The competition, which seeks to foster innovation and partnership within the African financial landscape, attracted over 1,550 applications from 70 countries.
Forty startups initially made it to the semi-finals, with twelve ultimately selected to compete in the grand finale scheduled for September 27 in Lomé, Togo.
The event will be live-streamed on Ecobank’s social media platforms for a global audience.
Two Kenyan startups, BuuPass and Melanin Kapital Neobank, are among the finalists, alongside Nigeria’s Sawport Video Banking as a Virtual Branch and Sproutly.
The rest of the finalists are Daba Finance (Ivory Coast), EasyEquities (South Africa), Exuus (Rwanda), MiaPay (Togo), PaySika (Cameroon), PROBOUTIK (Senegal), Vaultpay (DRC) and YMO Africa (Guinea).
The Ecobank Fintech Challenge offers startups the opportunity to partner with the bank and scale their solutions across its network of 35 African countries.
The ultimate winner will receive the US$50,000 cash prize and the chance to collaborate with Ecobank.
“We are delighted to partner with ISA to support the development of solar energy in Africa,” said Alain Ebobissé, CEO of Africa50. “This partnership will help to accelerate the deployment of solar energy in Africa and improve the lives of millions of Africans,” he added.
Waspito, a Cameroonian health startup pioneering telemedicine services, has successfully raised a $2.5 million seed extension in a funding round led by DP World.
South African recruitment startup JOBJACK has announced securing S$2.5 million in pre-Series A funding to revolutionize the entry-level recruitment process in the country.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has announced a $12 million investment to support the creation of Sierra Leone’s first major commercial onion farm.
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