For this public policy lead, innovation at Amazon starts with fairness and ends with resilience

Amira Karim doesn’t just talk about innovation. Amazon’s public policy lead for Payments & Financial Services translates it into something tangible that changes lives. Whether working with governments to rebuild post-conflict economies or developing pathways for financial inclusion, her work focuses on one question: How do we make systems fairer and more inclusive for those who need them most?

“The biggest misconception is that these industries converge for their own sake or that their integration is purely technical,” she says. “In reality, this convergence is deeply human — it’s about addressing societal challenges like financial inclusion, social inequality and economic recovery in vulnerable regions.”

She’s seen this up close. At the World Bank, Amira helped Southeast Asian governments implement systems that brought financial tools to underserved communities. Programmable money, or digital currency coded with specific conditions, allowed small businesses to prioritise essentials such as inventory or equipment.

It automated payments in a way that made reinvestment strategic rather than reactive.

Then, there were instant payments. Businesses operating on thin margins could access cash immediately, a critical support for survival and growth. These tools broke barriers to global markets for micro-entrepreneurs — especially women-led businesses, which make up a significant share of micro-enterprises globally. Faster, more secure payments built trust with suppliers and customers.

Technology’s promise — and its risks 

It sounds almost utopian. But Amira is no wide-eyed tech evangelist. She is clear-eyed about the risks of programmable money and blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI). “Biases in technology can amplify inequalities, and poorly governed solutions can exacerbate existing disparities,” she warns.

Web 3.0 holds particular promise but raises new questions. “Web 2.0 brought scale and accessibility, but Web 3.0’s promise of decentralisation must be inclusive and align with practical, real-world applications,” Amira explains. It’s not enough for these systems to exist; they need to be designed with accessibility and inclusivity in mind. 

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This isn’t abstract for her: She circles back to her work with governments to integrate programmable money and instant payments into systems that directly supported micro-businesses and marginalised communities.

When implemented thoughtfully with inclusivity intentionally built into the design from the outset, these technologies created economic opportunities and, equally importantly, progress where none existed before.

Collaborative discovery 

For Amira, progress has always been about people working together to solve problems. She calls this “collaborative discovery”: a willingness for governments, businesses, and communities to step into uncertainty and learn together.

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“Some of the most meaningful solutions emerge when we acknowledge that no single sector has all the answers,” she explains. “It’s about moving beyond transactional relationships to imagine new possibilities.” 

She sees future partnerships grounded in three principles: humble innovation — recognising that emerging technologies like AI and quantum computing require joint exploration; inclusive design — bringing in diverse voices, including displaced and underserved communities, from the start; and adaptive governance — creating flexible frameworks that evolve as we learn.

Shared data trusts, joint research labs, and community-led pilot projects that test technologies in real-world conditions manifest these principles. They are key to tackling systemic challenges like climate change and technological disruption. “It’s about creating innovation with soul — technical advancement guided by human values,” she affirms.

The stories that shape her perspective 

Still, for all her subject-matter expertise, Amira often returns to the personal. Her family’s story of displacement during Singapore’s urban development looms large in her thinking, her grandfather being a quiet source of inspiration.

“His resilience taught me that optimism must be tempered with accountability,” she recounts. “He studied English and mechanical engineering by candlelight after long shifts because he believed education was about advancing yourself and serving others. That principle guides me every day.”

This becomes a simple but powerful conviction in her work: Technology must serve the many, not the privileged few. “Technology alone doesn’t solve problems,” Amira says. “It has to be thoughtfully designed into systems that promote fairness and resilience.” 

“There are no quick fixes for systemic challenges,” she adds, reminding me that this isn’t work for the impatient. “It takes collaboration, patience and a willingness to learn from setbacks.”

Amira’s insights reveal a sharp understanding of how innovation can solve and complicate problems. Whether through programmable money, instant payments or frameworks for emerging technologies, her drive remains resolute.

“The challenges we face — inequality, economic fragility, technological disruption — are deeply connected,” she says. “The solutions must reflect that interconnectedness.”