Akbar Hussain

Akbar Hussain is a seasoned entrepreneur and corporate and regulatory attorney, with over 20 years of expertise across telcos/MNOs, law firms and private practice. As a Cofounders of TerraPay, a leading licensed digital payments infrastructure and solutions provider, Akbar is responsible for the legal, compliance and regulatory functions at the company.

He is passionate about the positive impact of well-governed private enterprises towards social challenges, especially financial inclusion. Under his leadership, TerraPay navigates the fragmented world of financial regulations globally – which underpin TerraPay’s track record of unlocking financial services at scale, especially in emerging and frontier markets.

Prior to joining TerraPay, Akbar was responsible for legal and regulatory affairs at Airtel Money, based in Nairobi. Leading a team of over 20 regulatory lawyers across Anglo and Franco Africa, Akbar wintessed first-hand the promises and challenges of the then-nascent digital value ecosystem.

Akbar is fluent in English, French and Urdu, and holds common and civil law degrees from McGill University. He began his legal career with the firm of Coudert Bros., then with Baker & McKenzie LLP, New York, where he engaged in a broad-based corporate practice, representing a diverse clientele of public and private entities in cross-border acquisitions, private equity transactions, securities offerings, and general corporate matters. Akbar is admitted to the New York bar association. Akbar also holds an International Diploma in Governance, Risk and Compliance from the International Compliance Association, and completed a course in Migrant Remittances and Financial Services from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Akbar’s novel, ‘Truth is a Flightless Bird’, is under development for a television series.