Cross-border fintech LemFi has appointed Dr Haydar Daudu as its Head of Regulatory Affairs and Policy for West Africa, adding senior regulatory expertise as the company expands its financial services across the region.
Daudu’s appointment comes as LemFi moves beyond its original focus on remittances and builds a broader financial platform for people who live and work across borders. The company now offers services spanning international transfers, multi-currency accounts and other financial products, while continuing to expand its presence across global markets. LemFi says it serves more than two million customers and supports transactions across more than 30 countries.
Daudu brings experience from Nigeria’s financial regulatory ecosystem to the new role. He was previously listed as Special Assistant to a Deputy Governor at the Central Bank of Nigeria, according to a World Bank participant record from 2025.
His move to LemFi comes at a time when regulatory requirements are becoming increasingly important for fintech companies operating across multiple jurisdictions. Digital payment providers must navigate rules covering licensing, consumer protection, anti-money-laundering requirements, foreign exchange, data protection and cross-border transactions.
For LemFi, the regulatory challenge is particularly significant because its business model connects customers, financial institutions and payment networks across countries. Each market can impose different requirements on how money is transferred, stored and exchanged.
The company has already been building its regulatory infrastructure as it expands. LemFi operates through authorised entities in different jurisdictions, with its services subject to the laws and regulatory requirements applicable in each market. Its legal documentation lists operations and regulatory arrangements covering markets including Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Europe.
Daudu’s West Africa mandate is therefore likely to involve engagement with regulators and policymakers across the region, while helping LemFi align its products and expansion plans with local financial rules.
Nigeria will be an important part of that responsibility. LemFi has been strengthening its local compliance operations, including a senior compliance function responsible for regulatory oversight, anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing controls, regulatory reporting and engagement with Nigerian authorities.
The appointment also comes as LemFi pursues a broader international expansion strategy. In April 2026, the company announced a £100 million investment in global infrastructure and designated London as its global headquarters. It said the investment would support expansion beyond remittances into areas including credit, savings and global accounts.
That expansion increases the importance of regulatory coordination. As LemFi adds products and enters new markets, regulatory considerations become part of product development, partnerships and market-entry decisions rather than a separate compliance function.
For West Africa’s fintech ecosystem, Daudu’s appointment highlights how regulatory expertise is becoming increasingly central to scaling financial technology businesses. Companies operating across borders need to balance rapid product development with increasingly complex financial rules.
For LemFi, the new leadership role places that balance directly within its regional growth strategy, as the company seeks to build a broader financial platform while maintaining compliance across the markets it serves.
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