Congratulations to Sanya Juneja, our Open Banking & Open Finance Lead, who has won the Women in Open Banking Rising Star Award within the Open Banking Expo Awards 2026. This award recognises ‘emerging talent and the contribution of women bringing fresh ideas, ambition and energy to financial services’.
Sanya has built an international profile in Open Banking and Open Finance research in a remarkably short period. Her work has focused on translating complex regulatory and market developments into evidence that policymakers and regulators can use, including research spanning global, Asia-Pacific and emerging-market Open Finance.
Alongside research, she has contributed to practical tools, technical assistance and education for regulators across multiple jurisdictions. Sanya has co-developed two digital tools, and has delivered technical assistance for regulators in Canada, Indonesia, Uganda, Iraq, Pakistan, and South Africa.
Her work reflects the increasingly international nature of Open Finance and the importance of making complex policy questions accessible to those responsible for shaping new frameworks.
The judges commented: “A clear winner. The global reach and practical adoption of her work show not only remarkable early-career achievement, but the ability to create public goods that strengthen the wider Open Finance ecosystem. Particularly strong evidence of wider ecosystem influence and future leadership potential.”
Q&A with Sanya:
Winning the Women in Open Banking Rising Star Award: what's the significance of this for you?
“It is a real honour to receive this recognition, particularly in a field that is still evolving and where so much important work is being done by talented people across the industry. I have been fortunate to work on research that brings together regulatory perspectives, industry experience and insights from emerging markets, and this award is a lovely reminder of the value of that work. I am also grateful to the women who have paved the way and continue to shape this space, and hope we can keep creating opportunities for more women to contribute, lead and be recognised for their work.”
How did you find being part of this year's Open Banking Expo?
“The Open Banking Expo was a great opportunity to present our research and engage with regulators and industry stakeholders on some of the most pressing questions facing the sector. We presented findings from Enabling Open Finance in EMDEs: Incentives, Liability, and Performance Measurement at both the Regulator Day and the main Expo, prompting valuable discussions around incentives, commercial models and the conditions needed to support sustainable open finance ecosystems.
Conversations around agentic AI, smart data and the growing role of non-human actors also highlighted how quickly the landscape is evolving. These discussions reinforced the relevance of our research - particularly the need to assess current implementation while stress-testing existing frameworks against emerging developments.”
What's next for the report?
“We are keen to continue bringing the findings to regulators and industry stakeholders through further collaborations, discussions and technical assistance engagements. Upcoming engagements in Latin America will provide opportunities to explore how the report's findings can inform country-level priorities and implementation. We have also developed a supplementary handout distilling key takeaways across incentives, liability and performance measurement to help regulators navigate and apply the findings in practice.”
And what's next for your OBOF research more broadly?
“An important priority is translating our research into practical technical assistance that supports countries as they develop and strengthen their data-sharing ecosystems. We want to use the report's three-pillar framework of incentives, liability and performance measurement to inform this work, helping stakeholders identify implementation gaps, assess trade-offs and design approaches suited to their contexts.
We are also interested in how these questions extend beyond open finance, particularly as technologies and business models converge. Developments in consent management, agentic AI and the growing role of Big Tech raise important questions about participation, accountability, incentives and how performance should be assessed. Applying our research to these emerging areas will help us explore how existing frameworks may need to evolve and how our work can support stakeholders navigating these changes.”
Watch Sanya’s winners’ vox pop:
Explore the report, Enabling Open Finance in EMDEs: Incentives, Liability, and Performance Measurement.