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In this episode of Fintech Confidential: Leaders One on One, host Tedd Huff speaks with Pascale Elie, Co-FOunder & Chairperson of Cellpay and co-founder of HaitiPay, about her work in improving financial services in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean. Pascale shares how the 2010 earthquake highlighted the need for accessible financial tools, leading to the launch of HaitiPay, Haiti’s first privately regulated fintech company. She discusses the importance of building partnerships, fostering trust, and addressing regulatory gaps to provide effective solutions.
Expanding her efforts, Pascale established Cellpay to connect diaspora funds with local economies, supporting small business investments and community development. She explains how understanding local dynamics and forming strong partnerships are essential for delivering meaningful financial services.
The conversation also covers challenges in working with traditional banks and the process of collaborating with Haiti’s central bank to create regulations that allowed fintech companies to operate independently. Pascale emphasizes practical tools like digital systems for community savings clubs, which offer secure and transparent ways for members to manage their funds.
Pascale shares advice for fintech entrepreneurs, urging them to focus on clear goals, collaborate with the right people, and adapt to unregulated markets by advocating for necessary changes. She also highlights the potential of artificial intelligence to increase efficiency and expand access to financial services, stressing that ethical use of such tools is critical.
Join Tedd Huff and Pascale Elie at the FinTech Islands Conference in Barbados from January 22-24, 2025, where they will share additional insights on improving financial services in underserved regions.
Key Highlights
📌 How a Letter Changed Fintech in Haiti Forever
📌 Why Trust Matters More Than Tech in Financial Services
📌 The Bold Move That Made HaitiPay Stand Out
📌 The Surprising Role of the Diaspora in Local Economies
📌 The Biggest Barrier to Financial Growth Nobody Talks About
📌 What Cellpay Teaches Us About Serving Local Markets
📌 The One Question Every Fintech Founder Must Answer
📌 How Local Partnerships Became the Secret to Success
📌 How Artificial Intelligence Could Change Financial Access
📌 What Fintech Can Learn From HaitiPay’s Early Struggles
Takeaways
1️⃣ Build Trust by Prioritizing Transparency
2️⃣ Offer Instant Payment Confirmations
3️⃣ Promote Financial Literacy Programs
4️⃣ Create a Team Aligned with Your Vision
5️⃣ Digitize Savings Systems for Security and Growth
Links:
Pascale Ellie
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascaleelie/
X: https://x.com/PascaleElie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pascale.elie.rene
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pascaleelie/
CellPay
Website: https://cellpay.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cellpaydotcom/
X: https://x.com/cellpaydotcom
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CellPaydotcom
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cellpaydotcom/
Fintech Confidential
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Notifications: https://fintechconfidential.com/access
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintechconfidential
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FTconfidential
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fintechconfidential
Supporters
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This is a Production of Diamond D3, Media
ABOUT:
Pascale Elie is a Haiti-native entrepreneur and co-founder of HaitiPay, Haiti’s first privately regulated fintech company. Initially launched as a mobile wallet operator, HaitiPay has grown to offer a broad range of payment solutions, including account transfers, cross-institution services, and international remittance deposits.
Pascale also co-founded and leads CellPay Corporation, a U.S.-based fintech focused on linking global remittances to local merchant networks in Latin America and the Caribbean. Using a community-driven approach, CellPay channels diaspora funds to boost local economies through earmarked transfers.
CellPay Corporation is a U.S.-based fintech company that provides payment solutions aimed at linking global remittances to local merchant networks across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) markets. The company’s unique approach focuses on connecting diaspora funds to local economies, fostering growth through productive use of transferred money. CellPay’s mission is to boost local economies while ensuring fast, cost-efficient money transfers.
Tedd Huff: Tedd Huff is the Founder of Voalyre, and the President & Founder of Diamond D3, a professional services consulting firm focused on global payments and marketing. He is also a video podcast host and producer of Fintech Confidential.
Over the past 24 years, he has contributed to FinTech startups as an Advisory Board Member, Co-Founder, and Chief Experience Officer, providing strategic and tactical direction for Global Payments OpenEdge, Heartland Payments, Nuvei, and TSYS, among others, focusing on growth while delivering innovation, process improvements and user experience-driven value to simplify the complexity of payments.
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