Irfan Afzal

CEO at Cross Connect Capital Ltd

Irfan Afzal is the founder and managing director of Cross Connect Capital, which he established in London in 2020. The firm initially focused on African infrastructure projects in the energy sector and has delivered mandates spanning developing Central Asian trade and logistics opportunities, debt and equity raises for a Canadian energy project, and corporate advisory for Pakistani firms in the energy and sports industries.

Before founding Cross Connect Capital, Irfan established and led the Syndication and Agency department at Afreximbank after joining the bank in 2016. He regularly travelled across the continent to cultivate relationships with financial institutions, sovereign entities and corporates across East, West and Southern/sub‑Saharan Africa.

In 2017 Irfan founded the African Syndications Forum in London. The forum grew to include more than 40 leading international and African banks, and he organised quarterly meetings in London.

Irfan is an experienced investment and corporate banking professional, with a proven track record in previous roles, in the origination and execution of cross-border structured finance transactions in Oil & Gas, Metal & Mining, Renewable Energy, new markets and business development (Africa, Russia, Middle East & Asia).