MTN Group revealed outgoing Telenor Microfinance Bank CEO Mohammad Mudassar Aqil will join its financial technology team at the start of August, with the executive backed to aid the operator’s push to improve financial inclusion in its markets.

In a statement, the company announced Aqil will be appointed to the role of executive BankTech within its financial technology business. The division he is set to join currently serves more than 69 million monthly active users across 16 markets, MTN added.

News of Aqil’s departure from Pakistan-based Telenor Microfinance Bank broke in local media last month.

In an interview with Pakistan Today, the chief announced he was set to take a role in a different geographical market, leaving a job he held since 2019.

Prior to working for the Pakistan mobile payment player, he held a number of roles in the country and the US across the financial services and technology sectors.

Announcing the appointment, MTN fintech officer Serigne Dioum said the executive’s “wealth of experience in the financial services sector and diverse background will undoubtedly ensure that we continue to break new ground in our ongoing efforts to promote financial inclusion across the continent”.