MPOWER Financing Hires Wall Street and Fintech Executive Christopher Zaki to Lead Capital Markets Team

Christopher Zaki joins innovative student loan provider as Head of Capital Markets to support continued growth.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MPOWER Financing, a mission-driven fintech firm and the leading provider of education loans to promising international and DACA students, announced industry veteran Christopher Zaki as its new Head of Capital Markets. Mr. Zaki will identify and lead strategic partnerships with capital providers across a variety of instruments, from warehouse lines to forward-flow agreements and private and public securitizations.

“After a record year for international student loan demand at MPOWER, we’re excited to have Chris on board as we write the next chapter of our growth story,” said Manu Smadja, CEO and Co-Founder of MPOWER Financing. “With his deep experience in capital markets and fintech, Chris will help us scale our loan capital engine and continue to deepen our lead in the international student lending market.”

“I am honored to join MPOWER and play a key role in helping advance the mission of making higher education and socioeconomic mobility borderless,” said Mr. Zaki. “As the company disrupts the lending industry with its rigorous, data-driven underwriting, I am also inspired by MPOWER’s steadfast commitment to innovation, customer service, and social impact.”

Mr. Zaki brings over 25 years of Wall Street experience in securitization, investment banking advisory, and corporate strategy, with a successful track record in leading corporate finance teams to help fast-growing companies scale investments in capital markets. He recently served as Head of Capital Markets at Above Lending, a consumer debt settlement lending fintech firm, where he led the corporate finance team with a particular focus on capital raising activities, financial planning, capital management, and business expansion initiatives. Mr. Zaki has also worked directly for other fintech firms, including Plum Lending, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), and Primus Guaranty, where he led new business development, M&A, and capital management.

In addition to his buy-side experience, Mr. Zaki spent a significant portion of his career at leading investment banks, including serving as an Executive Director at UBS. He also served in various capacities at Credit Suisse, HSBC, DLJ, Lehman Brothers, and Salomon Brothers.

Mr. Zaki holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.

About MPOWER Financing

MPOWER Financing, headquartered in Washington, D.C., and with employees worldwide, is a mission-driven fintech company and the leading provider of global education loans. It is the only student lender worldwide that uses a proprietary algorithm to analyze overseas and domestic credit data as well as future earning potential to serve promising international and DACA students. MPOWER works with over 400 top universities across the U.S. and Canada to provide financing to students from over 200 countries. The MPOWER team consists heavily of former international students and provides students with personal financial education and career support to prepare for life after school.

MPOWER was named one of the best places to work, one of the best tech workplaces for diversity, and one of American Banker’s top fintech firms to work for four years in a row. MPOWER is backed by Tilden Park Capital Management, King Street Capital Management, ETS Strategic Capital, Drakes Landing Associates, Pennington Alternative Income Management, Zephyr Peacock, Breega, Potencia Ventures, Goal Solutions, Gray Matters Capital, Cometa, AI8, DreamIt, 1776, Village Capital, Fresco, K Street, and University Ventures.