Nicolas Levi, Founder and CEO of du pay, attended Collège Stanislas in Paris before earning a BA in Business Management from IPAG Business School and a Master’s degree from Université Paris-Sorbonne, now leads du Pay in the UAE. Drawing on a strong educational foundation in business and finance, he guides the company through a pivotal phase in the region’s shift toward a cashless future, blending telecommunications strengths with digital payment innovation.
Early Momentum and Vision
When du announced the launch of du Pay in April 2024, Nicolas Levi framed it as more than a payments app it would serve as a gateway to financial inclusion across the UAE. Licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE, du Pay offers a full suite of digital financial services: peer-to-peer transfers, international remittances, mobile top-ups, bill payments, and salary deposits via IBAN. Levi emphasized that the app supports six languages (Arabic, English, Hindi, Bangla, Malayalam, and Tamil), underlining his drive to serve the diverse, multilingual population of the country.
Nicolas Levi often speaks about the opportunity to accelerate the UAE’s journey to a cashless economy by 2031. In a conversation published in Telecoms.com, he described du Pay as still “in its infancy” yet growing leaps and bounds within months of launch. He sees the chance to bring millions into digital finance who have remained underserved by traditional banks, a core tenet of his approach to growth and inclusion.
Strategic Partnerships and Innovation
A key pillar of Levi’s strategy has been forging strong partnerships with established financial institutions and global payments networks. Early on, du Pay joined forces with Emirates NBD to provide account features like virtual IBANs and cardless ATM withdrawals, reinforcing Levi’s intent to embed du Pay within the UAE’s banking ecosystem. He also engineered a collaboration with Visa, enabling the issuance of digital and physical prepaid Visa cards for du Pay users, a move he said would “empower the financially underserved in the UAE.”
Levi’s leadership extends beyond product features; he has steered du Pay to outperform its internal projections. In under six months after launch, the platform was reportedly exceeding ambitious growth targets by three to four times. This early success reinforced his confidence that du Pay could play a central role in reshaping payments in the UAE.
Driving Growth and Inclusion
From the start, Nicolas Levi focused on inclusivity. Recognizing that many residents including domestic workers and expatriates rely heavily on cash and lack conventional banking access, he positioned du Pay as a simple, accessible alternative. By localizing the user experience in multiple languages and simplifying onboarding, he aimed to lower barriers to adoption.
Levi has also publicly highlighted how telecommunications operators like du can play a central role in the future of fintech. He argues that telecoms already have broad customer reach, deep infrastructure, and data insights advantages that can reduce customer acquisition costs and enable faster scaling. In interviews, he has contrasted that with traditional banks, which often face higher barriers when entering emerging payments markets.
Nicolas Levi does not shy away from ambition: he envisions du Pay evolving into a comprehensive fintech “super app” over time, incorporating lending, investments, and other financial services. In remarks to Enterprise News, he discussed future prospects like integrating crypto and investment tools into du Pay’s roadmap.
Recognition and Impact
In 2025, under Levi’s leadership, du Pay secured the E-Payment Solution of the Year award at the Entrepreneur Leaders in E-Business Awards, marking early external validation of its product quality and market impact. This recognition aligned with his insistence that the platform must be not just functional, but also secure, seamless, and customer-centric.
Levi’s tenure has coincided with rapid user growth and heightened visibility. By its first anniversary, du Pay had crossed hundreds of thousands of downloads and processed significant transaction volumes. Under his direction, the company has repeatedly emphasized its role in supporting users to send money home, manage utilities, top up phones, and transact without cash.
Levi often frames du Pay’s success as part of a broader national mission. He links the platform’s growth to the UAE’s digital transformation agenda and sees du Pay as a building block toward a truly cashless society. By targeting underserved populations and simplifying cross-border remittances, Levi positions du Pay as a business venture, and as a social enabler too.
Outlook Under Levi’s Leadership
As CEO, Levi continues to steer du Pay toward expansion, deeper financial services, and stronger partnerships. He remains vocal about embedding the app further into daily life from payments and transfers to lending, investments, and beyond. He also continues to speak about how du Pay leverages du’s telecom strengths customer reach, infrastructure, and distribution capabilities to gain an advantage in the competitive fintech space.
Despite being a relatively new entrant, du Pay under Levi’s direction has already demonstrated noteworthy momentum. His insistence on accessibility, partnership, and bold vision has helped the app gain early traction and industry respect. As the UAE accelerates toward a less cash-reliant economy, Levi’s influence over du Pay’s trajectory could leave an enduring mark on how millions transact, save, and manage money in the Emirates.
