Kahina Van Dyke hasn’t become one of the leading women in FinTech by playing it safe.
In her 20s, she relocated overseas in order to get the international experience that would set her apart from others in the finance industry. She then spent her early career in global executive roles at MasterCard and Citibank, where she launched the first e-wallet as well as virtual account numbers before moving on to Facebook as its global payments director. While working for the social media giant, she built a global payments partnerships team before leaving to become the Senior Vice President of Business and Corporate Development at Ripple.
Throughout her career, Van Dyke has received honors and awards including the Top 25 Women in Financial Technology and Blockchain 100.
Always looking for a new challenge, Van Dyke joined Standard Chartered’s Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking division (“CCIB”) earlier this year as Global Head, Digital Channels and Client Data Analytics. The division focuses on the world’s largest corporations, financial institutions, and investors, connecting them to each other’s ecosystems and providing advice, access, and financing to dynamic markets in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
As stated on her LinkedIn page, Van Winkler is passionate about using FinTech to improve the lives of individuals, communities, and businesses around the world. She also wants to inspire other women—particularly African American women—who might be discouraged by the lack of diversity in the FinTech industry. In fact, she recently told a room of over 1,000 Black women founders and tech professionals that she does not mind getting her “brain picked over coffee.”
With that in mind, Van Winkler founded the Global Women Executive Leadership Council, a global community to connect, support, and empower women leaders in global business through peer mentoring, informal networking, and coaching support.
“I have a responsibility to be visible and to give people the nudge, the inspiration, and the hope, that they can far exceed anything I’ve accomplished,” she said, adding that women should not “let the lack of imagination of others define your own ambition and dream.”
