Our team

Michaella brings a decade of experience as an economist and digital financial inclusion specialist, having worked with financial institutions, regulators and development partners across Africa and other emerging markets.

Her work focuses on the intersection of inclusive finance, digital identity, fast payments and enabling regulation, with particular expertise in e-KYC, customer due diligence, open finance, and risk-based approaches to AML/CFT/CPF. She combines economic modelling, qualitative field research, market analysis and regulatory mapping to translate complex evidence into practical policy, product and implementation guidance.

Michaella holds a Master of Commerce in Economic Development and bachelor’s degrees in Economics and in Economics and Political Science from the University of Cape Town.

Her career spans applied research and regulatory analysis in consulting, as well as product leadership and management in FinTech, where she combined mobile technology, user-centered research and private sector partnerships to expand financial access for low-income, rural, female and underserved communities in Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America, while preserving consumer data privacy.