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Bassim Haidar

Owner Channel It Group, Founder Optasia.com, Owner Knuru Capital, Owner & Founder Safricanna

London, UK

Location(s)

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Bassim Haidar, a Lebanese national, was born in Nigeria and co-founded his first company, Intercomm Ltd. in 1991 and GMT, now the leading integrated procurement, finance & logistics provider in West Africa, in 1995. In 2003, he founded Channel IT to cater and provide supplies and services to the telecom industry in Nigeria. Today the company operates in 19 countries and plays a major role in infrastructure and services in Africa and the Middle East. In 2011, he founded Channel VAS; now the leading vendor of Mobile Financial and Fintech Services for emerging markets across the globe. Mr. Haidar has over 20 years’ experience in various sectors of the African market and has become one of the most successful pioneers in his industry. Channel VAS is currently reaching over 650 million customers in more than 30 countries. Channel VAS offers smart handset financing for emerging markets, offering financial inclusion to all and allowing users in underserved areas to bank more effectively.

Functional Expertise


Leadership

Marketing & Sales

Raising Capital & Investing