Here it is…the HiPipo 40 Days 40 FinTechs 2021 Report!
Follow this link to download the report.
Dear friends & colleagues,
I am proud to present to you the HiPipo 40 Days 40 FinTechs 2021 Report. Titled ‘Championing digital innovation & interoperable Instant & Inclusive Payment Systems (IIPS) in Africa’, it is something we believe is strategically informative and can act as a rich resource for all of those whose goal it is to solve the issue of financial inclusion, especially for those whose incomes are low. So, be you a regulator or work at a DFSP, involved on the donor/foundation side or on the lookout for support, are a budding innovator or a seasoned coder, this report has a lot for you and is doubtless a must-read.
We sought out some of the most knowledgeable FinTech practitioners in order to get opinions and ideas on the issues that are affecting and influencing the payments ecosystem. There are industry views on aspects like Open Banking, and related matters like APIs and PISPs. We delved into the complicated but inevitable question of CBDCs, and continued the conversation on what more can be done to improve the inclusion situation for women and other special interest groups.
Then there are the over 40 stories, engaging and informative, where we got into the shoes of players big and small, old and new, not only by profiling their innovations, but also by highlighting the peculiar day-to-day challenges they contend with as they attempt to succeed in the FinTech business. You will notice that we aligned them in the ways they seek to serve (aggregators, remittances & payments etcetera), or the areas they operate (agriculture, lending etcetera). And although we sought to make each perspective as unique as possible, what is ultimately true is that their success will be reflected as a positive step towards greater financial inclusion.
To put all into perspective, maybe I can mention what this report has taught us at HiPipo. Due to the work we are doing as a result of the financial and technical support we receive from the Gates Foundation, our knowledge of our own corner of the ecosystem keeps improving by the day. And one thing we can assert with certainty is that, first of all, there is a strong demand by the players for exposure. They are out there innovating, but there is hardly any avenue for them to reveal what they are doing, especially if they are a tiny start-up swimming in a pool with some big fish.
Another reality is that they are willing to learn new ways to create Interoperable Instant & Inclusive Payment Systems. They readily receive and adapt the knowledge we share with them on aspects like the Level One Project and Mojaloop, for they want to improve their products and services and achieve scale.
This situation must be largely similar all over the continent. We at HiPipo are glad we are helping our innovators in both aspects, helping to put them on the pedestal they deserve, and setting them off on the right path, technology-wise. Our promise is that we will continue to do so, and want to do so longer and farther. So, do enjoy the report, share it, and I hope to hear from all of you soon.
Yours sincrely,
Innocent Kawooya
CEO, HiPipo.