DC 2023

Financial technology plays a key role in accelerating climate adaptation and achieving various sustainability goals. Climate-smart fintech companies can be found in all shapes and sizes from mobility to logistics, insurance, agri-financing, embedded carbon finance, and web3 rails for supply chain traceability are just a few areas where fintech is playing a role in the future of the planet we all share. This discussion brings together active stakeholders enabling and building climate-smart fintech solutions to better understand the role fintech plays in the climate sustainability discussion and how fintechs can build applications that have a meaningful impact on the future of our climate.

It has been said that while fintech is disruptive in the west, however, it is eruptive and creative in Africa; erupting the traditional financial services industry and creating previously non-existent products and services. As Africa has become one of the world’s most dynamic fintech markets, the continent is poised to bring forth several fintech unicorns and set the pace for global financial innovation. Despite this, many questions remain unanswered about the work that remains to be seen across the continent. How is financial inclusion being achieved particularly at the ‘last-mile’? What new products and services are making waves and changing the way we do business and live? What challenges lie ahead for industry operators? The panel brings fintech luminaries and subject matter experts to share their insight behind the future of our industry and the work that needs to be done in the coming years.

Africa has become a bastion of innovation for blockchain technology and most notably, cryptocurrency. Inflation protection, international transfers, peer-to-peer payments, investment, and land ownership are only a few areas where blockchain technology is being implemented across Africa. Despite cryptocurrency’s recent price fluctuation, what is its future in Africa? In light of recent exchange failures, what regulation is needed to balance adoption with consumer and investor protection? Where are new applications being born? This panel discussion will answer all of these questions and more with insights from some of the biggest blockchain and cryptocurrency changemakers on the African continent.