Lesaka - Building Africa's Leading Fintech as a Publicly Traded Company, with Ali Mazanderani
Lesaka - Building Africa's Leading Fintech as a Publicly Traded Company, with Ali Mazanderani  
Podcast: Fintech Leaders
Published On: Tue Mar 24 2026
Description: Send us Fan MailI sat down with Ali Mazanderani, Chairman of Lesaka, a nasdaq traded, leading fintech in Southern Africa with over $400 million in revenue and 2 million active customers. Ali is a fintech veteran investor and builder, who’s been closely involved with several multi-billion dollar fintechs in emerging markets, including Stone, Pine Labs, Kushki, Thunes and is also a co-founder of Teya.‌We discussed why Southern Africa is one of the most exciting fintech opportunities in the world, how Lesaka is turning 120,000 merchants from cash-only to digital, the strategy behind acquiring Bank Zero, and why being a publicly traded company is a feature, not a bug.Timestamped Overview:00:00 Intro & Ali’s Background05:00 Creating positive impact through fintech09:23 Founding Taya Joy in Building10:32 Customer first approach to success14:49 Benefits of Public Market Discipline18:12 Fintech's Limited Impact in Africa20:36 South Africa's business opportunities25:45 Bank Zero Digital Advantage27:46 Customer-First Mindset & Innovation32:27 Key Focus Growth and ARPU Trends33:41 Value Over Price Wins Customers38:35 Driving Merchant Payment Efficiency42:52 Digitizing Africa's Future43:58 Ambition for global excellence47:14 Authenticity and empathy drive successWant more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Do you prefer a written summary? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join ~85,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3jWIpqp