Format: Virtual
Organized by: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Africa Fintech Network (AFN), and 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion
Background
Africa's fintech sector continues to be one of the world's fastest-growing innovation ecosystems, driving financial inclusion, digital commerce, and cross-border economic integration. The continent has become home to pioneering payment platforms, digital banking solutions, embedded finance, and emerging technologies that are reshaping how individuals and businesses access and manage financial services.
Despite this remarkable progress, the ecosystem remains fragmented. Investors, financial institutions, regulators, development partners, and corporate innovators often face significant challenges in identifying and engaging with high-potential fintech companies across multiple markets. Likewise, many mature African fintech firms lack consistent opportunities to showcase their technologies to a targeted global audience beyond traditional investment forums.
To address this gap, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in partnership with the 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion and Africa Fintech Network (AFN), is launching Africa FinTech Forward, a quarterly virtual showcase designed to spotlight innovative fintech solutions, facilitate strategic dialogue, and strengthen partnerships across Africa's digital financial ecosystem.
The inaugural session of Africa FinTech Forward will explore the rapidly evolving landscape of digital payments and cross-border remittances across Africa and beyond. The session will showcase practical fintech innovations addressing the movement of money across markets, with a focus on cross-border payment infrastructure, digital payment solutions, financial interoperability, and emerging approaches to remittances.
The session will feature three carefully selected fintech companies two African innovators and one global company providing participants with a diverse perspective on how technology is transforming payments across different markets. The live product showcases will be followed by an expert fireside discussion examining market developments, opportunities for scale, regulatory considerations, and the role of innovation in building more efficient and inclusive payment ecosystems.
Session Details:
Date: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Time: 12:00 WAT | 13:00 CAT | 14:00 EAT
Format: Live Product Showcases + Expert Fireside Chat
Register Now: 🔗https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YQNVLbuqTj6XiTf4mx9r6w
Featured FinTech Innovators
KundaPay
Anouchka Minkoue Obame, Founder & CEO
KundaPay is a woman-led FinTech company building bidirectional cross-border payment infrastructure connecting Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Bootstrapped and growing organically, the company has processed more than €300,000 in transaction volume and serves over 1,000 active users, demonstrating the potential of innovative fintech solutions to facilitate more accessible and connected international payments.
Chapa Financial Technologies
Bersabeh Shiferaw, Account Manager
Chapa is an Ethiopian digital payments company providing online payment gateway solutions that enable local and international businesses to accept digital payments seamlessly. As a key player in Ethiopia's rapidly evolving digital payments ecosystem, Chapa is contributing to the expansion of digital commerce and helping businesses navigate payment integration, local market requirements, and digital adoption.
INTELI EXPRESS — Global FinTech Company
Levan Tavartkiladze, Deputy Director
INTELI EXPRESS is a global money transfer network operating across more than 90 countries and through over 57,000 locations. Bringing decades of experience in international money transfers, the company provides a global perspective on cross-border remittances and offers insights into evolving payment corridors, international connectivity, and the strategic importance of emerging routes such as the Middle Corridor.
What the Session Will Explore
The session will provide an opportunity to examine how fintech innovation is addressing key challenges and opportunities in digital payments and cross-border remittances, including the evolution of payment infrastructure, increasing interoperability between financial systems, the expansion of digital payment channels, and the development of more efficient cross-border transaction models.
By bringing together African innovators and a global fintech leader, this session will offer participants a comparative perspective on emerging solutions and market developments while creating opportunities for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and partnership across the African and global fintech ecosystems.
For more information, please contact:
- Melat Haile – melat.haile@un.org
- Bahta Mamo – bahta.bekele@un.org