This archive report was first published on 9 July 2019.
On July 15th and 16th, 2019, the inaugural Afro-Asia FinTech Festival, 'Fintech in the Savannah', will bring together over 5,000 participants, policy makers, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, and researchers from across the world at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies.
The event, co-hosted by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), is modelled after the Singapore FinTech Festival and aims to provide a platform for connections, collaborations, and exchange of ideas between Africa and Asia.
According to Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, Chief Financial Services Officer at Safaricom, the festival presents opportunities to showcase the progress made by Safaricom towards financial technology and interact with peers in FinTech across the globe.
“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,” said Sitoyo Lopokoiyit.
Central Bank of Kenya Governor Dr. Patrick Njoroge described the event as a demonstration of Kenya's leadership in Fintech, stating, “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 festival will explore sustainable financial services innovations from emerging Afro-Asian Markets and discuss topics such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Cyber Security, Technology risks, Social impacts, and the spirit of innovation among other key areas in Fintech.
Kenya has grown significantly in technology and is seen as a lucrative market for FinTechs, with two Kenyan companies, Cellulant and Tala, emerging among the Top 50 emerging Fintech companies in the world in the KPMG FinTech100 report last year.
