There are many women making a difference but our Woman Crush Wednesday, Dr Iwa Salami is second to none. She is a Reader and Associate Professor in Financial Law and Regulation at the School of Business and Law, University of East London (UEL).
At the Launch of the University of East London (UEL) Centre of FinTech at the Houses of Parliament in the UK on 29 April, where Dr Iwa Salami currently serves as Codirector.
Working as the Codirector of the UEL Centre of FinTech, a research and practice-based centre launched in April 2022, Dr Salami together with her team create an enabling research environment to help nurture fintech talents. She also nurtures talents through her role as the Programme Leader for the Postgraduate Research Degrees in Law and the LLM in Financial Technology Law. She is also the Deputy Chairperson of the School’s Research Degrees Sub-committee. Her leadership capabilities in the Governing Council and as a Director at the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) has left notable imprints in the organisation.
Dr Salami is a highly sought-after global thought leader on crypto-assets regulation. She has graced several high-profile events, notably the first-ever UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) CryptoSprint and the invite-only Point Zero Forum organised by the Swiss and Singaporean governments to explore the future of financial services, both in 2022. Dr Salami has also shared her expert knowledge at the Westminster Business Forum Policy Conference in 2020 which focused on fintech in UK; a debate in the UK Parliament in 2019 on crypto-assets and blockchain regulation; and a high-level panel during the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in 2018.
Dr Salami speaking at the Point Zero Forum, Zurich in June 2022.
The media also calls on her to give her expert opinion. She has appeared on ITV News and CGTN’s The Agenda, and has been featured on multiple occasions in the Independent’s Ask an Expert session with Anthony Cuthbertson, The Conversation UK, Sputnik, ABC News Australia and Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence.
Dr Salami is an LLB graduate of the University of Westminster. She also holds an LLM from King’s College, University of London and a PhD from Queen Mary, University of London. Her past research focused on financial regulation in emerging and frontier markets, during which she authored Financial Regulation in Africa, published in 2012. Her current research explores the regulation of the technologies of Web3, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs), and the metaverse.
Dr Salami at the FCA CryptoSprint in London in May 2022. She featured in a video, commenting on the approach taken by the FCA as it prepares to regulate crypto-assets.
When Dr Salami is not working, you may find her taking a hike – her favourite, the Box Hill Hike (UK National Trust), with its steep climbs and corresponding descents. Pride Magazine Nigeria is proudly affiliated with Dr Iwa Salami and her efforts to make secure the digital universe.