Africa Fintech Spotlight
SAVE THE DATE: AFRICA FINTECH FESTIVAL 2025
The Africa Fintech Network is excited to announce that the Africa Fintech Festival 2025 will take place in Pretoria, South Africa, from November 24 to 26. This event will be co-hosted with FINASA. Under the theme “Uniting Fintech under One Africa: One People; One Vision,” the festival aims to promote a collaborative and inclusive fintech ecosystem across the continent.
For more info: https://shorturl.at/spAnC
Fintech Key to Unlocking SMEs’ Growth Across Africa
Marrakech — Experts and industry leaders came together today at GITEX Africa’s Future of Finance Stage to tackle the transformative power of fintech for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in a session titled “The Opportunities Next Door.”
Adetayo Oduwole, Director of International Business and Compliance at Itana, emphasized that financial barriers remain among the most significant challenges for SMEs looking to expand.
“What we need is ease of banking, access to funding, ease of compliance, and straightforward redress mechanisms,” he said, pointing to how fintech innovations are addressing these pain points.
Read more: https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2025/04/190574/fintech-key-to-unlocking-smes-growth-across-africa/
Africa Fintech Network has signed four Memoranda of Cooperation (MOCs) at Gitex Africa in Morocco
During GITEX AFRICA in Morocco, the Africa Fintech Network signed four strategic Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with fintech associations from Djibouti, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, and Guinea. This marks a significant step towards creating a more united and inclusive African fintech ecosystem.
For more info: https://shorturl.at/1mb7f
Zain Unveils ‘Bede’ Fintech Platform in Sudan
Zain Fintech (Zain), the financial services arm of Zain Group and a leading provider of innovative technologies and digital lifestyle communications operating in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa, has launched the ‘Bede’ Digital Wallet in Sudan.
The safe and secure platform will empower Zain customers in Sudan to carry out a wide range of financial transactions directly via their mobile phones, without the need for a traditional bank account or card. Significantly, the service is designed to work across different phone types, including basic feature and smart phones, catering to the needs and requirements of the Sudanese community.
The initial launch phase of the service includes core transactions such as money transfers, airtime top-ups, bill payments, merchant purchases, and cash deposits and withdrawals through a broad network of certified agents operating across neighborhoods and market locations.
WorldFirst Rolls Out Mastercard-Enabled Virtual Card for SME Global Payments
Ant International’s WorldFirst has introduced the World Card, a new virtual Mastercard-enabled payment solution aimed at assisting SMEs involved in global commerce.
The card is designed to streamline international transactions and help reduce operational costs for businesses.
The World Card allows businesses to make payments in over 150 currencies across more than 210 countries and regions where Mastercard is accepted.
Read more: https://fintechnews.sg/110328/payments/worldfirst-sme-card/
Alipay launches payments server for AI agents
The MCP introduces a method for applications to provide relevant information to large language models (LLMs), ensuring these models function effectively within a defined scope. Described as the “USB-C port for AI applications,” MCP standardizes how AI models interact with various data sources and tools.
The newly launched MCP Server allows AI agents to seamlessly connect with Alipay payment services, and is dedicated to assisting AI developers in quickly incorporating payment capabilities into their AI agents.
Read more: https://www.finextra.com/pressarticle/105274/alipay-launches-payments-server-for-ai-agents