Africa’s rapidly growing fintech ecosystem is capturing global attention - including from investors, entrepreneurs, and businesses in the United States. In this episode of the Darden Emerging Markets Podcast, we explore how financial technology is reshaping access, driving entrepreneurship, and unlocking new markets across the continent.

Our guest is Daniel Awe, Head of Africa Fintech Foundry, an innovation hub that supports the growth and scaling of fintech startups across Africa. Bold innovation is connecting millions and redefining how people access finance. Daniel - who has spent over two decades leading digital transformation in banking and tech - shares his perspective on what’s driving this growth, what challenges remain, and where the next billion-dollar opportunities lie.

This episode is hosted by second-year MBA students Toshe Ayo-Ariyo, Giri Heda, and Siddarth Jain, under the supervision of Assistant Professor Gaurav Chiplunkar, and was recorded along the sidelines of the Darden Africa Business Organization (DABO) Conference 2025.

Latin America is undergoing a strategic shift - driven by nearshoring, climate innovation, and a wave of tech-driven growth. In this episode of the Darden Emerging Markets Podcast, we explore how the region is responding to global challenges across trade, investment, and innovation. From shifting supply chains to digital ecosystems, the conversation highlights how nearshoring is reshaping U.S.–LatAm trade flows, how innovation is scaling across diverse markets, and how deeper hemispheric collaboration is redefining the region’s global role.

Our guest is César Buenadicha, Chief Discovery Officer at IDB Lab, the innovation arm of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)—an international development finance institution that provides long-term financing and technical expertise to countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. With over two decades of experience and a unique perspective grounded in field engagement, César brings fresh insight into the forces shaping Latin America’s economic trajectory.

Hosted by second-year MBA students Giordano Di Giorgio, Giriraj Heda, and Siddarth Jain, under the supervision of Assistant Professor Gaurav Chiplunkar.

This episode was created in collaboration with the Latin American Student Association (LASA).

In this inaugural episode of the Darden Emerging Markets Podcast, we sit down with Ambassador Atul Keshap, President of the U.S.-India Business Council and former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Chargé d'affaires to India. A career diplomat and proud UVA alum, Ambassador Keshap shares a compelling view of the U.S.-India relationship - what he calls “unlimited” in potential.

Co-hosted by second-year MBA students Siddarth Jain and Giriraj Heda, under the supervision of Assistant Professor Gaurav Chiplunkar, the conversation covers high-skilled migration, digital innovation, and the expanding economic and strategic opportunities linking the world’s two largest democracies.

This episode was created in collaboration with the Darden South Asia Society (DSAS).