Katharine Budd

Katharine Budd is a dynamic entrepreneur, data scientist, and co-founder of NOW Money, a pioneering fintech company in Dubai focused on financial inclusion. She has over 15 years of experience in tech startups and is known for her innovative work in digital banking.124

Professional Background

Education and Early Career:

• Studied Psychology with Statistics at the University of Exeter, earning a BSc Hons with a II classification34
• Worked as a lead analyst for Aimia Inc., focusing on data science for HSBC Middle East and Oreedoo Qatar
• Served as a senior data analyst at Cardlytics, where she was part of the UK launch team for Lloyds Banking Group & Santander34

Entrepreneurial Achievements

NOW Money: Budd co-founded NOW Money in 2016 with the mission of banking the unbanked in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. The company provides digital banking services for low-income workers, particularly migrant laborers, who are typically excluded from traditional financial systems.124

Key Accomplishments:

• Secured the first regulatory permissions in the payments space
• Raised USD12m in venture capital investment from GCC, US, and European investors
• Developed a mobile payment app with a login rate 10x the industry standard
• Established partnerships with UAE and Saudi banks14

Professional Roles and Recognition:

• TEDx Speaker
• Payments Innovator
• Investor
• Ski Instructor1

Katharine Budd is passionate about using technology to democratize financial services and improve financial literacy for underserved populations.4