Eva Ngigi-Sarwari, 45, who was managing director of Finserve Africa and oversaw payments and international banking for Equity Group, died during a business trip to China, colleagues confirmed on Tuesday, October 20.
The announcement noted that the cause of death had not been released at the time of publication.
Ngigi-Sarwari had taken charge of Finserve Africa in April 2026 after joining Equity Group in January 2025 as group director for payments and international banking, where she was responsible for corporate and institutional payment solutions.
Prior to her Equity tenure, she spent more than four years at Visa, serving as senior director and country manager for Kenya, South Sudan and Somalia from September 2020 until December 2024, where she led growth strategies for electronic transactions.
Her banking career began at Co-operative Bank of Kenya in 2005, followed by roles at Stanbic Bank and Standard Chartered Kenya from 2012, where she eventually headed transaction banking for the commercial division before moving to SC Ventures in 2020.
Her death occurs as banks and fintech firms across Africa intensify efforts to expand digital payment services, transaction banking and cross-border financial infrastructure for businesses and consumers.
