Paolo Azzola

The largely “un-carded” population in the Philippines has Paolo – Managing Director and COO of PayMaya, the online payment solution of Smart and PLDT – to thank. The strapping young Italian from Rocket Internet, where he was the Managing Director, has helped usher in a suite of e-commerce solutions to the nation by providing a virtual Visa card for e-payments throughout the mobile world. It not only empowers the emerging economic market and Millennials, but also grows a part of the bustling ecosystem of digital services. The young executive has drawn from his experiences travelling the world, resulting in work that aims to make ours a more connected place. Previously, he studied International Relations at LSE, before working at JP Morgan Chase, shuttling between London and New York, structuring derivatives, and was also involved in Londond’s fintech, including as executive at MarketInvoice (leading peer-to-peer lender).