LONDON: Boku Inc, the leading provider of localized payment solutions, has announced that Stuart Neal will take over as its new Chief Executive Officer and Director from January 2024. Neal succeeds Jon Prideaux, who will retire after eight years at the helm of Boku, but will remain on the Board as a Non-Executive Director.

Neal is a veteran of the payments industry, with more than 20 years of experience in various roles, including Boku’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer. He was instrumental in Boku’s IPO and the growth of its Identity Division, which was acquired by Twilio in 2022.

Boku operates a global network of over 300 local payment methods, including Direct Carrier Billing, digital wallets and Account-to-Account connections, that enable consumers to pay for online goods and services using their preferred payment method. Boku’s network reaches over 7.5 billion consumer payment accounts in more than 90 countries, and serves global merchants such as Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Netflix, Spotify, Tencent and Sky.

“I am excited to return to Boku as CEO at such a dynamic and promising time for the payments industry,” commented Stuart Neal, CEO, Boku. “Our mission at Boku is to empower people everywhere to pay for the services they love the way they want, and allow global merchants to seamlessly offer localized payment choice and unlock new growth. I look forward to leading the phenomenal Boku team as we continue to innovate and forge new partnerships, creating the global network of localized payment solutions and giving both merchants and consumers real payment choice.”

Jon Prideaux, Non-executive Director and former CEO at Boku, said; “We’ve secured partnerships with all the major tech players, successfully expanded beyond carrier billing and established ourselves as a global force in local payments – driven initially by e-wallets and later by account-to-account payments. It’s the perfect time to pass the baton to someone who can lead the Company into its next chapter. Knowing Stuart well, I believe he is the ideal candidate to continue the strategy we have set out.”