Ecobank, the pan-African Bank, has announced the top finalists for the 2024 Ecobank Fintech Challenge Hybrid semi final event, held at the bank’s Pan African Centre in Lagos, Nigeria.

 

 

The bank, in a statement issued on Thursday, disclosed that the  finalists were selected from 40 highly competitive Fintechs that made it to the semi-final stage of the competition. This year’s challenge, the statement further read, attracted over 1,550 applications from 70 countries in Africa and other global regions.

 

 

The finalists will showcase their innovative solutions at the Ecobank Fintech Challenge Grand Finale, scheduled for 27 September 2024, at the Ecobank Pan African Centre in Lomé, Togo.

 

 

The event, expected to be streamed live on Ecobank Group’s social media channels, to allow a global audience to participate, will see finalists compete for the US$50,000 ultimate prize.

 

 

Speaking at the Semi-Final, Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank Group, Jeremy Awori expressed the bank’s delight that the finalists in this year’s Ecobank Fintech Challenge showcased exceptional talent and innovation.

 

 

“We look forward to welcoming them to the finale. At Ecobank, we’re committed to collaborating with these business builders to develop products and services that will benefit our customers and contribute to our continent’s progress,” he stated.

 

 

The finalists include: BuuPass, Kenya; Daba Finance,Ivory Coast; EasyEquities, South Africa; Exuus, Rwanda; Melanin Kapital Neobank, Kenya; MiaPay, Togo; and  PaySika, Cameroon. Others include: PROBOUTIK, Senegal; Sawport Video Banking as a Virtual Branch, Nigeria; Sproutly, Nigeria; Vaultpay, and Democratic Republic of the Congo  YMO Africa, Guinea

 

 

The Ecobank Fintech Challenge, a flagship initiative of the Ecobank Group, organised for seven consecutive years, continues to serve as a premier continental platform for promoting innovation and collaboration between Fintechs and the pan-African Bank’s cross-border markets spanning 35 countries.

 

 

Since inception, 60 fintech startups have been inducted into the Ecobank Fintech Fellowship.

 

 

The Ecobank Fintech Challenge is designed in partnership with international advisory firm Konfidants and is supported by various partners including Huawei, Proparco, TechCabal, BlueSpace, Afrilabs, Africa Fintech Network, MEST Africa, Naija Startups, Expand In Africa and Founders Africa.

 

 

This year’s Grand Finale will bring together fintechs, regulators, investors, financial institutions, global technology companies, tech hubs, entrepreneurs, and industry experts.