Oct 19, 2023

By siliconindia   |  Thursday, 19 October 2023, 10:14:01 AM IST The 13th Africa Bank 4.0 Summit - West Africa, presented by ICPS an HPS company, recently took place from October 10th to 12th, 2023 at EKO Hotels and Suites in Lagos, Nigeria. The event brought together leading experts, innovators, and influencers from the banking, fintech and payments sector, setting the stage for profound discussions, insightful presentations, and the recognition of outstanding achievements. The 13th Africa Bank 4.0 Summit – West Africa started with a preconference which was the Fintech Startup Investor Forum on October 10, 2023, with an inspiring Opening Keynote Address titled "West Africa’s Fintech Outlook – New Frontiers, New Opportunities" by Dr. Segun Aina, who is the President of the Africa Fintech Network. Following the keynote, Dr. Babatunde O. Obrimah, the Chief Operating Officer of the Fintech Association of Nigeria, the chairman of the day, presented a keynote on "Fintech Innovation Opportunities for the Gig Economy – The Nigerian Story." As part of the FINTECH STARTUP INVESTOR FORUM, we had a Shark-Tank inspired session called the Rockstar Startup Pitches, where visionary entrepreneurs showcased their innovative startups to an enthusiastic audience in a rapid-pace live pitch. This segment also included an investor panel, composed of distinguished industry leaders, featuring Taiwo Kamson-Ketiku, Vice President, Investments, EchoVC Partners ; Kofoworola Agbaje Fintech Investor, Quona Capital ; Tosin Faniro-Dada, Partner, Breega ; Damilola Teidi, Head, Platform and Networks, Ventures Platform Fund ;  Sylvester Kay-Adade, LP Relations, Ingressive Capital and Pawel Wodz, Chief Executive Officer, AB Microfinance Bank Nigeria. Following the preconference, the summit kicked off on the 11th October with Chairman’s Opening Remarks by Khevin Seebah, Chief Executive Officer at ICPS followed by an engaging Curtain Raiser Keynote on "Revolutionizing Consumer Banking: Advancing Financial Inclusion through Payment Innovation" by Osahon Akpata, Group Head of Consumer Payments at Ecobank Transnational Incorporated. This keynote had set the tone for an emphatic start to an action-packed summit of payment innovation, retail banking innovation and was much more aligned with Implementing Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics in Customer Insights and Adoption of Blockchain Technology. The summit also featured a CEO Influencer Panel which was the headline session of the entire event, moderated by Ronald Raffensperger of Huawei, which explored the topic of "Rejuvenating Customer Success Management" in the digital age. Panelists included Khevin Seebah (ICPS), Dr. Segun Aina (Africa Fintech Network), Joshua Ukute (National Association of Microfinance Banks) and Dayo Odulate-Ademola (Branch International) and Samuel Chukwunonso Eze (OurPass). Throughout the event, attendees were treated to exclusive presentations on a range of pertinent topics, including "Transforming Payment Convenience with Omnichannel Payments" by Gilles Réant, "Using Intelligent Automation to Build Business Efficiency and Resiliency" by Ronald Raffensperger, and "Enhancing Cross-Border Payment Innovations– Provide Frictionless & Secured Payments in Africa" by Nana Yaw Owusu Banahene. Nana Yaw Owusu Banahene at his presentation said that “Finding a partner that either can provide or help you build a streamlined cross-border payments system is one of the most impactful steps African banks, fintechs, and businesses can be focused on at this moment. The AfCFTA is driving interest in intra-Africa and global Africa trade, which has only heightened the demand for more payment rails and frictionless currency exchange. It will only become more important next year, and for our part, AZA Finance is fully focused on helping banks and financial institutions address this demand.” Day 2 commenced with Chairman’s Welcoming Remarks by Dr. Babatunde O. Obrimah, Chief Operating Officer at Fintech Association of Nigeria followed by Digital Leaders Panel discussing "Achieving Financial Inclusion with an Effective Data Management Game-Plan." The panel, moderated by Tolulope Omoleye-Osindero from Branch International, featured prominent panelists such as Ronald Raffensperger (Huawei), Lovelyn Iruayenama (Lotus Bank Ltd), Bill Yeboah Kyeremeh (Consolidated Bank Ghana), and Peter Daniels (Polaris Bank Limited). Exclusive presentations on Day 2 included "Mic-Drop: Banks must deliver on Digital Experiences" by Christine Durant (ICPS), "Impact of AI on Digital Transformation" by Ronald Raffensperger, and "Behavioral Biometrics" by Mathias Schollmeyer (LexisNexis® Risk Solutions). Kevin Sheeba, CEO at ICPS believes that “The West Africa region is embracing digital solutions and payment technologies with great enthusiasm. We're witnessing a paradigm shift towards cashless transactions, driven by the convenience and efficiency offered by these technologies.” Furthermore, he trusts that “International networks have recognized this and are encouraging projects related to tokenization that come as a bridge between traditional payments and mobile payments.” The summit concluded with a Closing Panel on "How has Blockchain Technology driven Innovation in the Fintech Sector?" featuring Mathias Schollmeyer (LexisNexis® Risk Solutions), Ibukunoluwa Ayodeji (Titan Trust Bank), and moderated by Adedipe Oluwafemi (StreetCred | Raha). The grand finale of the event was the Africa Bank 4.0 Awards (West Africa), which recognized and celebrated the outstanding achievements of various organizations, associations, and service providers in the field of financial services. The award ceremony served as a benchmark for inspiring other organizations and startups to reach their own goals. The outstanding contributions of two remarkable institutions to the African fintech fraternity were recognized by presenting mementos to Dr. Segun Aina, the President of the Africa Fintech Network, and Dr. Babatunde Obrimah, the COO of the Fintech Association of Nigeria, for their exceptional dedication and vision in advancing the fintech landscape across the continent. The memento was presented by none other than Mr. Khevin Seebah from ICPS. The esteemed award winners of the Africa Bank 4.0 Awards – West Africa 2023 are: Most Innovative Fraud Prevention and Detection Solution of the Year - LexisNexis® ThreatMetrix® Best Digital Lending Platform of the Year - Branch International Most Inspiring Microfinance Leader in West Africa - Pawel Wodz Most Inspiring Payments Business Leader in West Africa - Archie Hesse Most Inspiring Microfinance Leader in Anglophone – Joshua Lucky Ukute Emerging Business Leader in West Africa - Retail Banking – Babafemi Oluyemi Payment Innovator of the Year (West Africa) – Dr. Stanley Jacob Most Inspiring Digital Leader in Francophone - Dr. Dahoud Mouhamdy Best CDO of the Year (Nigeria) – Bipul Deka Best CIO of the Year (Nigeria) - Omololu Ajayi Best CTO of the Year (Nigeria) - Myke Oluwatosin Koledoye Best Retail Banker of the Year (Anglophone) - Etuokwu Victor Best CIO of the Year (West Africa) - Lanre Bamisebi Best CTO of the Year (West Africa) - Adewale I. Salami Best CDO of the Year (West Africa) - Adéyèmi Joël AFFOYON Best COO of the Year (West Africa) - Dr. Tomisin Fashina Best CEO of the Year (West Africa) - Dayo Odulate-Ademola The 13th Africa Bank 4.0 Summit - West Africa was an exceptional gathering of industry leaders and visionaries, fostering insightful discussions and celebrating innovation and excellence in the financial services sector. Read More News :