Mojaloop Foundation Names Jean Bosco Lyacu as CEO

In Short

Mojaloop Foundation has appointed Jean Bosco Lyacu as Chief Executive Officer, effective June 1, 2026.

Lyacu will be based in Kigali, Rwanda. He succeeds Paula Hunter, who is retiring and will transition out during the leadership handover.

What Happened

Mojaloop Foundation said Lyacu brings more than 15 years of experience in inclusive financial systems. That typically means building payment and banking rails that help more people and small businesses access digital money.

The organisation oversees Mojaloop, an open-source software stack used to help countries and payment networks connect different providers. Open source means the code is publicly available, so governments, banks, and fintechs can adapt it without starting from scratch.

Mojaloop is often discussed in the context of “interoperability”, which is a way for different mobile money wallets and banks to send money to each other, even if they run on separate systems.

Hunter, who has led the foundation, will step back as Lyacu takes over. The leadership change is set to complete around the June start date.

Why It Matters

Leadership changes at Mojaloop Foundation matter because the software is part of the plumbing behind real-time payments. Real-time payments are transfers that settle in seconds, not hours or days.

For African markets, interoperability is closely tied to lower transaction costs and wider reach for digital financial services. If more providers can connect, users have fewer reasons to hold multiple wallets.

A CEO based in Kigali also reflects how East Africa is shaping payment infrastructure conversations, from mobile money scale to cross-border settlement pilots. For founders building fintech products, open payment rails can reduce integration work and speed up partnerships with banks and mobile network operators.

Source Attribution

Mojaloop Foundation announced the appointment and leadership transition details.