After five years managing projects for telecom operator MTN, he teamed up with another entrepreneur to launch Djamo, which aims to fill the gaps left by traditional financial institutions.

Régis Bamba (photo) is an Ivorian computer scientist and tech entrepreneur. A graduate of Towson University (USA), where he earned a bachelor's degree in computer science in 2011, he is the chief product officer and one of the co-founders of fintech startup Djamo.

Founded in 2021, Djamo helps people improve their money management. Through its eponymous app, it enables underbanked individuals to manage their daily expenses and plan for their future with savings and investment plans. In short, it helps them regain control of their finances.

The startup also issues VISA cards to its users and does not charge any fees or commissions. It is the first Ivorian startup to join the prestigious US incubator Y Combinator.

Explaining the startup's no-fee, no-commission policy, Régis Bamba states, "In our region, users pay amongst the highest fees in the world but do not always receive adequate service in return and that can be extremely frustrating. The one thing that we want to achieve is to offer a product where customers get real value for their money."

In November 2022, the startup announced that it had raised $14 million from Y Combinator and three other lead investors (Enza Capital, Oikocredit, and Partech Africa), with Janngo Capital, P1 Ventures, Axian, and Launch Africa as participating investors.

Before launching the startup, Régis Bamba worked for the telecom operator MTN as a mobile money project manager (2014-2016) and product manager (2016-2020).  In 2014,  he founded Code.ci, a network of developers who pool their expertise to address socio-economic challenges in Côte d'Ivoire. This network, together with the government, is the originator of the first open data platform in Côte d'Ivoire.

Melchior Koba