With low bank penetration rates and the high adoption of alternative payment methods such as mobile money, Africa is predicted to be the future of fintech. The Africa Fintech Summit is a global initiative dedicated to highlighting the African fintech ecosystem.

Usually held twice a year in the USA and Africa, this year’s Summit has been merged into a three-day online event, taking place on 9, 10 and 12 November.

The Summit will feature keynotes from Togo’s Hon. Cina Lawson, minister of digital economy and digital transformation, Jack Dorsey, the chairman and co-founder of Square and Admassu Tadesse, president and CEO of the Trade and Development Bank.

Sixty senior-level executives from companies including Jumia, DHL, Libra, Citigroup, TymeBank and Yoco will cover topics including cryptocurrency, decentralised finance, pan-African interoperability, government transitions to cashless and digital economies and investment strategies during and post-COVID-19.

Each day’s content covers the trends uncovered in the Africa Fintech: State of the Industry 2020 report, a 63-page profile dedicated to the continent’s fintech innovators, investors and policymakers. The opening day of the Summit will focus on the major regional fintech ecosystems across the continent, with separate sessions dedicated to East, West, North, Central and South Africa.

Day two will focus on Fintech-enabled business models, analysing how fintech is providing a backbone for innovation in sectors such as e-commerce & trade, healthcare and agriculture. There will also be a dedicated session to pay-as-you-go (PayG) business models that have seen a significant increase in popularity due to their ability to facilitate access to crucial, but often inaccessible services.

On day three of the event, fintech investors, decentralised finance experts & thought leaders will discuss best practices for common innovator challenges including market expansion, raising capital, applicability of blockchain and vetting prospective fintech partners. Day three will also feature partner-led workshops focusing on impact validation and an investor data room workshop led by Mercy Corps Ventures, the impact investment arm of Mercy Corps, a US-based NGO.

Concluding the summit is the regional final of Pegasus Tech Ventures’ Startup World Cup, the largest global pitch competition.

The winner of the Summit’s regional final will compete against 60 other startups for US$1M in Silicon Valley in May 2021. This year also saw the first AFTS virtual bootcamp take place as part of AFTS’s Alpha Expo programme that aims to get startups investor-ready. The top three candidates from the programme will also be entered into the Startup World Cup regional final.

Registration for the event has closed. 

Up to 250 complimentary delegate passes, sponsored by Jack Dorsey, are available to students. Students may request to receive a pass by contacting info@africafintechsummit.com.