Inclusive FinTech Forum

Inclusive FinTech Forum is one of Africa's leading fintech conferences, hosted in Kigali and focused on the intersection of financial inclusion, technology innovation and pan-African market development. It sits alongside Africa Payments and RegTech Forum, EBAday and Unchain Festival as calendar anchors for the same audiences.

What happens

The forum combines a multi-track conference programme with policy roundtables, startup showcases and structured networking targeted at the practical realities of building financial services for African markets. Sessions cover mobile money interoperability, cross-border payments, digital identity and KYC, agency banking, MSME finance, and the policy and regulatory environment shaping African fintech across multiple jurisdictions. Demo sessions and pitch competitions give African startups stage time, and the forum's policy programme brings central bank representatives and government officials into direct dialogue with industry.

Who attends

The audience is concentrated in the African fintech ecosystem: founders and operating teams from fintechs across Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Egypt, Rwanda, Côte d'Ivoire and the wider continent, mobile-network operator financial-services leadership, regional bank executives, regulators and central bank representatives from across Africa, and a meaningful investor contingent including impact investors, development finance institutions and increasingly traditional growth-stage VC. International visitors come from European fintechs serving African markets, US-based investors, and global organisations active in financial inclusion programming.

Dominant themes

Mobile money remains foundational to the programme, with sessions on interoperability across networks and countries, the impact of pan-African payment infrastructure including the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) under AfCFTA, and the practical mechanics of agency banking models. Digital identity, alternative credit data, MSME and gig-worker finance, and cross-border remittances receive substantial coverage. Women's financial inclusion is a recurring focus, alongside emerging themes around AI applications in credit, climate finance and the role of stablecoins in African B2B settlement. Regulatory harmonisation across African markets is a perennial topic.

Planning to attend

Kigali is increasingly well-served by direct flights from major hubs and is known for its safety, walkability and ease of conducting business. Hotel supply is sufficient and the city is cost-competitive. Visa requirements vary by nationality; Rwanda offers visa-on-arrival or e-visa for most nationalities, but check policies well in advance. The conference language is English with some French representation given regional attendance. International visitors often combine the trip with field visits to fintech operations across East Africa given the logistical investment of the journey for most attendees.

Use the expense calculator below to estimate the total cost of attending — registration, flights, hotels, meals, and ground transport.