Visa Appoints New Country Lead for Ethiopia

Visa, the global giant in digital payments, has appointed Yared Endale, as the new Country Lead for Ethiopia. Subject to regulatory approval, Yared will serve as the Senior Business Development Leader and Country Manager for Ethiopia and will be part of Visa’s East Africa leadership team.

In addition, Yared will be responsible for the development and implementation of the company’s growth strategy in the country, including building long-term relationships with clients, regulators, and other key stakeholders to drive the adoption of cashless payments.

Prior to this new role, Yared worked for the Cooperative Bank of Oromia, where he was the Senior Director of Digital Financial Services and Digital Transformation. In this role, he oversaw the bank’s digital transformation plans in line with the Digital Ethiopia 2025 initiative. Prior to that, he worked with the Bank of Abyssinia, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, and Wegagen Bank SC, among others.

“I am excited to be joining Visa at a time when the company is working across the financial ecosystem to bring the benefits of digital commerce and money movement to consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government partners,” said Yared.

Yared holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from the HiLCoE School of Computer Science &Technology, as well as a Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Physics, minoring in Computer Science, from Hawassa University.

Speaking on the new appointment, East Africa GM at Visa Eva Ngigi-Sarwari said, “Yared’s appointment is in line with Visa’s vision to continue building a solid regional team by matching unique strengths and talents with critical business opportunities. His prior experience in digital financial services will have an immediate impact on our plans to grow digital payments in Ethiopia. We look forward to working with Yared as he leads our Ethiopian operations and deepens our impact in the country”.

Earlier this month, Visa unveiled plans to hold a second edition of the Visa Everywhere Initiative (VEI) fintech competition and launch its She’s Next women’s empowerment initiative in Ethiopia.