Sabelo Zwane

Sabelo is a seasoned regulatory expert with over 13 years of experience in financial sector regulation, market development, and enforcement. His career spans pivotal roles at the Financial Services Regulatory Authority in Eswatini, the Financial Ombudsman Service (UK), and the Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE), where he spearheaded fintech innovation and regulatory frameworks. 

As a Regulatory & Capacity Building Consultant at Cenfri, Sabelo designs and leads initiatives to strengthen regulatory systems across emerging markets. His work focuses on: 

• Regulation for Innovation (e.g., sandbox frameworks, fintech policy development) 
• Capacity building for regulators and policymakers  

Previously, as Deputy Director for Fintech and Innovation at the CBE, Sabelo: 

• Implemented the bank’s Fintech and Innovation Strategy, driving adoption of disruptive technologies
• Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC) and digital financial inclusion 
• Directed research on emerging technologies to enhance financial inclusion and sector efficiency

Sabelo combines hands-on regulatory experience with a passion for institutional strengthening, helping governments and financial institutions navigate complex compliance landscapes while fostering sustainable market growth. 

Qualifications: 

• LLB (Law Degree) – University of East London  
• Certificate, Fintech and Regulatory Innovation– University of Cambridge 
• Certificate, Fintech: Disruption in Finance – University of Cape Town 
• Diploma, New Managers Programme – University of Witwatersrand 

Recent projects at Cenfri: 

• Contributor to the State of Inclusive Instant Payment Systems in Africa – 2024 report (Fintech Deep Dive on Payment Service Providers) 
• Ethiopia: Led innovation workshops for insurance sector reform. 
• Zambia: Developed regulatory sandbox framework to promote innovation and catalyse fintech growth. 
• Uganda: Designed an innovation strategy for the central bank. 
• Delivered risk-based supervision training for financial sector regulators in Uganda (IFAD). 
• Currently co-leading a digital financial services capacity-building project for 15 African Central Banks (AfDB).