David Lighton

David Lighton is an entrepreneur, former World Bank staff member, and expert on financial inclusion. He is the Founder and CEO of Diameter Pay, a fintech company improving access to the global payments system for emerging market banks and their customers. The company provides US Dollar services to underserved banks, including automated payment processing and financial crime compliance, using machine learning. 

David has received grant funding for his R&D work from sponsors including the European Commission, the MIT Media Lab, the Polish Ministry of Science, the Mastercard Foundation, and Ripple Labs, where he was instrumental in the launch of one of the world’s first blockchain-based global settlement networks. 

Previously, he was a Special Assistant in the World Bank where, following the Haiti earthquake, he developed the Haiti National Financial Inclusion Strategy with a focus on payments for the unbanked. He was also a Consultant to the International Finance Corporation.

David holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, an MA in International Economics and International Relations from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University, and a BA (cum laude) in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University.