Prof Vivienne Lawack has been appointed as the Director of the Centre for African Fintech, Innovation and Law at UWCProfessor Vivienne Lawack has officially been appointed as the inaugural Director of the Centre for African Fintech, Innovation and Law at the University of the Western Cape.
This is a pioneering initiative housed within the Faculty of Law. The Centre will officially launch on 30 October 2025, marking a new chapter in the Law Faculty’s leadership in legal innovation and financial technology on the continent.
Prof Lawack is a distinguished legal scholar with extensive expertise in Fintech Law and Regulation in Africa. She holds a B. Juris (cum laude), LLB (cum laude), LLM from Nelson Mandela University, and an LLD from UNISA. An admitted, non-practising advocate of the High Court of South Africa, she brings a rare blend of academic, policy, legal counsel, and regulatory experience to her new role.
Her career spans academia, central banking and financial markets law. After beginning her academic journey at Vista University and Nelson Mandela University, she served in various capacities at the South African Reserve Bank and later as Senior Legal Counsel at Strate Limited, gaining extensive experience in payment systems, financial stability and innovation.
Prof Lawack returned to higher education in senior leadership roles, including Executive Dean of Law at Nelson Mandela University and Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic at UWC from 2015 to 2024.
Since January 2025, she has served as Professor of Fintech Law and Regulation in the Department of Mercantile and Labour Law at UWC.
Her research focuses on critical areas including central bank digital currencies, cryptoassets, mobile money, financial inclusion and cross-border remittances. Her edited volume, Fintech Law and Regulation: An African Perspective (Juta, 2023), has been widely acclaimed by scholars and regulators alike.
Beyond academia, Prof Lawack is actively involved in governance and education. She serves as a non-executive director of Cenfri and is a member of the Council of the South African Judicial Education Institute. She is also a board member at Kepler College and the Deputy Chairperson of the Kepler College Council in Rwanda.
The Centre for African Fintech, Innovation and Law will serve as a hub for interdisciplinary research, policy engagement and innovation. One of its flagship projects, “Tech, Migration and Mobilities”, explores the intersection of technology, innovation and migration, building on Prof Lawack’s work with the Migration and Mobilities Interdisciplinary Collective in Africa (MMICA) at UWC.
“This Centre is a bold step toward shaping Africa’s fintech future through legal scholarship, innovation and collaboration,” said Prof Lawack. “I’m honoured to lead this initiative and contribute to UWC’s mission of transformative education and research.”
The official launch event on 30 October 2025 will bring together academics, regulators, innovators and policymakers to celebrate the Centre’s vision and explore its strategic priorities.
