Why Binance Appointed M-Pesa Veteran Sammy Mutua as General Manager for Africa

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Binance has appointed Sammy Mutua, a highly experienced digital payments executive and former M-Pesa leader, as its new General Manager for Africa.

The move comes after the controversial exit of former Africa Regional Manager Nadeem Anjarwalla, whose dramatic departure from Nigeria in 2024 created significant regulatory challenges and reputational damage for the cryptocurrency exchange on the continent.

Mutua brings over 20 years of deep expertise in scaling mobile money and digital financial services across Africa. He previously held senior leadership positions at Safaricom, where he played a major role in expanding M-Pesa’s business payments segment to more than $18 billion in annual transaction value. He has also held key roles at Visa.

This appointment signals a clear strategic shift for Binance in Africa. Following a period of regulatory turbulence, the company is now prioritising local expertise, compliance, and sustainable growth. Mutua’s strong relationships with regulators, banks, and mobile money operators position him well to rebuild trust and strengthen Binance’s operations in key markets.

Under his leadership, Binance is expected to focus on deeper integration with local payment systems, improved regulatory engagement, responsible product expansion, and strategic partnerships with African financial institutions.

The decision reflects Binance’s determination to move past recent setbacks and adopt a more mature, locally sensitive approach as it seeks long-term success in one of the world’s fastest-growing cryptocurrency regions.