GILLIAN DARKO BECOMES VICE PRESIDENT, HEAD OF AFRICA, CIRCLE

Kemi Ajumobi

November 3, 2026

Gillian Darko has been made the Vice President, Head of Africa at Circle. Until recently, she was the Group Vice President at Yellow Card. “For those who have followed my journey, especially through my work at Yellow Card, you will know. I love this ecosystem. I love stablecoins and I am bullish about the future of digital finance on the continent.” She said.

When IWA recently referred to her in our cover interview as “a leader driving digital asset economy,” we meant exactly that. She is bringing all of that expertise and more to Circle, an organisation building a more open, programmable global economy, where they are expanding economic access, connecting markets, and allowing more people and businesses to participate in the open economy.

Standing on the mission to raise global economic prosperity through the frictionless exchange of value, Circle has brought Gillian on board to head their Africa operations.

In an industry where female representation needs more numbers, especially at top positions, Gillian is ensuring full representation and possesses the powerful propensity to lead with competence.

With years of professional board-level and executive experience across Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zambia and deep skills in scaling businesses, the sky is indeed where her reach begins.

So, just like Jeremy Allaire, CEO & Co-Founder, Circle said: “If you could take what we think of as money, make it digital and available on the internet, then that would dramatically change the way we use money and open up opportunity around the world. That’s the idea behind Circle.” …and if you think of how Africa can be strategically and intentionally involved in this beyond how they already are, then that is the idea behind Gillian’s new role.

IWA wishes her a great experience at Circle as we trust she will perform her duties efficiently and deliver excellent results…as usual.

IWA Group is looking forward to hosting her as speaker in Nigeria on the 10th of December at the 15th edition of our annual conference where the theme is centred around resilience. You don’t want to miss this. Register today https://bit.ly/47nsNa3

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#Stablecoin
#Circle