Kora is a global fiat and stablecoin payment infrastructure - the rails that financial institutions, fintechs, and enterprises use to move money across borders reliably and at scale. We started in Africa. We operate across multiple markets. We are now expanding into Asia, building the corridors that connect Africa and Asia at the infrastructure level.
We are not a payments app. We are not a wallet. We are the layer underneath: the settlement infrastructure, the compliance engine, the connectivity that makes cross-border payments work for the companies that build on top of us.
Our vision, which is at the core of what we do every day, is to create a world void of digital financial barriers. We are committed to delivering reliable, secure, and easy-to-use digital financial solutions to every single customer with a guarantee that it is improving their lives. To achieve this mission, we need people like you.
We strongly believe in our ability to find Water in the Desert and pick the Sands in the Ocean.
We value positive energy and clear communication, and are committed to building an inclusive environment for people from every background.
About the Role
Kora is building payment infrastructure for the Africa–Asia corridor, and this role is responsible for driving the commercial success of that expansion.
As Head of Sales & Partnerships (APAC), you will own revenue growth across the region by winning enterprise customers, building strategic partnerships, and establishing Kora's commercial presence in Asia. Your success will be measured first by revenue and market penetration, with partnerships serving as the strategic enablers that unlock new payment corridors, accelerate customer acquisition, and expand our infrastructure network.
This is a player-coach role. You will personally source, negotiate, and close the first strategic customers and ecosystem partners before building the regional commercial team around what works. You won't inherit a mature sales engine. You'll build it.
You'll work closely with Product, Legal, Compliance, Operations, and Executive Leadership to shape Kora's Asia strategy while becoming the commercial face of the business across the region.
Here are a couple of things you'll own:
-
Revenue ownership: Own the APAC commercial target, including pipeline generation, conversion, closed revenue, and expansion. You're accountable for business growth, not activity metrics.
-
Enterprise sales: Build and manage a pipeline of banks, fintechs, payment companies, remittance businesses, enterprises, PSPs, and financial institutions that require Africa–Asia payment infrastructure. Personally prospect, qualify, negotiate, and close strategic opportunities.
-
Strategic partnerships: Develop and execute Kora's APAC partnership strategy by identifying and securing relationships with banks, payment aggregators, wallet providers, stablecoin issuers, correspondent banks, and licensed financial institutions that strengthen our payment infrastructure and unlock new corridors.
-
Corridor expansion: Identify the commercial and infrastructure requirements for priority Africa–Asia payment corridors. Where a new customer requires a new banking or payment partner, you lead both conversations until the corridor becomes operational.
-
Market entry strategy: Define Kora's commercial playbook for Asia. Refine ICPs, pricing strategy, sales messaging, partnership models, and regional GTM execution based on direct market feedback.
-
Commercial negotiations: Lead complex commercial negotiations covering enterprise contracts, strategic partnerships, pricing models, revenue-sharing agreements, licensing partnerships, and long-term commercial arrangements.
-
Regulatory and licensing partnerships: In markets where Kora is not yet licensed, identify and structure commercial relationships with licensed financial institutions that enable market entry while working closely with Legal and Compliance.
-
Market intelligence: Become Kora's commercial intelligence hub for Asia. Monitor competitor activity, pricing trends, customer demand, regulatory developments, payment infrastructure evolution, and emerging corridor opportunities, providing regular insights to executive leadership.
-
Product feedback: Represent the voice of the APAC market. Translate customer and partner feedback into actionable product requirements around payment methods, currencies, settlement models, compliance requirements, APIs, and infrastructure capabilities.
-
Customer and partner growth: Grow strategic relationships beyond the initial contract. Identify expansion opportunities, deepen adoption, increase transaction volumes, and ensure both customers and partners continue creating measurable commercial value.
-
Team building: Recruit, develop, and lead Kora's APAC commercial organisation, including Sales, Partnerships, and Account Management as the business scales. Establish repeatable processes, documentation, forecasting discipline, and performance standards.
-
Executive reporting: Provide structured visibility into pipeline health, partnership development, revenue performance, market risks, and strategic opportunities through regular executive reporting.
Requirements
Here's what we're looking for:
-
8+ years of experience in enterprise B2B sales, business development, or strategic partnerships within fintech, payments, banking, or financial infrastructure.
-
Demonstrated success closing complex enterprise deals with banks, fintechs, payment companies, or financial institutions across APAC.
-
Proven ability to originate and negotiate strategic partnerships that directly enabled commercial growth or market expansion.
-
Strong understanding of cross-border payments, correspondent banking, settlement infrastructure, payment rails, stablecoins, and digital financial infrastructure.
-
Experience building new markets, launching regional commercial operations, or leading market-entry initiatives.
-
Comfortable leading both enterprise sales cycles and strategic partnership negotiations.
-
Experience negotiating commercial agreements, revenue-share models, partnership structures, and enterprise contracts.
-
Strong understanding of AML/KYC requirements, licensing models, regulatory frameworks, and compliance considerations across Asian markets.
-
Deep commercial network within one or more APAC financial markets.
-
Demonstrated experience building and leading high-performing commercial teams.
-
Able to operate independently while maintaining disciplined forecasting, reporting, and pipeline management.
-
Strong executive communication and stakeholder management skills.
-
Fluency in English is required. Mandarin, Chinese or another major Asian language is a strong advantage.
-
Comfortable with frequent travel across APAC and periodic travel to Africa.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Kora is an equal-opportunity employer dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workforce. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, experience, and business needs. We strongly encourage applications from underrepresented communities and diverse ethnic groups.
Please feel free to inform us if you need any accommodations to facilitate your participation in the recruitment process. Any details you share will be used solely to ensure we can support and accommodate your needs appropriately.
If you require more information on our HR Data Privacy, please visit here.
Benefits
-
Sponsored and tailored training
-
Paid parental leave
-
Paid time-off
-
Access to up to four therapy sessions monthly
-
Day off on your birthday
- Employee interest groups that provide supportive communities within Kora
-
Great company culture and the opportunity to work with a highly collaborative team building something great!
Note: We recognise imposter syndrome is real - any candidate who does not perfectly fit every characteristic of this role is still strongly encouraged to apply.
