Benjamin Fernandes

Benjamin Fernandes is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of NALA, a cross-border financial technology company, and is currently based between New York City and London. Prior to establishing his own enterprise, he focused on digital financial services initiatives while working at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He earned his MBA degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was the first Tanzanian student admitted, and completed executive education coursework at the Harvard Kennedy School. Under his leadership, the Y Combinator-backed startup has secured over $50 million in total venture funding, including a $40 million Series A round led by Acrew Capital in July 2024. Alongside this recent financing, Fernandes directed the launch of Rafiki, a business-to-business payment platform, maintaining his primary focus on building next-generation remittance and financial infrastructure for Africa and its global diaspora.