Asanda Dayimani grew up in Khayelitsha, an experience that shaped how she views the world. She learnt early that talent is spread evenly but opportunity is not. She was unaware that one day she would build something aimed at closing that gap.Dayimani, who has BCom in economics, began her career as a financial adviser, helping people make sense of their money.Over the years, she saw the hurdles businesses faced when moving money across borders, including slow transfers and hidden fees.This led to DayPay, the Johannesburg fintech company she founded while studying and which she leads. The company is building a cross-border payments platform for African small and medium enterprises and merchants, described as a "Wise for African businesses". Its first corridor is South Africa to Zimbabwe, with a mission of connecting Africa through smart cross-border payments.Dayimani's typical day combines product decisions, regulatory work, investor conversations and team check-ins. What keeps her going is knowing that a payment arriving faster and more cheaply can help a shop owner restock on time, a supplier get paid and a family business grow.Fintech is heavily regulated and she regards compliance as a strength rather than a hurdle. DayPay holds its Financial Sector Conduct Authority financial services provider licence and is pursuing further South African Reserve Bank authorisations.Beyond DayPay, she serves as Country Director of School Box Africa. She was selected to represent South Africa at the G20 Young Entrepreneurs' Alliance and the Brics youth summit.Her biggest lesson is to start before feeling ready. She has learnt that regulation, funding and technical difficulties can be solved one step at a time, and that building alone is hard.Dayimani advises young women in fintech to see their background as an edge, ask questions, learn the industry's rules and not wait for permission.