This year’s Africa Fintech Festival will be conducted in Kampala, Uganda on November 5 and 6 as part of the 2019 Financial Inclusion Week. The event will be held at the Kampala Serene Hotel. SoftPower News reported that the event seeks to gather key players in the financial technology industry from more than 26 African countries, along with government entities related to the sector.
To be hosted by the Financial Technology Service Providers Association of Uganda (FITSPA) and Financial Sector Deepening Uganda (FSDU), the event will tackle the role of fintech firms in the digital economy of Africa. This matter will be discussed in a two-day forum that features talks by representatives from top finance, technology, fintech, and business firms.
The festival will shed light on a wide variety of topics that can aid in the flourishing fintech scene in the region. To this end, the forum will also cover the challenges and opportunities in regulating the sector, while also making room for innovation, as the industry is considered a key player in the so-called “fourth industrial revolution.”
FSDU Executive Director remarked that the talks seek to open discussions about various opportunities to reinforce the existing market. Moreover, the event offers a chance to exhibit the potentials of local firms to prospective investors.
The festival also aims to widen the conversation about the contributions of fintechs in the region. According to FITSPA chairman Peter Kawumi, “fintechs have transformed financial services globally.” These firms have also been [addressing] challenges specific to the African context including the distance, relevance and high-cost structure of accessing financial services.
The African Fintech Festival 2019 website stated that speakers will also tackle topics such as financial inclusion, open banking, platforms for innovation, regulatory framework and capital and investment for the sector.