From learning to building: How the PalmPay Purple Woman Program helped Yetunde Folarin break into the fintech sector

For Yetunde Folarin, building solutions has always been something that interested her. While she had already begun her journey in backend engineering, breaking into the fintech industry and contributing to large-scale financial systems was a goal she had long hoped to achieve.

That opportunity came through the Purple Woman Program, an initiative by PalmPay designed to equip women with in-demand skills and open doors to career opportunities in technology.

One year ago, Yetunde Folarin joined PalmPay as an intern. Today, she works as a Junior Backend Engineer helping build systems that support millions of financial transactions.

Read also: IWD: PalmPay champions female inclusivity with tech skills training for 100 women

Bridging skills with opportunity

The Purple Woman Program focuses on preparing women with skills that are highly relevant in today’s workforce.

For Yetunde, the program was more than just a learning experience.

“PamPay gave me the confidence to pursue a tech career. Backend engineering is essentially the foundation of digital products,” she explains. “It’s the part users don’t see, but it’s what ensures that everything works, from processing transactions to storing data securely.”

Yetunde shared these reflections during the recently concluded Purple Woman event held in Ikeja, where participants, industry leaders, and partners gathered to celebrate the program’s growing impact.

During her internship, Yetunde gained hands-on experience working alongside PalmPay’s engineering team, learning how backend systems power digital financial services from transaction processing to fraud prevention and system reliability.

Her dedication and performance during the 3-day masterclass earned her an internship opportunity with PalmPay in 2025, where she now works as a Junior Backend Engineer.

A new perspective on security

Working in fintech quickly changed Yetunde’s understanding of how critical security is in digital financial services.

“As a backend engineer, you begin to see how much responsibility comes with building systems that protect people’s money and data,” she says. “With PalmPay, security is not just an extra feature; it’s built into every part of the system.”

Since joining PalmPay, she says one thing that has stood out is the company’s deep focus on protecting users.

“PalmPay is extremely meticulous when it comes to security. Every process, every system, every layer is designed with the user’s safety in mind.”

From secure authentication systems to fraud prevention mechanisms, she says the company’s infrastructure is built to ensure that millions of users can transact with confidence.

“It made me realise how much work happens behind the scenes to keep users safe. The security features are strong, and there’s a lot of attention to detail in how everything is implemented.”

Creating opportunities for more women

Stories like Yetunde’s highlight the impact of initiatives like the Purple Woman Program. Her journey serves as a powerful reminder of what is possible when women are given access to the right skills, mentorship, and opportunities.

This year’s edition of the Purple Woman program continued that mission, equipping 100 women with practical, in-demand skills across high-demand fields, including Digital Marketing, Software Engineering, and Product Management.

At the end of the program, 10 outstanding participants were offered internship opportunities, giving them the chance to kick-start their careers and gain hands-on industry experience, just as Yetunde once did.

For Yetunde, the experience has been transformative.

“The Purple Woman Program didn’t just provide learning opportunities,” she says. “It opened the door for me to step into the fintech space and contribute to systems that impact millions of people.”

Stories like Yetunde’s highlight the long-term impact of initiatives like the Purple Woman Program, which continues to create opportunities for women to build careers in technology and fintech.

Read also: PalmPay eyes unicorn status amid talks to raise $50m-$100m in Series B funding

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