CV

Lead & Strategy – Tech, digitization & Financial Inclusion

Dr. Estelle Brack has more than 25 years of experience within the leading European and African banking communities, combined with strong expertise in digital finance, financial inclusion, strategy, and program management for projects funded by USAID, the World Bank, GIZ. Her senior expertise in banking and economics is demonstrated in her current role as Founder and Chairwoman of KiraliT, Executive Board Member of Africa Fintech Forum, or Co-Founder and Executive Secretary of Network for Africa of Specialists in Financial Education. Dr. Brack has demonstrated her capacity to execute global business and financial development strategies, conducting trainings on array of topics ranging such as banking, financial services, digital currencies, compliance, and sustainable finance. As the founder of KiraliT, she has built national programs of financial education and literacy across the African continent, many of her efforts concentrated in the Ivory Coast, Tunisia and Angola. Her ability to successfully implement global projects was demonstrated in her role as Program Manager of International Payments with Group BPCE when she conducted the integration of a fully digital low-cost international transfer solution provided by Fintech and also oversaw the implementation of a global Group Digital Trade Finance Organization.

Education

Ph.D., Economics, University Paris II Pantheon-Assas, France, 1997
M.A., International and Development Economics, University Paris II Pantheon-Assas, France, 1994
M.A., Money, Banking, and Finance, University of Orleans, France, 1993

Professional Experience

2023 – 2025            Activity Director – USAID Angola Dinheiro Digital E Melhor (DDM), International Development Group, Angola

Lead and management of a $4.88 million USAID project in Angola, provided overall vision, leadership, day-to-day management, and technical direction of all activities.

  • Development of a training in Financial Literacy and trained 6,000 Angolan individuals.
  • Served as principal liaison with USAID staff, Africell, Government of Angola entities, institutions, and donor partners to exchange information and develop professional relationships, including verbal and written presentations, partnerships, and coordination.
  • Facilitated the development and maturation of a mobile payment system in Angola: number of Afrimoney active users moved from 22,700 (September 2023) to 818,900 (September 2024).
  • Led the technical direction, strategy, and priorities for Component 2 in particular, where DDM provides ecosystem-level support, working with different stakeholders to address broader policy and capacity needs to ecosystem development and financial inclusion.
  • Obtained engagement with the Central Bank BNA on strategy or policy-level work to address broader market development obstacles, which may include support for a national financial inclusion roadmap, national payment gateway, consumer protection for digital finance, retail payments/merchant payments development, cybersecurity, and financial literacy.
  • Provided capacity-building to target consumer advocacy groups and Angolan regulators helping them to better navigate the policy/legal/regulatory issues involved in the development of a functioning, vibrant, and secure digital payments ecosystem.
  • Oversight of all project deliverables including supervising all elements of and tracking implementation of the Activity Work Plan, providing quality control of deliverables, and liaising with and providing expert guidance to USAID.
  • Responsible for all technical deliverables to the client, and drafts of contractual deliverables, including ensuring that technical content and quality of all deliverables, including those prepared by short-term consultants, and confirming that the language and formatting meets USAID requirements. Development of quarterly and annual performance reports
  • Management, training, and mentoring of project staff to ensure seamless coordination among the two activity components, and an internal culture of technical excellence and learning.
  • Review and sign off on expenses and procurement documents in accordance with IDG policy and in close collaboration with the home office staff.

2019 – Present       Founder and Chairwoman, KiraliT, Europe and Africa

Provides financial inclusion in Africa by facilitating the development and maturation of new and digital financial services, ensuring the system directs its rollout toward all customers.

  • Designed a cross border digital payment solution between Nigeria, Niger & Chad for the United Nations Capital Development Fund.
  • Delivered strategic analysis for new financial products (fintech in Ivory Coast, related to data generation in Benin, CBDC in Europe)
  • Provided financial education content and programs by building national strategies such as the Central Bank of Tunisia (UE-funded), the Observatory for the Quality of Financial Services in Ivory Coast (World Bank-funded), the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency entrepreneurs for the European Commission, the Observatory of users of financial services, and the Collectif National des Centres de Gestion Agrees/SMEs in Ivory Coast (GIZ-funded).
  • Serves as an expert for conferences and the media about banking, financial services, digital currencies and economics (French radio and TV, French and African press, international conferences in Africa and Europe).
  • Mentoring female entrepreneurs in Europe and Africa (Seedstars).
  • Conducted Business Development Strategies for several entities in Europe and Africa.
  • Conducted training for the banking industry on topics such as Financial Education, Globalization, Sustainable Finance, Future of Banking, Compliance, Money and Payments (French banks, Bank Al Maghrib, National Bank of Nigeria).

2019 – Present       Co-Founder and Executive Secretary, Network for Africa of Specialists in Financial Education (RASEF), Ivory Coast

  • Builds programs to promote Financial Education and Literacy in Africa.
  • Supports the Dutch Aflatoun with local advocacy.
  • Supports the creation and development of several programs in Financial Education in Africa, dating back to 2013 (Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Benin, Madagascar).

2014 – 2019            Program Manager of International Payments, Group BPCE, France

  • Served as the Chief Economist and provided analysis on reports of the global trends in money, banking, finance, and payments.
  • Served as the Program Manager and conducted the integration of Wise international transfer solution into the bank’s customer application, to address a potential €15 bn /year market.
  • Served as Program Manager for the implementation of a global Group Digital Trade Finance Organization: Program aimed at reducing costs by €2.6 million / NBI €65 million.

2012 – 2014            Expert, Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), France

  • Served as an OECD expert, promoting access to finance for female entrepreneurs and SME’s in the Middle East Northern Africa region.

2006 – 2013            Senior Policy Advisor for International Affairs, French Banking Federation, France

  • Oversaw all international affairs outside of Europe for the French banking community.
  • Engaged in advocacy, promoting the interests of the French banks established outside of Europe (U.S., Arab countries, Asia, Africa) for retail banking and CIB.
  • Served as a member of the European Banking Federation Working Groups (Economics and Monetary Committee) and as Chairman of the European Banking Federation Statistics Working Group.
  • Founded the Union Bancaire Francophone.
  • Conducted economic research such as the impact of the Dodd-Frank Act and the impact of the New Basel rules.

2000 – 2005            Deputy Director of the Payments Division, Banque Populaire Group Headquarters, France

  • Oversaw project management and payment instructions such as banknotes, cards, and e-Wallet.
  • Implemented euro banknotes and coins for the Group as well as new card payment solutions such as the Purchasing Card, with success.
  • Oversaw all public affairs for payments, such as Card Schemes, French Banking Federation, and the French Ministry of Economy.

Professional Associations

  • Member of the Club des dirigeants des banques africaines since 2008
  • Executive Board Member of Africa Fintech Forum
  • Executive Secretary and Co-founder of Réseau pour l’Afrique des Spécialistes en Éducation Financière RASEF (since 2019)
  • Ambassador for France (2019-2021), Executive Board Member (2022-2023) and Goodwill Ambassador (since 2024) of the European Women in Payments Network (EWPN)
  • Co-founder and advisor to the President of the Association of Women in Fintech and Payments in Africa (AFWP)
  • Co-founding member of Think Tank Finance Afrika
  • Board Member of iReMMO (2015-2025)

Languages

French (Native), English (Proficient), German (Proficient), Portuguese (Proficient), Arabic (Basic).