Gillian Darko has joined Circle as Vice President, Head of Africa, taking on responsibility for the company’s regional strategy and expansion across the continent.
In the role, she will lead market expansion, regulatory engagement, institutional distribution and strategic partnerships as Circle continues to build infrastructure for the frictionless exchange of value through secure, programmable digital currency.
Announcing the appointment on her official LinkedIn page, Darko said: “I’m more than thrilled to announce that I’ve joined Circle as Vice President, Head of Africa. For those who have followed my journey, especially through my work at Yellow Card, you’ll know: I love this ecosystem. I love stablecoins. And I am bullish about the future of digital finance on this continent. Excited about this adventure.”
Darko arrives at Circle from Yellow Card, where she served as Group Vice President of Strategy and earlier as Chief of Staff and Director of Strategy. At Yellow Card, Africa’s largest and first licensed pan-African stablecoin-based infrastructure provider, she led commercial strategy, growth, revenue expansion and strategic partnerships across more than 20 African markets.
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The company, which has facilitated nearly US$5 billion in volumes, 99% attributable to stablecoins, operates in 20 countries and employs over 250 people.
Before Yellow Card, Darko held senior leadership positions at JUMO, including CEO of JUMO Ghana, Executive Director and Board member across several African markets, and General Manager for in-market operations.
Her earlier career includes roles in strategy and business transformation at J.P. Morgan, strategy and operations consulting at PwC focused on banking and capital markets, and analyst work at Intercontinental Exchange, following a start as a corporate lawyer.
She currently serves on the Steering Committee of the Africa Financial Summit (AFIS) for the 2026–2027 term and is an Ambassador for Women in Payments Africa, where she champions the role of women in payments and financial inclusion.
