This archive report was first published on 9 July 2019.
On July 9, 2019, Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) announced a KES 5 Million sponsorship towards the inaugural Afro-Asia FinTech Festival 2019, ‘Fintech in the Savannah’, co-hosted by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
The two-day festival, themed “Sustainable Finance; Inclusive and green”, was held at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies on July 15-16, 2019. This was the first of its kind in the region, providing a platform for connections, collaborations, and exchange of ideas between Africa and Asia.
According to Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, Chief Financial Services Officer, Safaricom, “The festival is a great platform for us as it presents opportunities to showcase the progress that Safaricom has made over the years towards financial technology as well as interact with peers in FinTech across the globe.”
He added, “Two years ago, we opened up our Daraja API portal giving over 16,000 developers an opportunity to integrate their businesses with M-PESA seamlessly. This is in line with our strategy to deepen financial inclusion and give developers a chance to come up with new innovations.”
Dr. Patrick Njoroge, Governor, Central Bank of Kenya, stated, “We are indeed delighted to host such a unique event which shows where we are as an African country in the spectrum of Fintech, we are at the front. We are the pacesetters and we are not just excited about technology but the difference it is making for millions of people in Africa and billions around the world.”
The event brought together over 5,000 participants, policy makers, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, and researchers across the world, providing a platform for players to exchange ideas, forge partnerships, and nurture thriving Fintech ecosystems.
