About Us
About Us
Azamra was founded in 2020 by Ms. Rackovsky, an African-born and Oxford alumna. As a seasoned Wall Street banking executive, Ms. Rackovsky has leveraged her experience and expertise to create a digital banking platform committed to improving financial inclusion and facilitating faster and more efficient financial transactions in Africa and the Middle East.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a dramatic impact not only on the lives of people around the world but also on the way businesses operate. The global banking landscape shifted significantly and at lightning speed because of the pandemic, forcing many branches to close their doors entirely and a large proportion to re-evaluate their business models and swiftly embrace digital transformation to survive and thrive.
However, in Africa and the Middle East, cross-border payments are still largely reliant on slow and outdated banking methods which can take days or even weeks to process. Ms. Rackovsky determined that this reality, coupled with the fact that a large percentage of the population in Africa and the Middle East are unbanked or underbanked, presented a unique opportunity in the fintech space. Her conclusion was that there was no reason these regions could not also embrace such a change in digital banking and experience a transformation in financial services.
The result: Azamra was born.
Headquartered in New York City (USA), with the R&D team based in Israel, Azamra operates as a licensed digital banking platform in Central Africa with plans to expand across Africa. Banking is completed via app and website with a small number of branches and kiosks available primarily for cash transactions and the establishment of new accounts.
To achieve our goals, we have assembled a team of experts with a wealth of experience in the banking, financial services, and technology sectors. This includes our partnerships with some of the most innovative finance and tech companies in the world.
OUR TEAM
An Executive Leadership
Team With Proven Success
Leah Malla Rackovsky
Founder
- 20 years of banking experience (London and Wall Street) with Tier 1 global banks in London, UK and Wall Street, New York
- Masters in Corporate Finance
- Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Strategy (Said Business School – Oxford University)
- Executive Masters in Major Programme Management (Said Business School – Oxford University)
Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer
Betzalel Rackovsky
- Technology expert who has spent his career in the software development world
- Broad experience in e-commerce development
- Built the original version flight booking website gulliver.co.il as well as their B2B flight booking systems in Israel
- Co-founder of Comtainer, a new smart consolidation logistics platform
- BSc degree in Information technology
Independent Director & Risk Committee
Alexander Okamoto
- Experienced leader with over 20 years in the IT field delivering complex global projects in highly regulated industries
- Led the IT security and cloud transformation of a large insurance company in Japan
- Post graduate diploma in innovation
- Executive Masters in Major Programme Management (Said Business School – Oxford University)
