Saeeda Jaffar

Dr Saeeda Jaffar serves as Managing Director for Circle Middle East & Africa, where she leads the region to advance Circle's vision of creating global economic prosperity through the frictionless exchange of value. Drawing on deep experience scaling financial ecosystems across the region, Dr Jaffar partners with financial institutions, enterprises, fintechs, and regulators to accelerate the adoption of secure, programmable digital currency infrastructure across payments, treasury, and cross-border flows.

With over 20 years of leadership experience, Dr Jaffar is known for translating complex strategic challenges into practical, scalable outcomes. She has worked across the Middle East, Europe, and the United States on strategy, transformation, M&A, and performance initiatives, with deep specialization in financial services, including banks, private equity firms, sovereign wealth funds, government institutions, and family-owned businesses.

Career history

• Prior to joining Circle, Dr Jaffar served as Senior Vice President at Visa in the GCC
• Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal ME, the world's leading turnaround and restructuring firm
• Leadership roles at McKinsey & Company
• Leadership roles at Bain & Company

Dr Jaffar is an Emirati national and holds a Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, where she was valedictorian, as well as a Master's degree and Doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr Jaffar currently serves as a Member of the Board of Trustees at Kuwait University, a Board Advisor to Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center, and a Member of the Advisory Council of the Dubai International Chamber. Her leadership has been recognized by Forbes Middle East's 100 Most Powerful Women list (2023–2025), along with honors from Arabian Business, Gulf Business, Economy Middle East, and Fast Company.

What Dr. Saeeda Jaffar could bring to her role at Circle: Drawing on two decades of financial services expertise, regulatory leadership experience at Visa spanning the GCC, and deep regional relationships across financial institutions and government entities, Dr. Jaffar is positioned to accelerate Circle's stablecoin adoption across the Middle East and Africa. Her background in strategic transformation and payments innovation—combined with her ability to navigate complex regulatory frameworks and build institutional partnerships—positions her to translate Circle's vision of frictionless digital currency into practical market expansion across the region.