FT Africa Payments Innovation 2018 | Financial Times | 7 March 2018 | Radisson Blu Hotel, Elgon Road, Nairobi, Kenya

This summit will bring together key players from across the financial, telecoms and fintech sectors to debate the challenges and opportunities associated with delivering payments solutions that drive financial inclusion to empower citizens and boost economic development. It will consider whether payments technology is so essential that access to it should be considered a right for all citizens, as well as examining what different stakeholders require from the payments ecosystem.

Africa has carved out a significant role in the payments innovation space, with its developments in mobile money frequently cited as a benchmark for the rest of the world. This field is one of rapidly evolving technology, and with it comes questions about how Africa’s payments systems can meet the demands of its diverse customer base while delivering on tighter security and a robust regulatory environment that promotes innovation and greater competition.
Payments innovation is diversifying, and while mobile still captures many of the headlines, the continent is making great progress in other forms of technology, including card-based payments to access transport services as well as bitcoin and blockchain.

FT Africa Payments Innovation: Driving growth and promoting inclusion will bring together key players from across the financial, telecoms and fintech sectors to debate the challenges and opportunities associated with delivering payments solutions that drive financial inclusion to empower citizens and boost economic development. It will consider whether payments technology is so essential that access to it should be considered a right for all citizens, as well as examining what different stakeholders require from the payments ecosystem.

Government ministries, regulators, policy makers, banks, telcos, innovators, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), hardware suppliers, software developers, mobile service providers and distributors will explore the role of payments innovation in meeting the needs of the next generation of consumers; empowering citizens through financial inclusion; and the trends and policies affecting Africa’s digital transformation. The summit will take a pan-African perspective when considering the opportunities and challenges of this growing market, drawing on case studies to examine what innovation means from a corporate, an innovator and a user perspective.

Who Attends:
The FT Africa Payments Innovation Summit will be attended by senior level representatives from government ministries, regulators, policy makers, banks, telcos, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), hardware suppliers, software developers, mobile service providers and distributors.

Why Attends:
• Network with leaders from throughout Africa and experts from all parts of the payment innovation value chain, in one of the most dynamic markets in the continent for the sector.
• Hear the experts' opinion on challenges such as security and interoperability, and learn about efforts led by industry, government and regulators to deal with these challenges.
• Learn about pan-African initiatives that are helping to drive innovation and enable the unbanked to enter the financial system - in turn driving development.
• Establish relationships with local, regional and international partners.

2018 Speakers and Moderators

Cheikh Oumar Seydi
Regional Director for Africa, IFC

Patrick Njoroge
Governor, Central Bank of Kenya

James Mwangi
CBS, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Equity Group

Elisabeth Medou Badang
CEO, Regional Director, Orange Middle East and Africa

Mukhisa Kituyi
Secretary-General, UNCTAD

Milton A Weeks
Executive Governor, Central Bank of Liberia

Senator Gideon Moi
Chairman, Senate ICT Committee, Kenyan Government

Mohamed Dabbour
Executive Vice President, Africa, Millicom

Daniel Monehin
Executive Vice President, Remittances, and Head of Financial Inclusion, Mastercard

Elizabeth Rossiello
CEO and Co-Founder, BitPesa

Greta Bull
Chief Executive Officer, CGAP

Omotade Odunowo
CEO, fets

Michael Elliott
Senior Business Leader and Lab Director, Mastercard Labs for Financial Inclusion

Aliou Maiga
Senior Manager, Financial Institutions Group Sub-Saharan Africa, IFC

Abdoulkarim Soumaila
Secretary General, African Telecommunications Union

Rupert Scofield
President and Co-founder, FINCA International

James Wainaina
Group Head, Customer Experience, Letshego

Archie Hesse
Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS)

Mary Gicharu
CEO/Managing Director, iHub

Eli Hini
General Manager, Mobile Money, MTN Ghana

Rose Muturi
Regional Manager - East Africa, Tala

Jesse Moore
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, M-KOPA

CHAIRS AND MODERATORS:

David Pilling
Africa Editor, Financial Times

John Aglionby
East Africa Correspondent, Financial Times

Joy Macknight
Deputy Editor, The Banker

2018 Sponsors

GOLD SPONSORS:
• mastercards
• IFC International Finance Corporation

EXHIBITOR SPONSORS
• Safaricom

MEDIA PARTNERS:
• Arcrayon
• Africa investor
• Asoko Insight
• BizNis Africa
• GBS Africa
• NFC Times
• The Business Year
• WeCashUp