In this episode, Mike Townsend speaks with Abdul Akel, CEO and Co-founder of T-CETRA, a leading financial technology enabler that converts cash payments into secure, auditable, cashless transactions at over 10,000 retail locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico that primarily serve cash preferred customers. Its payment solutions bridge the digital divide for these underserved communities and are used by Fortune 500 companies within various sectors, connecting them to the 84.8 million un/derbanked individuals in the U.S.  T-CETRA’s expansion into new verticals is reshaping the prepaid payment ecosystem.   Akel conceptualized VIDAPAY, T-CETRA’s proprietary cloud-based payment portal, that enables these retailers to increase sales, mitigate risk, and manage customer accounts in real-time within a safe, secure payment transaction framework.  Akel is a proven, experienced industry disruptor, entrepreneur, and growth-oriented CEO. He was recently inducted into Columbus Business First’s Class of 2020 “40 Under 40” as well as Columbus CEO's "Future 50."   Additionally in 2020, Akel co-launched the T-CETRA Foundation which addresses the needs of the underserved from a charitable point of view.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices