UBC Sauder MBA alum Paschal Okwundu on building financial inclusion through Binta Financial

Paschal Okwundu moved from Nigeria to Vancouver to pursue his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Robert H. Lee Graduate School at the UBC Sauder School of Business. Now Co-founder and CEO of Binta Financial, he is building a fintech platform that helps newcomers carry their credit history across borders. In this Q&A, Okwundu reflects on how his UBC Sauder School of Business experience shaped his journey from banking to entrepreneurship.

Where are you from, and where are you currently based? 

I’m from Nigeria and moved to Canada to pursue my graduate business studies at the University of British Columbia. I now live in Vancouver, British Columbia, with my family.
 

What are you passionate about — personally or professionally? 

Professionally, I’m passionate about building systems that make life a little better, fairer and more possible for people, especially those who are trying to build something new in a new environment.

I’ve seen firsthand how concepts like credit, access, and trust can open or close doors. I’m driven by work that builds bridges between people, communities, countries and systems.

Personally, I’m grounded by my faith, my family, and the communities I’m part of. They remind me about what really matters. My family keeps me centred. My faith gives me strength, especially when I face hard choices or uncertain seasons. And I’ve learned that real success means nothing if it doesn’t help others rise with you.
 

Can you walk us through your career journey since graduating from UBC Sauder?

After completing my Master of Business Administration (MBA) at UBC Sauder, I joined RBC and later BMO, working in Commercial Banking and Customer Experience roles. My focus was helping Canadian businesses access capital, grow sustainably and create more jobs.

I later transitioned into Management Consulting with Slalom, where I led Strategy and Innovation projects for clients in banking, technology, oil & gas, and the public sectors across North America. I learned how to solve complex business problems, make systems more efficient, and help organizations build innovation as part of their DNAs. 

In 2023, I took the leap to build the kind of system I wished had existed when I first arrived in Canada.

That vision became Binta Financial, a Vancouver-based fintech reimagining how the world understands credit, trust and financial inclusion. We partner with global credit bureaus to seamlessly access, migrate and translate credit histories, so newcomers can carry their financial identity with them, like a passport or degree. As people move, their credit moves with them.

Our platform enables banks, lenders, housing providers and telecom companies to access verified, globally sourced credit data, which empowers them to underwrite and make better decisions with speed and precision.

Beyond credit migration, we’re integrating essential services like credit building, remittance and other financial products, to unlock better financial opportunities for immigrants and the economy.  
 

What is one highlight of your career that you’re especially proud of?

The trust we’ve earned from our clients has been one of our biggest driving forces. Awards and recognition are great, but what really stays with me is the quiet, powerful moments when I hear someone say, “Because of Binta, I finally qualified for housing,” or “I was approved for my first credit card, after being rejected for months.” These moments are the real highlights that remind me why we’re building Binta.

Behind every credit history is a story. A father trying to secure a safe home for his family. A recent graduate looking to start life in a new country with dignity. An immigrant entrepreneur with big dreams, but limited access to capital, all because their credit history didn’t transfer to their new country.

When we help change statements like “You have no Canadian credit history” into “Congratulations, you’re approved.” That’s the real win!

Why did you choose UBC Sauder and your specific program?

Before UBC Sauder, I spent five years working with a specialized financial institution in Nigeria as part of a national effort to stabilize the country’s economy and banking sector following the 2008 global financial crisis. Through the Corporation’s mandate, we recapitalized distressed banks and restructured non-performing loans to prevent a systemic collapse. It was an important chapter, one that taught me the power of systems, resilience and collective action.

Over time, I felt a quiet pull to drive for more, to deepen my perspective, expand my thinking to make more meaning contributions beyond national boundaries. I wanted to build the skills to solve problems at scale, across industries and borders.

Canada felt like the right place for that next chapter and UBC Sauder offered the kind of environment I needed — global, rigorous and deeply values-driven. 

The MBA stood out for me because the program provided opportunities that combined depth with real-world exposure, especially within North America and the broader global business landscape. The program’s strong reputation for academic rigour was matched by its commitment to innovation, entrepreneurship and ethical leadership. I was also drawn to its diversity — classmates from over 25 countries, each bringing unique perspectives shaped by varied backgrounds, cultures, experiences and ways of thinking. I knew that kind of environment would expand my mind and network and prepare me to work across markets and borders.

The MBA’s Global Immersion Experience (GIE) was also a defining factor. The chance to work with international companies and experience how business is done in different parts of the world wasn’t just exciting — it aligned perfectly with the kind of venture and impact I was aspiring to post-MBA.
 

How did your experience at UBC Sauder shape your career path or contribute to your growth?

UBC Sauder gave me far more than an MBA — it gave me the clarity, confidence and courage to turn personal pain points into global innovation. As an immigrant navigating unfamiliar systems, UBC Sauder gave me the intellectual tools and emotional resolve to not just navigate uncertainty, but to reimagine and thrive through them.

It taught me to question existing systems and design better, more equitable ones from the ground up. I learned how to experiment with bold ideas and assemble the right team together around shared vision and action. I was fortunate to be surrounded by brilliant professors who pushed me to dream bigger, diverse classmates who expanded my worldview, and the Career Centre that played a pivotal role in helping me break into Canada’s competitive job market.

Courses like Growing & Exiting a Venture, New Venture Design and my time in the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) were beyond academic experiences. They were real-world laboratories where I learned how entrepreneurs go from ideas to massively scalable ventures. The broader UBC Sauder ecosystem — its mentors, alumni network and entrepreneurial community — gave me both the conviction to think bigger and the execution muscle to turn ideas into tangible, high-impact ventures.

In many ways, the boldness for my entrepreneurial journey was deeply enhanced at UBC Sauder.  It wasn’t just a degree for me. It was a transformational experience.

Is there a standout memory or moment from your time at UBC Sauder that you often reflect on?

One that easily comes to mind was during our Entrepreneurial Finance class, where we dove into real-world startup case studies and unpacked one of the most underrated drivers of startup success: co-founder and team dynamics.

It wasn’t just about equity splits or cap tables. It was about trust, alignment, conflict, values and the invisible dynamics that hold a founding team together or quietly pull it apart. I better understood how the success or failure of a venture often had less to do with spreadsheets and more to do with people, especially with how founders navigate commitment, pressure and purpose together.

That course planted a seed that’s grown into a core part of how I lead at Binta. It shapes how we build culture, choose partners and hire team members — not just based on skill, but on shared vision, connection and resilience.
 

What advice would you give to someone considering a business education at UBC Sauder?

• Come with curiosity and hunger, not just credentials.
• UBC Sauder offers the resources, networks and access to build a great career or business. However, it’s your responsibility to decide what opportunities are worth exploring with what you get from the program.
• Treat the program as a laboratory for impact, a space to test bold ideas, fail forward and learn what it means to build something real.
• Collaborate with people who see the world differently than you. 
• Seek out professors and mentors who push you further than you thought possible.
• Don’t wait for permission to become or create what you truly believe in. The degree is a tool; The mission is yours to define.