Next-Gen Finance: Payments, Wallets & Credit

Next-Gen Finance: Payments, Wallets & Credit – panel session with Jessica Uche – Head of Business Development, Native Teams; Shay Hamilton – CEO, Tola Mobile; Tolulope Obianwu – Head, Core Operations, TeamApt (a subsidiary of Moniepoint Inc); Julian Mitchell – CEO, 4G Capital; and Mumbi Annstella – General Manager, Tala.

The panel highlighted that the future of fintech in Africa will be driven by a combination of strong regulatory frameworks, AI-powered personalization, and resilient payment infrastructure. While digital payments and credit continue to expand, success depends on trust, simplicity, and products tailored to local market realities. Interoperability – rather than closed ecosystems – emerged as a critical priority for enabling seamless transactions across borders and platforms, with customer-centric design at the heart of sustainable growth.

Key Highlights
• Regulation, AI & Infrastructure as Core Drivers: These three pillars will shape fintech growth, influencing innovation, trust, and scalability across markets.
• Interoperability Over Walled Gardens: Seamless, cross-platform payments are essential for scale—fintech solutions must “just work” for users.
• Customer-Centric Credit Models: Sustainable lending depends on trust, simplicity, and using alternative data to serve underbanked users effectively.
• Mobile Money Still Dominant: Cards play a role in some markets, but mobile money remains the primary payment rail across much of Africa.
• AI-Powered Personalization: AI will increasingly tailor financial services and credit decisions, unlocking new levels of access and efficiency.

From keynotes to dynamic panel discussions, the summit explored groundbreaking topics across four flagship tracks: the Africa Money & DeFi Summit, Africa Climate Tech & Investment Summit, Africa Startup Summit, and Africa AI & Digital Summit. Attendees immersed themselves in the latest trends, shared ideas, and discovered cutting-edge innovations that are redefining Africa’s tech landscape.

But it wasn’t just about the talks – networking buzzed with energy, workshops sparked creativity, and exhibitions showcased the region’s tech solutions.

Africa Tech Summit Nairobi 2026 celebrated its 8th edition on February 11th and 12th at the Sarit Expo Centre in Nairobi. Bringing together leading industry players the summit explored the latest trends and insights in technology and business across Africa and beyond.