Fintech needs a hero

All causes, economic or political, need at least one champion to survive and thrive. Muhammad Ali Jinnah played that role in rallying support for a separate homeland for Indian Muslims, BR Ambedkar for the oppressed castes, Jawaharlal Nehru for the third world, Elon Musk for electric vehicles, and Kerry Packer for the commercialisation of cricket. Notwithstanding the need for robust institutions, as academics would tell you, it typically takes individual mavericks to set the wheels in motion. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s startup ecosystem is still in search of that champion. The one that inspires optimism and hope, and God knows we desperately need that. We have had many false messiahs, or maybe they turned as such only because their failures came to light. Some would attribute it to the benefit of hindsight, though it may not be entirely true. Anyway, the point is that we might lose another one as news about Finja unravels.