The second version of Standard Chartered Bank PLC’s Digital Banking, Innovation, and Fintech Festival has begun, bringing together industry professionals, seasoned experts, and practical Fintech innovators from Africa, Singapore, and other areas of Asia.
The two-day event serves as a venue for showcasing, engaging in, strategizing, and debating best practices and regulations as the continent evolves toward a future-proof and dynamic digital financial environment.
H.E. Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, stated in his keynote address at the opening session that “positioning Africa as a fintech innovation hub requires collaboration from all ecosystem players – banks, fintechs, telecom companies, governments, regulators, and consumers.”
Standard Chartered PLC Group Chief Executive Bill Winters stated that the bank is “directing investment to new platforms, partnerships, and ventures that will shape the direction of the company, a pivot that is already demonstrating clear evidence of success, the strong tech foundations we are building in CCIB, and CPBB business, and investments in new platforms and ventures.”
Mansa Nettey, Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Ghana PLC, highlighted the increasingly complex nature of technology, which necessitates innovative approaches to problem solving, saying that “the world over, digitalisation is not only redefining how we do business, but it is evolving at supersonic speed.”
It is critical that we not only keep up with the changing dynamic of client requirements and innovation, but that we also establish new business models based on a framework that supports the digital era.”
On the first day of the Fintech Festival, panelists discussed how digital technology has changed the way Africa’s financial services industry offers products and services to consumers in a panel session titled “Powering Africa’s Digital Economy: Platforms | Players | Policy,” which was also the main theme of this year’s Fintech Festival.
Serigne Dioum, Chief Digital and Fintech Officer, MTN Group Ltd; Kwadwo Ntim, General Manager, Technology & Operations GhIPSS; Aparna J, Director of Partnerships, Proxtera, Singapore; and Serigne Dioum, John Bosco Sebabi, Deputy CEO, were among the panelists.
The event is hosted in conjunction with SC Ventures and brings together players in the fintech industry to interact, cooperate, and engage on issues relevant to digitalization, policy, innovation, and technology in the financial sector (Innovation and Fintech Investment Unit of Standard Chartered)