MASTERCARD
Diversifying businesses As has already been outlined by Ajmal , she and her team work closely with countless non-financial institutions , enabling them to get closer to their customers and deliver value .
Many of these organisations want to generate meaningful growth momentum or improve their profit margins by entering into financial services .
Expanding into financial services , Ajmal goes on , represents a promising opportunity to change the picture .
“ Not only are the margins great in this line of business ,” she explains , “ but it also gives them the ability to serve people at the bottom of the pyramid and to drive financial inclusion . Historically , large organisations have not done a great job when it comes to servicing that segment .”
Bringing this strategy to life , Ajmal references Mastercard ’ s work alongside telcos in the region , not to mention food delivery companies like Delivery Hero and ride-hailing specialists such as Uber . Many of these firms have millions of active customers and , with Mastercard ’ s help , they are enjoying new revenue opportunities thanks to the availability of digital wallets and digital payments .
Ajmal adds : “ That ’ s the strategy – to actually diversify our clients ’ businesses and , in return , it ’ s helping us to diversify our own business .”
Providing a platform for female entrepreneurs One of the many areas where Ajmal and Mastercard are united is in their desire to fuel growth among the next generation of female entrepreneurs .
Ajmal ’ s own take is that women – entrepreneurs or not – have faced barriers compared to their male peers when it comes to both networking and celebrating their own achievements .
Enter Mastercard ’ s annual Women SME Leaders Awards , which welcomes nominations from across the Eastern Europe , Middle East and Africa region , and is designed to recognise and empower women-owned and run SMEs . Additionally , in 2023 , Mastercard collaborated with
56 April 2024