BNPL fintech Clearpay hires former head of policy at Innovate Finance

Iana Vidal, former head of policy and government affairs at fintech trade body Innovate Finance has been hired by at buy-now-pay-later fintech Clearpay.

The policy specialist will be leading Clearpay’s, the European brand of Australian BNPL giant Afterpay, public policy and regulatory affairs in the UK and EU in her new role. 

Regulation of the BNPL sector has been a hot topic as of late, with the government calling for more stringent restrictions on the unsecured credit market after years of it operating without the same level of regulation as its banking-focussed counterparts.

September 2019 and helped guide the regulatory body to make key decisions on behalf of the fintech sector.

In a post on LinkedIn, Vidal wrote: “Same home desk, new company! Excited to start my Clearpay UK (Afterpay Ltd) journey today leading our public policy and regulatory affairs work in the UK and EU.”

“I’m looking forward to working with Damian Kassabgi Michael S. Madeleine Findlay and the rest of the team as we grow in the UK. And pleased that we’ll be playing a part in the wider UK ecosystem as members of my brilliant former employer Innovate Finance.”

Clearpay’s latest hire comes just over a month after the fintech revealed it was looking into pursuing a US listing thanks to its booming business stateside. 

The BNPL fintech, which is already listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, revealed it’s gearing up for a listing stateside in its third-quarter results, attributing rapid growth in the US as the main reason.

Afterpay has been listed on the Australian Stock Exchange since May 2016 and has seen its share price more than quadruple in 2020. The fintech started the year with a share price of around A$30 (£16), and, at the time of writing, its shares are sitting at A$92.73 (£50.79).