Ramana Kumar

Ramana Kumar was appointed Chief Executive Officer for Paytm's Middle East business, a role announced in May 2025. He brings over 20 years of leadership experience in the fintech, payments, and banking sectors along with deep expertise in driving innovation and business growth in financial services. An alumnus of IIT-Kanpur, Kumar is known for building substantial financial services operations across the UAE and Abu Dhabi financial institutions.

Before joining Paytm, Kumar was the founding CEO of Magnati, a leading payments company in the United Arab Emirates and a subsidiary of First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), where he led key initiatives to modernize payment systems and drive business growth. Prior to founding Magnati in 2021, Kumar headed the payments and digital business of FAB for about four years. He was Managing Director and Head of Global Transaction Banking at the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), where he played a key role in developing digital banking and payment solutions.

Kumar started his career as a consultant and team leader with Frost & Sullivan in 2003, followed by roles at Encreate Consulting as senior consultant and Ernst & Young as manager and later senior manager in advisory services. He joined the National Bank of Abu Dhabi in December 2010 as senior manager of strategy and planning, and was appointed EVP-head of payments and digital at First Abu Dhabi Bank in April 2017.

Career History

• Chief Executive Officer, Middle East Business, Paytm (May 2025–present)
• Founding CEO, Magnati, First Abu Dhabi Bank subsidiary (2021–2025)
• Executive Vice President, Head of Payments and Digital, First Abu Dhabi Bank (April 2017–2021)
• Senior Manager, Strategy & Planning, National Bank of Abu Dhabi (December 2010–2017)
• Senior Manager, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young (2007–2010)

What Kumar could bring to his role at Paytm: Kumar's deep expertise in modernizing payment systems, his established track record building merchant payments businesses in the UAE, and his proven ability to lead digital transformation initiatives across major financial institutions position him to accelerate Paytm's regional expansion. His 15+ years of UAE banking experience combined with consulting and advisory background provide strategic capabilities for navigating regulatory environments and partnering with regional financial ecosystem players.