Checker hires ex-Verto Sales manager, Isaac Umejiaku, as talent war deepens

This week, Checker, a stablecoin-powered financial infrastructure provider, announced its $8 million equity seed funding. Isaac Umejiaku, formerly the Senior Enterprise Sales and Partnerships Manager at Verto, has joined the Checker team. This was a silent infusion to the announcement.

“Isaac is one of the top sales leaders in the cross-border payments space in Africa.” Checker CEO, Jack Chong, told Condia. “His knowledge, drive, and passion for the space are a great asset to Checker. We are excited to partner with him to deliver the best products and services to financial institutions across Africa.”

“Jack and the Checker team have been remarkable to work with. What stands out to me is the level of commitment across the business, starting from the CEO,” Isaac Umejiaku, Checker’s Head of Africa Sales, told Condia. “I have also been very encouraged by how supportive and intentional the team has been in giving Africa the attention it deserves. Africa is a complex, fast-growing, and strategically important market, and it requires focus, patience, and deep local understanding.”

In Nigeria, a major fintech hub in Africa, the sub-sector of cross-border payment grew faster than any other subsector. Umejiaku’s move from Verto, a later-stage crossborder payment company, after 28 months, epitomises the talent exchange across the highly-competitive industry. Gwera Kiwana, a Checker angel investor, moved from Onafriq to Morse (formerly Sling Money) after 28 months.

The move is not only localised to Sales and expansion talent, as it cuts across Trading and Marketing. For instance, Omotoso Dolapo, a growth and marketing talent, spent 28 months at LemFi before TransferGo and MonieWorld came knocking. Thomas Birgen, an FX trading expert has moved from AZA Finance, BVNK, One Africa Markets, spending at least two years in each of those roles before moving on.

In the cross-border payments gold rush, two players are winning, the talents excavating the gold and the sellers of shovels, infrastructure providers. Checker is selling the shovels while racking up the talents to win. Will this be enough?

“Stablecoins represent the next generation of financial opportunity for emerging markets, particularly in Africa,” said Stephen Deng, General Partner at DFS Lab, in the fundraise announcement. “Checker is the right team, with the right exposure across frontier markets, to lead this transformation…“

Last updated: May 22, 2026