Chari, a Moroccan B2B commerce and fintech company serving proximity retailers across Francophone Africa, announced on 23 September 2026 the appointment of Aurélien Pichon as an independent director. Pichon recently served as Global Head of Client Operations and Services at Visa Inc., where he managed a worldwide team of nearly 5,000 people. The appointment signals a new phase for Chari as it expands into regulated financial infrastructure beyond its original retail distribution business.
Governance Milestone for Moroccan Fintech
The board appointment represents a significant governance milestone for Chari and the wider Moroccan fintech ecosystem. Independent directors of Pichon's seniority typically join boards that have reached a certain level of operational and strategic maturity. His arrival indicates that Chari's infrastructure ambitions are being taken seriously by established payments industry leaders and institutional partners.
From Global Payments to African Infrastructure
Pichon brings more than two decades of experience across technology, data, and payments, including leadership roles at Thomson Reuters and Google before his tenure at Visa. He was elevated to his global role in 2024 after heading operations and client services for Visa's Central Europe, Middle East and Africa region, where Chari operates. His direct operating responsibility for client delivery across emerging markets is directly relevant to Chari's growing agency banking network.
Mandate Focused on Scale and Institutional Access
Pichon joins the board in an advisory and strategic capacity with a mandate focused on three core areas. His payments expertise at scale is expected to guide Chari as its agency banking network grows from thousands to tens of thousands of service points. His institutional relationships across issuers, acquirers, processors, and regulators, along with operating rigour from running large service organisations, are equally central to the role.
Expanding Regulated Financial Services
Chari is moving beyond its original retailer distribution model into regulated financial infrastructure. The company is developing agency banking services that turn neighbourhood shops into cash-in and cash-out points, as well as a fintech infrastructure as a service offering available at www.baas.ma to banks, telcos, corporates, fintechs, startups, and financial institutions. This strategic shift places Chari at the centre of financial access for small businesses in cash-heavy markets.
Executive Perspectives on the Board Appointment
Pichon described Chari as building the essential last mile of financial infrastructure that reaches merchants in local communities. He noted that his career has been spent close to institutions powering small and medium businesses, while Chari is close to the millions of small businesses that make up the real economy in the region. Chari's chief executive, Ismael Belkhayat, said the company sought someone who has personally run payments operations at the scale Chari intends to reach.
About Chari and Its Strategic Trajectory
Chari was founded in 2020 by Ismael Belkhayat and Sophia Alj and is headquartered in Casablanca, Morocco. The company digitises traditional proximity retailers across Francophone Africa and provides them with financial services, including agency banking and payments infrastructure. As an alumnus of Y Combinator, Chari has attracted attention from global investors and now positions itself as a fintech infrastructure provider for third-party clients.
The appointment of Aurélien Pichon brings a combination of global payments leadership and emerging market operational experience to Chari's board. As the company industrialises its infrastructure for banks, telecom operators, and other institutions, this governance move may help accelerate its transition from a retail distribution startup to a foundational financial services provider. The decision underscores Chari's intent to align its strategic oversight with the scale of its ambitions across Francophone Africa.