Cindy van Niekerk is the founder and CEO of Umazi, a decentralised business identity platform that simplifies business verification and harnesses AI to streamline compliance. With over a decade in regulatory technology and financial services, she launched Umazi to facilitate access to financial services and global trade. Recent successes include guiding Umazi to winning the Isle of Man’s latest global Innovation Challenge for FinTech’s.  A member of TechUK’s Financial Services Council, Cindy contributes to shaping financial regulation and technology and was recently named on the UK’s Women in Fintech Powerlist 2024 for her impact on technology innovation.

Previously, Cindy managed large IT regulatory projects for global banks, including JP Morgan, HSBC, Barclays, and Deutsche Bank, specialising in regulatory compliance, financial crime prevention, and digital transformation. She holds an Oxford Blockchain Strategy Certification, Anti-Money Laundering Certification and Developer Certification, reinforcing her decentralised identity and financial technology expertise.

Cindy’s mission is to accelerate business identity verification, reduce compliance burdens, and improve financial accessibility.