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The Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank, Miriam Olusanya has identified Leadership, Technology and Inclusion as the forces that will define true disruption in African finance ecosystem.
Speaking recently as the Keynote speaker at the 2026 Marquee event of the Association of Professional Women Bankers, on the theme, “Disrupting Finance: Women Driving Innovation, Inclusion & Scale”, Olusanya opined that Leadership, Technology, Inclusion and Strength of Institutions will define true disruption in African finance.
According to the GTBank Boss, the future of finance will not be defined by technology alone, but by the quality of leadership guiding that technology—leadership that understands that growth without discipline is risk, leadership which recognizes that access without trust is unsustainable, leadership that is willing to take a long-term view in a world that increasingly rewards short-term thinking.
Speaking earlier, Olusanya noted that, “We must be clear about the forces that will define true disruption in African finance. The first is technology, but not technology for its own sake. It must expand access, simplify engagement, and enable institutions to serve customers more efficiently and at scale.
The second force she opined is inclusion. Inclusion understood not as a social obligation, but as a growth strategy.
Her words, “If innovation is about building new systems, inclusion is about ensuring those systems work for everyone. In light of this, women are not just participants; they are multipliers. When a woman gains access to finance, household income stability improves, children’s education outcomes improve, health outcomes improve, and entire communities become more resilient.
To overlook these segments is a missed opportunity. Inclusion, when approached strategically, expands markets, deepens engagement, and drives sustainable growth”, she stated.
Still speaking on the forces that will define disruption in the African financial ecosystem, Olusanya noted that, “The third force is the strength of institutions themselves”.
“Innovation, on its own, does not create lasting impact. Scale does. And scale requires more than ambition. It requires capital strength, governance discipline, operational excellence, and credibility. Financial systems are built on trust, and trust cannot be improvised. It must be earned, reinforced, and protected over time”, she added.
On the barriers limiting women’s disruptive impact on the continent’s financial ecosystem, Olusanya noted that, “The narrative of women driving finance cannot ignore the barriers that persist. Cultural barriers continue to limit women’s financial autonomy. Digital barriers, with limited access to smart phones and internet, as well as lower levels of digital literacy. Representation barriers, as too few women occupy leadership roles in finance and fintech or influence policy and capital allocation decisions”.
“If we are serious about disruption, we must be serious about dismantling these barriers. True disruption is not simply about building new systems. It is about challenging old assumptions and reshaping who has the power to decide, build, and serve.
Closing the digital gap and increasing female representation in leadership, investment committees and policy-making bodies is essential because who sits at the table determines what gets built and who ultimately benefits”.
