50 Visionary Women: Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President, Market Development, Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Mastercard She was listed among the Top 100 Women in Fintech globally by Lattice80 in 2019 and by IBM & Fintech Magazine in 2021.

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Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President, Market Development, Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Mastercard

This article is a part of Entrepreneur Middle East's Special Edition: 50 Visionary Women

Amnah Ajmal serves as the Executive Vice President of Market Development for Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EEMEA) at Mastercard. In this role, she oversees acceptance, acquiring, merchant relations, digital partnerships, fintech strategies, and M&A activities across the region. Before her current position, Ajmal led Mastercard's North America product organization, where she managed consumer and small business payment solutions, including credit, debit, prepaid, and acceptance solutions.

Her focus was on creating sustainable competitive advantages for Mastercard and its partners. She initially joined Mastercard in 2015 as Head of Products for the Middle East and Africa, where she spearheaded innovation in consumer and commercial payments, leveraging technology, partnerships, and integrated digital experiences. Before joining Mastercard, Ajmal was the Head of Consumer Banking for Standard Chartered Malaysia, responsible for the full end-to-end P&L. She also held a global role overseeing retail banking strategy for Indonesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan, based in Singapore.

Earlier in her career, she worked at Citigroup across the UAE, Egypt, the UK, and Poland, where she held leadership roles, including Asset Business Head for Poland, managing credit cards, co-brands, personal loans, and mortgages. Ajmal's achievements have earned her global recognition. She was listed among the Top 100 Women in Fintech globally by Lattice80 in 2019 and by IBM & Fintech Magazine in 2021.

She was also recognized as one of the Top 25 Women Leaders in Financial Technology by the Financial Technology Report (2019 and 2020) and as one of America's Top 10 Women in Fintech by Fintech Magazine in 2020. Ajmal holds a master's degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), further reinforcing her expertise in financial and strategic leadership. Through her career, she has been a driving force for innovation, partnerships, and growth in the financial technology space.

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