Written by Gitura Mwaura
Digital finance is reshaping economies at speed. Across emerging and developed markets alike, fintech has expanded access to payments, credit, and savings, lowered transaction costs, and introduced new efficiencies into financial systems. Yet this transformation is unfolding against a complex global backdrop: slowing economic growth, persistent inflationary pressures, high interest rates, currency volatility, tightening global liquidity, and the compounding effects of climate change and geopolitical uncertainty.
For policymakers and investors, the central question is no longer whether digital finance will drive the next phase of financial development, but how to scale it responsibly without undermining financial stability, consumer protection, or long-term growth.
Nowhere is this tension more visible than in Africa.
The continent’s fintech sector continues to dominate its startup ecosystem, reflecting both unmet demand and structural opportunity. In 2024, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, and Kenya accounted for 76% of total fintech funding, broadly consistent with historical patterns. However, recent data suggests a shift is underway. Markets such as Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire have seen sharp increases in fintech investment, signalling the emergence of new hubs beyond the traditional centres.
This diversification presents opportunity, but also raises critical policy and investment questions. How should regulators adapt frameworks to accommodate cross-border digital services? What safeguards are required as artificial intelligence and data-driven finance scale? How can capital be mobilised toward climate resilience while maintaining financial inclusion?
These are not abstract debates. Decisions made now on regulation, infrastructure, and capital allocation will shape the trajectory of inclusive finance for years to come.
Against this backdrop, platforms that bring policymakers, regulators, investors, and financial institutions into structured dialogue are becoming increasingly important. The Inclusive FinTech Forum (IFF), convening in Kigali from 10 - 12 March 2026, reflects this shift toward more outcome-oriented engagement. Rather than focusing on technology in isolation, the Forum situates fintech within a broader macroeconomic and policy context, emphasising alignment between innovation, regulation, and investment.
Rwanda’s role as host is instructive. Over the past decade, the country has positioned itself as a stable, rules-based jurisdiction with a growing appetite for financial innovation. Kigali has emerged as a neutral convening space where African and global stakeholders can engage on financial integration, regulatory cooperation, and cross-border investment without the distortions often present in more established financial centres.
For policymakers, the challenge is balance. Digital financial services can extend inclusion and efficiency, but poorly designed frameworks risk consumer harm, regulatory arbitrage, or systemic vulnerabilities. For investors, the opportunity lies not only in high-growth fintech ventures but in understanding the regulatory and macroeconomic environments that will determine scalability and sustainability.
The themes shaping current discourse, digital currency corridors, open finance, artificial intelligence, and climate fintech underscore the convergence of finance, technology, and policy. Each offers potential upside, but each also requires coordinated governance and patient capital.
The Inclusive FinTech Forum’s growing relevance lies in its recognition that inclusive finance cannot be advanced by any single constituency acting alone. Effective progress depends on dialogue that is grounded in evidence, informed by regulation, and connected to capital markets.
As emerging markets play an increasingly central role in global financial innovation, forums such as IFF offer a lens into how these systems are evolving and where risks and opportunities may lie. For investors and policymakers alike, the real value is not in the event itself, but in the quality of engagement and the clarity it brings to decision-making.
Inclusive finance is entering a more complex, more consequential phase. The next chapter will be defined less by novelty and more by execution
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Media Contacts
Joie-Grace Ruzibiza
Communications Manager, Rwanda Finance Limited
joie.ruzibiza@rfl.rw
+250 788 675 042