From Teen Founder to Fintech CEO: How a Nigerian Graduate Is Leading a $6 Billion Global Firm’s Africa Expansion

At just 22 years old, graduate of Babcock University and former health-tech founder Miracle Nwankwo now serves as CEO of the Nigerian arm of the Indian fintech powerhouse Veefin.

Nwankwo’s entrepreneurial journey began at age 19 when he co-founded BookClinic, a platform designed to help users book diagnostic services at partner healthcare facilities. The app, which functioned similarly to ride-hailing for diagnostic services, managed partnerships with around 80 health centres across Lagos and operated in 18 locations. Despite strong traction including a US $20,000 funding round in 2023, BookClinic was put on pause after roughly a year due to founder missteps and market challenges.

Nevertheless, the venture opened doors. An investor associated with BookClinic introduced Nwankwo to Veefin’s founding team. The global fintech firm, which processes over US $6 billion annually and partners with more than 500 banks and financial institutions including HSBC and IndusInd Bank, tapped Nwankwo to lead its Nigerian and West African expansion.

He took up the role as CEO of Veefin Solutions Nigeria in February 2025, with the country launch officially happening in August 2025. Nwankwo admits that he came into fintech without a formal background, and quickly had to master the lending ecosystem, risk and compliance frameworks, enterprise banking practices, and how to sell tech platforms into large organisations.

Veefin’s suite includes 11 product lines spanning supply chain finance, digital lending, trade finance, fraud and risk analytics, and cash management services. In Nigeria the primary product offering is the supply chain finance platform.

Nwankwo emphasises that his foundation in tech began in high school when his school’s ICT lab first opened. Inspired by the story of Mark Zuckerberg, he taught himself programming using platforms like freeCodeCamp and YouTube and honed his skills through hackathons and developing a GitHub portfolio. He got his first laptop only in his first year of university but used that gamble to launch his ambitious path.

Today he relies extensively on AI tools to refine emails, generate content ideas, organise tasks, and analyse documents. He keeps his ear to the ground by attending tech events, reading industry blogs, and experimenting with new products.

Looking ahead, Nwankwo believes the future of technology is both limitless and inevitable: “In five to ten years there’s always a crazy invention. Just like ten years ago no one saw this era of AI coming. The big and amazing tech we have now will be replaced by something better.”

With Veefin’s powerful back-end infrastructure and his tech-driven leadership, Nwankwo is positioning the firm to play a significant role in Africa’s fintech transformation.