Egypt is hosting the Seamless North Africa FinTech Conference for the first time next Tuesday and Wednesday, under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
The conference will be opened by Tarek Amer, Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt, in the presence of several ministers and leaders from the Central Bank and the banking sector. The conference will include three main themes: financial technology, payment systems, and e-commerce.
The Central Bank said in a statement, “The conference comes within the framework of the Egyptian state’s constant commitment to keeping pace with the latest global financial technology technologies, with the aim of transforming to a digital economy and the subsequent enhancement of the concept of financial inclusion. The conference is being organized in partnership with the Council of Arab Economic Unity, the League of Arab States, and the Arab Federation for E-Commerce.”
The conference will host more than 500 participants from inside and outside Egypt, 50 international financial technology experts, and a large and diverse group of companies showcasing the latest innovative financial technology technologies worldwide and ways to enhance their application and benefit from them within the Egyptian market.
Tarek Amer, Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt, said, “The President’s sponsorship of this event reflects the Egyptian state’s interest in transforming itself into a regional hub for investment in innovative financial technology. Hosting the conference in Egypt is an important and direct message that reflects the opportunities available in this growing field within the promising Egyptian market. The conference represents a starting point for supporting the use of financial technology applications in Egypt, led by the Central Bank of Egypt. These applications are characterized by speed, ease, and low cost compared to traditional financial products and services. Consequently, a greater number of individuals can access these services, making them one of the most important pillars of financial inclusion.”
The FinTech Conference aims to attract more key players in the field of innovative and emerging financial technology applications, represented by accelerators, business incubators, and venture capital, to create an integrated system based on financial technology applications.
On the sidelines of the conference, a competition will be held between local and international companies specializing in fintech applications to showcase their innovative technological ideas. One of the conference sponsors will award a cash prize of approximately EGP 250,000 to the best innovative idea that can be implemented in the Egyptian market, according to the announced criteria and conditions. The competition will also include a free invitation to attend the upcoming Seamless conference in Dubai. A closed-door hearing will be scheduled for the winning company with experts from the Central Bank of Egypt to discuss ways to accelerate the implementation of the idea in the Egyptian market.
