Leaders, policymakers, investors and innovators from across Africa’s financial technology sector have gathered in Kigali for the Inclusive FinTech Forum 2026 taking place from March 10 to 12.
Held under the theme “Shaping the Future of Inclusive Finance: Innovation. Impact. Connection,” the three-day event is expected to attract more than 3,000 participants from across the continent and beyond to discuss the future of financial inclusion and digital finance.
Speaking during the forum, Prudence Sebahizi – Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry, emphasized that Africa is already laying the foundations for a more inclusive and transformative financial system through innovation and collaboration. He noted that the continent’s progress in digital finance is not only changing lives locally but also offering lessons for the rest of the world.
“The corridors of trade, trust, and transformation are being built today,” the Minister said. “They are being built today by those who show up, engage, and make decisions with clarity and courage.”
He highlighted Africa’s success in areas such as mobile money, technological leapfrogging and expanding financial inclusion, describing them as examples that could help shape a fairer global financial system.
“Our continent’s experience with mobile money, with leapfrog technology, with financial inclusion at scale, are not just local successes,” he said. “They are blueprints for a more equitable global financial system.”
The minister also pointed out that despite the progress made, millions of people across the continent still lack access to financial services, which continues to limit economic opportunities.
“We owe it to the millions of Africans who remain financially excluded and to the small businesses that lose value every day because of payment frictions,” he said, adding that the decisions made today will shape the institutions that future generations will inherit.
During one of the panel discussions, speakers emphasized that the development of modern financial systems requires strong foundations, similar to those needed for major infrastructure projects. Using Kigali’s new airport project as an example, Ray Tam – Chief Executive Officer, Revo Digital Family Office explained that infrastructure only functions effectively when every supporting element is in place.
“I’ve been hearing that actually Kigali is building a brand new airport. It’s a modern airport. But you cannot just build it alone,” the speaker said. “You have to have infrastructure, the road, you have to have the customs, you have to have the signals, everything put into place that makes it work.”
Drawing a parallel with financial innovation, Ray noted that emerging technologies must be supported by clear systems of ownership, security and regulation in order to succeed.
“So going back to finance, the same idea can apply,” Ray added. “You’ve got to have the ownership, the asset ownership, the security… the digital identification on that, and even more importantly that you have regulatory clarity.”
He further stressed that before introducing advanced solutions such as tokenization, stakeholders must first clearly define how these systems will operate and who will be involved.
“Before you actually go into tokenizing something, the key is really knowing who will actually be the owner, who will be buying it, who will be trading it, and how you are going to do it,” he said. “And even more importantly is what happens if things go wrong.”
The forum continues to provide a platform for dialogue and collaboration aimed at strengthening Africa’s digital financial ecosystem while expanding access to financial services for millions of people across the continent.
Gabriel UZABAKIRIHO – KIGALI TIMES