On 10 June 2026, AFI’s annual Inclusive Fintech Showcase brought together entrepreneurs from around the world to explore their experience of partnering with regulators to develop solutions which advance inclusion.
“The Inclusive Fintech Showcase was created to support dialogue between policymakers and innovators working on challenges such as building alternative credit scoring for people with no formal financial history, designing identity solutions that bring displaced people into the system, and working to enhance digital financial literacy,” said AFI Chief Executive Officer, Dr Alfred Hannig. “The relationship between policymakers and innovators needs to be built on genuine partnership. That means listening to entrepreneurs about the opportunities and challenges they see, as well as what they have learned from working alongside regulators.”
During the event, Professor Olayinka West of Lagos Business School, and Simon Schwall, Co-Founder of OKO Finance (winner of the inaugural Showcase in 2019), assessed how current fintech trends can support financial inclusion, while Showcase alumni Eric Kariuki (Pezesha), Fahad Ifaz (iFarmer) and Parvinjeet Kaur (Be Noor) shared insight into how their businesses have developed in recent years, as well as their experience of working with regulators.
The event also featured breakout sessions on:
- AI, Data & Next-Generation Infrastructure, led by Mariama Sillah (Central Bank of The Gambia) and Marcel Beer (OECD)
- Consumer Protection, Integrity & Trust, led by Leah Callon-Butler (Emfarsis) and Roberto Iglesias (Central Bank of El Salvador)
- Financial inclusion access for Forcibly Displaced Persons, led by Joana Da Silva Afonso UNHCR and Ricardo Garcia (IFC-UNHCR)
A recording of the 2026 Inclusive Fintech Showcase is available to view below.