economies. Her TEDx talk "How Fintech Is Powering Women’s Economies" (2022) has been viewed over 2 million times globally.

In 2024, Ugubode was listed among Fast Company’s Most Creative People and secured $15 million in venture capital funding. She advocates for regulatory frameworks supporting women’s financial autonomy, influencing Nigeria’s 2025 Digital Financial Inclusion Policy. Her work underscores the role of technology in achieving gender and economic equity.