Elizabeth Rossiello is the CEO and founder of AZA Finance, a global payments and FX fintech specialising in frontier markets. Founded in Nairobi in 2013 as BitPesa, AZA Finance is the go-to partner for businesses needing foreign exchange, treasury, payments, and settlement in frontier markets. It was announced in 2025 that AZA Finance would be acquired by dLocal; before then, Elizabeth scaled the company to be the first and only truly pan-African fintech, serving Egypt, Cameroon, Zambia, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, Uganda, Botswana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Guinea, and Morocco - as well Brazil, India, New Zealand, China, Japan, Korea, the United States, Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom.

 

Under her leadership, the company served over 2 million customers in 190+ countries, transacting $10 billion+ in funds. 

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Her work and leadership in ftech have been extensively recognised. In October 2024, AZA Finance was named a semi-finalist for the prestigious Milken-Motsepe prize, joining other accolades that same year, including recognition as a Top 5 inspiring workplace in Africa and the best use of technology in business payments by the Paytech Awards. She was also named Fintech Leader of the Year by Fintech Awards London and Fintech Leader of the Year by The Fintech Times. She was one of the first Bloomberg New Economy Catalysts, and since 2022, she has been consistently included in the Standout 45 Women in Fintech Powerlist by Innovate Finance.

 

In 2025, she was listed as one of American Banker's 2025 Most Influential Women in Payments. Elizabeth has also been a guest lecturer and keynote speaker in digital assets and fintech for UC Berkeley’s Executive Education Program, Oxford University’s Fintech Programme, and MIT’s Sloan School of Management.