Fintech systems with compliance depth
My recent work spans wallets, merchant payments, KYC automation, AML support, and regulated product environments.
Founder | CTO | Architect
Nairobi, Kenya
Cetric Okola
CTO | Founder | Systems Architect
Building scalable fintech, AI, and platform infrastructure for startups and growth-stage businesses.
Experienced software engineer and technical leader with a track record of delivering scalable systems, payment infrastructure, and AI-driven compliance solutions. I work across architecture, execution, and leadership to align technology with business goals.
Download the latest CV directly or use the contact section for consulting and leadership conversations.
Fintech leadership with executive accountability
Led product scalability, compliance, and technology strategy for regulated financial platforms.
Cloud-native systems built for scale
Architected multi-tenant services, CI/CD delivery pipelines, and resilient backend foundations.
AI applied to real operational workflows
Shipped KYC, OCR, NLP, fraud monitoring, and automation systems tied to production use cases.
Node.jsGolangReactVueJavaPHP
About
Technology leadership shaped across fintech, AI-driven compliance, and scalable product systems.
Cetric Okola combines hands-on backend engineering with executive-level technical direction for ambitious teams and products.
My work spans payments, wallet infrastructure, AI-assisted compliance, multi-tenant platform design, and product delivery systems that need to perform under real commercial and regulatory pressure.
I am most effective when a company needs someone who can move between code, systems design, delivery management, and executive conversation without losing precision in any layer.
AI integrated into real workflows
I have delivered OCR, NLP, fraud monitoring, and OpenAI-assisted systems tied to real operational and compliance use cases.
Architecture that accelerates execution
I design roadmaps, service boundaries, and infrastructure patterns that help teams ship faster without sacrificing system quality.
Ideal fit
Founders, fintech teams, product operators, and leadership groups who need strong technical judgment tied directly to delivery and business outcomes.
Working style
Strategic, hands-on, compliance-aware, and focused on building systems that are ready for scale instead of only ready for launch.
Expertise
Engineering depth across backend systems, architecture, product, and leadership.
The portfolio is anchored by strong backend and architecture capability, with the frontend and product fluency required to lead full-platform outcomes.
NO
Node.js
Backend platforms, multi-tenant services, payment systems, and product-grade APIs.
GO
Golang
High-performance backend services and scalable infrastructure-minded systems.
RE
React
Web products, user-facing portals, and self-service experiences for growth teams.
VU
Vue
Operational dashboards, modern web portals, and maintainable interfaces across teams.
JA
Java
Enterprise-grade services, integrations, and operationally rigorous platform components.
PH
PHP
Laravel modernization, business portals, and pragmatic product delivery in existing systems.
Backend Engineering
Service layers, integration-heavy business logic, and production backend systems.
Node.jsGolangJavaPHPTypeScriptPython
Systems Architecture
Platform design for scale, resilience, modularity, and long-term maintainability.
Multi-tenant architectureMicroservicesService communication patternsDomain modelling
API Design
Stable interfaces for products, partners, and internal platform integrations.
REST APIsSOAP servicesThird-party integrationsSecure platform endpoints
Frontend Engineering
Modern web delivery for dashboards, portals, and operational product experiences.
ReactVueNuxtTailwind CSS
Product Strategy
Turning technical capability into roadmaps, priorities, and execution models that ship.
Technical roadmapsFeature prioritizationCross-functional planningExecution planning
Technical Leadership
Leading teams, setting standards, and driving delivery under real product pressure.
Team leadershipAgile deliveryCode review systemsStakeholder communication
Cloud / Infrastructure
Deployment-ready foundations for secure, observable, and resilient environments.
DockerKubernetesAWSGoogle CloudJenkinsNX monorepos
Data, Messaging & AI
Storage, messaging, and machine intelligence capabilities applied to production.
PostgreSQLMySQLMongoDBApache KafkaRabbitMQOpenAI APIs
Metrics
Selected outcomes from engineering, architecture, and leadership roles.
These figures are based on recent work across TandaPay, Purple Elephant Ventures, and earlier product engineering roles.
Years in software engineering
6+
Building production systems since 2019 across Cytonn, TandaPay, and contract architecture engagements.
Peak transaction scale
50M/day
Contributed to a transaction processing system designed to handle up to 50 million transactions in a day.
Engineers led
10
Managed and mentored a 10-person engineering team while building merchant payment infrastructure.
Platform uptime
99.9%
Scaled fintech infrastructure on Google Cloud with microservices, Docker, and Kubernetes.
Deployment improvement
+50%
Set up CI/CD pipelines that increased deployment frequency by 50% and improved release agility.
Projects
Selected product and platform work across fintech, AI compliance, architecture consulting, and digital delivery.
These projects reflect shipped systems and architecture work drawn directly from the career history.
Platform Architecture
Swoop Africa platform foundation
Led the architecture and development direction for the Swoop Africa platform, defining the roadmap, backend data modelling, service patterns, and cloud-native delivery foundation needed for future scale.
ArchitectureScalabilityCloud-native
Node.jsPostgreSQLDockerCI/CDMulti-tenant architecture
Fintech Infrastructure
Wallet-as-a-Service platform
Developed a wallet platform that enabled merchants to launch custom digital wallets for customer-to-business and business-to-customer transactions inside a regulated fintech environment.
WalletsPaymentsRegulated fintech
Node.jsMicroservicesDockerKubernetesGoogle Cloud
Payments Platform
Merchant collections and disbursements gateway
Led delivery of a payment gateway for gaming and other merchants, covering collections, disbursements, backend service resilience, and faster release cycles through stronger engineering systems.
GatewayCollectionsDisbursements
Node.jsPostgreSQLDrone CIDockerMicroservices
AI & Compliance
AI-driven KYC and AML automation suite
Designed compliance tooling that used OCR, NLP, and transaction anomaly detection to automate KYC review, strengthen AML workflows, and improve onboarding accuracy for digital financial products.
KYCAMLFraud detection
PythonOpenCVNLPOpenAI APIsGoogle Cloud
Product Modernization
Digital self-service web experience
Spearheaded a web-based product experience that gave users an alternative to mobile applications, increasing engagement by 25% and improving retention by 10%.
EngagementRetentionWeb apps
ReactVue.jsREST APIsMonitoringThird-party integrations
Agri Platforms
Kusco Agri Loans and Lima Portal
Built systems for agricultural finance and market linkages, helping assess farmer loan eligibility based on produce history and connecting producers with buyers through more efficient digital workflows.
AgriTechLoansMarketplace
PHP LaravelVue.jsMySQLWeb platforms
Experience
Experience across CTO leadership, systems architecture, and high-scale product engineering.
Recent roles span TandaPay, Purple Elephant Ventures, and Cytonn Investments, with consistent focus on delivery quality, scale, and technical leadership.
Jul 2025 - Nov 2025
Contract Lead Systems Architect
Purple Elephant Ventures
Led the architecture and development direction for Swoop Africa, defining scalable backend patterns, technical roadmap priorities, and the cloud-native delivery foundation for the platform.
Defined the technical roadmap, system blueprint, and backend data modelling approach.
Designed secure multi-tenant backend services with Node.js and PostgreSQL.
Introduced containerized infrastructure and CI/CD patterns that improved deployment efficiency.
Advised on infrastructure cost strategy, maintainability, and long-term product scalability.
Feb 2024 - May 2025
Chief Technology Officer
TandaPay
Provided executive technology leadership across product scalability, regulatory compliance, AI integration, and fintech platform growth in a regulated financial services environment.
Directed the end-to-end technology roadmap in line with product and business goals.
Scaled infrastructure with microservices, Docker, and Kubernetes on Google Cloud to support 99.9% uptime.
Oversaw AI and ML systems for fraud detection, KYC automation, and customer segmentation.
Integrated GDPR, PCI-DSS, and AML compliance requirements into the delivery lifecycle.
Dec 2022 - Feb 2024
Lead Software Engineer
TandaPay
Managed a 10-person engineering team while delivering payment gateway infrastructure for merchant collections and disbursements in a fast-moving product environment.
Introduced Drone CI pipelines that increased deployment frequency by 50%.
Led code review systems that reduced technical debt by 25%.
Established automated testing that reduced regression bugs by 50%.
Contributed to a transaction processing system designed for up to 50 million transactions per day.
Sep 2021 - Dec 2022
Senior Software Engineer
TandaPay
Worked across data ingestion, monitoring, API integration, and project delivery to strengthen platform reliability and broaden the product surface beyond mobile-only access.
Designed data ingestion and processing pipelines for product operations.
Implemented RESTful APIs and third-party integrations that improved customer experience.
Helped launch web applications that increased engagement by 25% and retention by 10%.
Improved monitoring, transaction tracing, and operational feasibility assessments.
Jul 2020 - Sep 2021
Associate Software Engineer
Cytonn Investments
Delivered web application enhancements, support, and SDLC execution while helping maintain reliable business systems and mentoring junior teammates.
Wrote reusable, testable, and maintainable application code.
Maintained production applications for uptime, dependability, and ongoing enhancements.
Provided second- and third-level technical support to internal and external users.
Helped train junior developers and trainees on engineering discipline and delivery standards.
Oct 2019 - Jul 2020
Junior Software Engineer
Cytonn Investments
Started out modernizing legacy applications and contributing to new web portal delivery with a focus on practical product improvements.
Updated legacy codebases to modern development standards using PHP Laravel.
Contributed to the development of a new web portal using Vue.js.
Built early experience in business application delivery, maintenance, and team collaboration.
Services
Ways to work together on architecture, product, and technical execution.
The service layer is designed for founders, operators, and teams that need serious technology capability with business-facing clarity.
CTO Advisory
Strategic technical guidance for founders, operators, and investors evaluating execution, architecture, and product direction.
Systems Architecture
Architecture design for startups and growth-stage teams that need scalable, maintainable, cloud-ready foundations.
Backend & Microservices Engineering
Implementation of APIs, microservices, workflows, and backend platforms across modern production stacks.
AI & Compliance Automation
Practical AI systems for KYC, document parsing, anomaly detection, and workflow automation in sensitive business domains.
API & Platform Design
API contracts, service boundaries, integrations, and platform strategies that reduce future delivery friction.
Platform Modernization
Modernizing legacy systems, opening new web channels, and improving operational quality without disrupting delivery.
Startup Technology Consulting
Founder-focused support for platform decisions, execution models, engineering maturity, and technical due diligence.
Proof Points
High-signal outcomes from fintech leadership, architecture, and delivery work.
A concise view of the type of impact reflected across the experience and project history.
Led technology strategy for scalable financial services, AI-driven compliance workflows, and stakeholder communication across product, investors, and regulators.
CTO leadership in regulated fintech
TandaPay · Feb 2024 to May 2025
Built payment infrastructure, decoupled messaging services, and contributed to a transaction engine designed for up to 50 million transactions per day.
High-volume payment engineering
TandaPay · Lead Software Engineer
Defined the roadmap, service boundaries, backend data modelling, and cloud-native delivery approach for the Swoop Africa platform foundation.
Architecture for multi-tenant products
Purple Elephant Ventures · Contract role
Contact
Open to consulting, partnerships, CTO opportunities, and architecture conversations.
If you need technical leadership, architecture support, product execution guidance, or founder-level engineering input, this is the best place to start.
Profiles
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