Dr. Saeeda Jaffar is Managing Director, Middle East & Africa at Circle, where she leads the region in advancing the adoption of digital currency infrastructure to enable faster, more efficient global payments and financial services. She works closely with financial institutions, fintechs, enterprises, and regulators to drive innovation across payments, treasury, and cross-border transactions.

With more than 20 years of leadership experience, Dr. Jaffar has advised and led transformation initiatives across the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, specializing in financial services, strategy, M&A, and performance improvement. Prior to joining Circle, she held senior leadership positions at Visa, McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, and Alvarez & Marsal.

Dr. Jaffar serves on the Board of Trustees of Kuwait University, is a Board Advisor to the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), and is a member of the Advisory Council of the Dubai International Chamber. She previously served as a non-executive board member of United Arab Bank. Her leadership has been recognized by Forbes Middle East’s 100 Most Powerful Women (2023–2025), as well as Arabian Business, Gulf Business, Economy Middle East, and Fast Company.