Elizabeth Rossiello

Pioneered inclusive financial infrastructure in Africa through cryptocurrency-based payment systems

Elizabeth Rossiello is a visionary entrepreneur who founded BitPesa in 2012, revolutionizing cross-border payments across Africa. Born in Kenya to an Italian father and Kenyan mother, she identified systemic barriers in traditional banking that excluded 70% of Africans from formal financial systems. Her platform enabled businesses to send money across borders at 1/10th the cost of SWIFT transfers, processing over $1 billion annually by 2018. Rossiello's innovation directly impacted 10 million+ users in 30+ countries, creating economic opportunities for informal sector workers and SMEs. She partnered with UNICEF to send remittances during Ebola outbreaks, demonstrating fintech's humanitarian potential. Her TED Talk Money Should Move Like Information has been viewed 1.2M times, and she sits on the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Blockchain. Forbes named her Africa's Most Powerful Woman in 2016. Her work continues through BitPesa's legacy platform and subsequent ventures like Tala, showing how technology can democratize financial access.