1. The Context: Why Now?
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is currently witnessing a tectonic shift in its financial landscape. What was once a cash-heavy society has transformed into one of the world’s most vibrant fintech hubs. From the rise of “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) to the expansion of real-time payment rails and digital wallets, the technology is moving at light speed.
However, there is a growing gap. While the technology is accelerating, the “talent pipeline” often feels like it is playing catch-up. For a young professional, the payments industry can feel like a “black box”—full of acronyms (ISO20022, PSP, Acquirer, Scheme), complex regulations, and legacy structures that are difficult to navigate without a decade of experience.
The Young Professionals in Payments Sub-Committee, under the MENA Fintech Association (MFTA) and in collaboration with Mastercard, is being launched to dismantle these barriers. Chaired by Ayesha Ahmed, this initiative is the first of its kind in the region dedicated specifically to the career architecture of the next generation.
2. The Mission and Mandate
The sub-committee is built on a foundation of three core pillars: Support, Guide, and Grow.
Support: Creating a Safe Space for Inquiry
In high-stakes environments like fintech, junior professionals often feel hesitant to ask “fundamental” questions. Our roundtable series provides a forum where curiosity is the currency. We provide the psychological safety needed for graduates and analysts to engage with veterans from organizations like Mastercard and MFTA. This support system ensures that no talent is left behind simply because they didn’t know where to find the answers.
Guide: Navigating the Opaque
Breaking into payments is rarely a straight line. Is it better to start in Product, Compliance, or Sales? Should you focus on Cross-Border payments or Merchant Acquiring? We provide the “GPS” for these decisions, helping professionals move from “accidental” careers in payments to “intentional” ones. By providing a roadmap, we help young talent avoid common pitfalls and accelerate their trajectory within the ecosystem.
Grow: Scaling the Ecosystem
The goal is not just individual success, but the elevation of the entire MENA fintech ecosystem. By equipping young talent with high-level insights early on, we ensure that the region remains a global leader in financial innovation. Growth is a collective effort; as our young professionals rise, so does the reputation of the MENA region as a powerhouse for financial technology and specialized talent.
3. Introducing the Roundtable Series
To kickstart this movement, we are launching a curated Roundtable Series. These are not passive webinars; they are interactive, “sleeves-rolled-up” sessions designed for maximum impact and peer-to-peer engagement.
Session 1: How to Start a Meaningful Career in Payments
Our inaugural session is titled “How to Start a Meaningful Career in Payments.” This 60-minute deep dive focuses on the “Invisibles”—the things they don’t teach you in university about how money actually moves across the globe and how the industry rewards specific types of expertise.
Key Areas of Exploration:
- The Ecosystem Mechanics: Moving beyond the buzzwords to understand the relationship between schemes, banks, fintechs, and regulators. We break down the value chain so you can see where you fit in.
- The Concept of “Early-Career Leverage”: Where can a junior professional add the most value today? We identify the “high-growth” pockets of the industry, such as embedded finance and digital identity.
- Compounding Skills: In payments, certain technical and soft skills compound over time. We identify which certifications, networking habits, and technical proficiencies offer the highest “Return on Investment” for your future.
- Building Credibility vs. Building a CV: A CV tells people what you did; credibility tells them what you are capable of. We discuss how to lead from the middle and build a personal brand within the MENA fintech community.
4. The “Payments Career Playbook”
One of the most exciting outputs of this sub-committee is the Co-Creation Project. We aren’t just talking; we are documenting. We believe that knowledge should be shared, not gatekept.
Every participant in our roundtable series contributes to the creation of the MENA Payments Career Playbook. This will be a living document featuring:
- A Glossary of Terms: Navigating the “Alphabet Soup” of fintech (APIs, KYC, AML, Settlement, etc.).
- Career Pathways: Visual maps of how to move from Entry-Level to C-Suite across different functions.
- Expert Insights: Direct advice and “lessons learned” from mentors at Mastercard and MFTA.
- Regional Nuance: Specific guidance for the Saudi, UAE, Egyptian, and broader MENA markets, acknowledging that each local landscape has its own unique opportunities.
5. Who is this for?
We have specifically tailored this sub-committee and the subsequent roundtable sessions for three distinct personas:
- The Recent Graduate: You have a degree in Finance, Tech, or Business, and you want to understand why “Payments” is the fastest-growing sector in the financial market.
- The Analyst / Associate: You are 1-3 years into your career and feel like you are “doing the work” but don’t yet see the “big picture” of how your role affects the wider ecosystem.
- The Career Switcher: You are coming from a traditional banking background, legal, or a different tech vertical and need a “crash course” in the nuances of payment rails to make your transition seamless.
6. A Collaboration of Excellence: MFTA & Mastercard
This initiative is powered by the synergy between two giants of the industry. It represents a commitment to the future of the workforce from the highest levels of leadership.
The MENA Fintech Association (MFTA) provides the regulatory depth and the regional network, acting as the bridge between private innovation and public policy. As the leading voice for fintech in the region, MFTA ensures that this sub-committee is aligned with the broader goals of the financial community.
Mastercard, as a global leader in payment technology, brings decades of institutional knowledge and a commitment to financial inclusion and education. By opening up their expertise to the next generation, Mastercard is helping to build a more robust, knowledgeable, and innovative workforce for the years to come.
Together, they provide a platform that is both globally relevant and locally grounded, ensuring that the young professionals of MENA are equipped to compete on the world stage.
