Stakeholders met in Washington D.C at the Africa Fintech Summit to form partnerships, mobilize investments and address industry challenges.
Following the theme of Globalization of African tech, the 9th Africa Fintech Summit which took place on April 12 provided a platform for stronger US-Africa fintech investment ties and collaborations.
“We believe that believes increased collaboration between Fintech Founders, Strategic Industry leaders, Diasporan Investors, as well as global regulators, is essential to unlocking the potential of Fintech in Africa, Financial inclusion as well as innovation capital in the eruptive African Fintech ecosystem,” said Zekarias Amsalu, Co-Founder of AFTS in an earlier interview.
At the same time, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called on the World Bank to undertake additional reforms this year to expand its ability to help developing countries meet global challenges including reducing extreme poverty and climate change.
African delegations sought breakthroughs in talks between China and the IMF over how to restructure billions of dollars in debt to unlock aid.
Debt distress in Africa
Therefore, with 25 percent of emerging markets and 60% of low-income countries, including in Africa, in or near debt distress, richer countries need to write off up to $520 billion, according to Boston University.
“Debt distress needs urgent resolution to avoid defaults, as the IMF and World Bank meet,” says Zem Negatu, the chairman of Fairfax Africa Fund.
According to Kenneth Rogoff, IMF chief economist and a professor at Harvard University, a central tension in the talks is the question of whether China, the IMF and World the Bank can coordinate in writing off some of this debt.
With participants who represent over $4.5 billion in private equity and venture capital funding, the Africa Fintech Summit is the premier global initiative dedicated to financial technology growth in Africa.
Furthermore, the summit provides the best opportunities for key stakeholders to share knowledge, zoom in on the trends, and opportunities shaping perspectives, and the future of fintech in Africa.
The DC Summit has the support of numerous prominent fintech companies including Flutterwave, Mojaloop Foundation, FonBank, Paxful, and counting.
The 8th Africa Fintech Summit took place in Cape Town, South Africa from November 2-4, 2022 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).