James Hume is the Co-Founder and CEO of Begini and a Senior Executive and Board Member with more than 20 years’ experience in financial technology, specialising in financial inclusion across emerging markets. He previously created pioneering mobile-wallet technology in Africa and Asia through eServGlobal, and later developed a digital cross-border payments platform that became HomeSend, a joint venture with Mastercard that now processes more than $1 billion in transactions annually.

At Begini, James leads the advancement of AI-driven behavioural and psychometric credit analytics that help lenders understand trust and risk where traditional data is scarce. His work focuses on enabling banks, microfinance institutions and fintechs to responsibly extend credit to millions of underserved individuals and small businesses.

A long-time champion of inclusive innovation, James is committed to building scalable, human-centred systems that expand opportunity for those historically excluded from formal finance.