A South African entrepreneur has put the country on the global stage. After weeks of anticipation, Karlind Govender has won first place in the business diplomacy category at an international public diplomacy competition held in Moscow, where thousands of participants from around the world gathered to discuss international cooperation, shared values and the role of public diplomacy.
Govender, founder of Bankineer, a proposed digital cooperative banking venture, received the recognition at the fifth International Leader of Public Diplomacy Contest on September 18, 2026. The awards ceremony formed part of the Second World Public Assembly, held in Moscow on September 18 and 19 under the theme 'New World: Values That Unite'.
The contest attracted more than 300 participants, with 31 advancing to the international stage.
The competition recognises people who develop practical initiatives to strengthen connections between countries and communities through fields including business, culture, education, media, science, sport and volunteering.
Govender was awarded first place in the business diplomacy category, ahead of Australian participant Rashad Bilimoria, who received second place. Third-place recognition was shared by participants from Cameroon, Russia and Lebanon.
The award recognises Govender's work in business diplomacy and his plans for Bankineer, which he says aims to make banking more accessible while embedding community socio-economic development into its operations.
World Public Assembly brings together thousands
The Second World Public Assembly brought together 6,012 participants from 154 countries, according to the organisers' post-event report. More than 10,000 additional people reportedly joined online.
Organised by the World Peoples Assembly, the gathering featured 72 plenary sessions, strategic discussions, expert meetings and business events.
Participants included diplomats, public figures, representatives of international organisations, academics, scientists, business leaders, cultural practitioners, youth organisations and media representatives.
The assembly's programme looked into the role of shared values in building trust and cooperation across national and cultural boundaries.
There were also groundbreaking discussions that covered public diplomacy, humanitarian cooperation, education, science, cultural heritage, historical memory, technology and responsibility towards future generations.
The gathering continued an international public dialogue launched at the first World Public Assembly in 2025. Its stated aim is to encourage cooperation between people and communities beyond traditional government-to-government diplomatic relations.
Among the prominent figures associated with the 2026 assembly was Fidel Antonio Castro-Smirnov, grandson of former Cuban president Fidel Castro. An academician of the Cuban Academy of Sciences and professor at the University of Havana, he was announced as deputy secretary-general of the World Peoples Assembly during the event.
Castro-Smirnov addressed the relationship between science, technology and human dignity, arguing that scientific and technological progress should benefit society broadly rather than a privileged few.
The assembly also included international figures from public life, academia and culture, with the programme designed to bring together people from different professional backgrounds to discuss cooperation and the values they believe should shape the future.
Questions and answers with Karlind Govender
1. What has winning the competition meant for you, and what feedback did you receive from the judges?
Winning the contest in the business diplomacy category was a deeply meaningful experience. To see my name next to my country in first place was at first hyperreal, followed by a sense of gratitude and reinforced purpose.
Sharing the platform with other leaders and winners in other categories also opened a door for collective priorities and collaboration as we all move forward. Although at times there were language barriers between contestants, I did feel that the connectedness was authentic as we laid the foundation with a critical mass.
Feedback from the judges was also very positive, and an offer was made for me to be a judge for next year's contest and be part of the team that hosts the South African leg of the international competition.
2. You mentioned the potential to attract investors and partners through the competition. Have any concrete opportunities or partnerships emerged since then?
Yes, and the number of people who approached me was a bit overwhelming at times, but also an absolute honour, as so many saw the value in Bankineer's aims. While respecting privacy, I can confidently say that a concrete opportunity for partnership is currently a work in progress.
3. What is the current status of Bankineer, and what are the next steps?
Bankineer's overall status is approximately 70% complete in readiness to get to market, with the most important task of ensuring we have the right people who work well together to lead the organisation and its intentions and values being 100% complete.
While I am a laureate and winner of the International Leader of Public Diplomacy for all my international relations work and the key project Bankineer, there is simply no way I would or could lead the venture without the time, effort and years of expertise provided by the invaluable leadership and direction of the rest of the team.
Amongst many other luminaries within the team, to name a few, Bankineer includes:
Dr and Professor Saths Cooper, chairperson of Robben Island Museum, who was a co-founder of the Black Consciousness Movement with Steve Biko and others, and also a political prisoner in the same cell block as Nelson Mandela.
Dr Mervyn G Maistry, former anti-apartheid activist and former global COO of Deutsche Bank.
Colin Geoffreys, former anti-apartheid activist and vice-president of the Black People's Convention during the 1974 Viva Frelimo rallies period, now practising through his own law firm in Cape Town.
Faiez Jacobs, a former anti-apartheid political prisoner and former portfolio whip in Parliament, with more than 30 years of leadership experience in governance, public finance, oversight and strategy.
Samuel Appadoo, who holds two master's degrees from Spain and the US, and has more than 20 years of expertise in banking and financial services across Mauritius, Seychelles, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UAE.
While I cannot disclose our intellectual property regarding details around our steps and route to market, I can say that we are looking forward to unveiling our impact in the fairly near future.
4. What regulatory approvals or other milestones still need to be completed before Bankineer can begin operating?
A key regulatory approval is to ensure that we receive the banking licence from the Prudential Authority. However, we do meet the relevant requirements, and our team of experts makes sure that our conduct in adherence to the law and best practice is done to the letter.
5. How would Bankineer work differently from existing banks, particularly in making banking more accessible and affordable for ordinary South Africans?
Thanks for that great question! When we look at the world of banking and the financial sector at large, we do see how those systems are often used to grow and entrench oppression and discrimination, where banking is often purely an extractive enterprise.
In broad brush strokes, banking should not weaponise; it must humanise. Our plan, in addition to creating jobs, is in part to embed ourselves in community socio-economic development and do this in a measurable, results-based manner that does not use the ideas around economic and community development as mere PR slogans or warm and fuzzy advertising opportunities, but delivers real impact.
Access and affordability have for too long been barriers and a force against people.
We will use banking to unlock the real potential of individual and community innovation. Watch this space!
6. Looking ahead, what are your main goals for Bankineer over the next 12 months, and how will this international recognition help you achieve them?
The goal is simply to continue on the path and plan we are already on. International recognition is a wonderful nod to the pursuit, and I've been invited to a few international platforms since to speak and unpack the need.
So it's full steam ahead.
In a modern world, banking is a fundamental human right. With some elbow grease, let's continue to push back against the abuse of human rights by building stronger.
Banking should not be devoid of socio-economic community development.
The aim ultimately is financial inclusion and banking dignity based in pragmatic cooperation for what's needed — that being holistic banking.
IOL