LAGOS, Nigeria, 30 June 2026 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/ – The Afrikeye Conference & Expo 2026 concluded on a remarkable note after three days of insightful discussions, strategic networking, and innovation-driven engagements. Hosted at the prestigious State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, the event brought together regulators, policymakers, investors, technology innovators, financial institutions, and startup founders from across Africa. The conference once again strengthened its reputation as one of the continent’s foremost platforms dedicated to regulatory technology, digital finance, and collaborative innovation.
Throughout the three-day event, the Afrikeye Conference & Expo 2026 welcomed an influential mix of leaders from Africa’s financial services and technology sectors. Delegates participated in keynote sessions, expert panel discussions, workshops, and policy roundtables that focused on addressing regulatory challenges while accelerating digital transformation across the continent. By bringing together regulators, compliance professionals, venture capital investors, entrepreneurs, and industry experts, the conference created an environment where innovation, regulation, and investment intersected to shape Africa’s digital future.
One of the conference’s standout moments was the Afrikeye Startup World Cup Abuja Regional Challenge, which served as the flagship attraction of the expo. Organized through a strategic collaboration between Afrikeye and Pegasus Tech Ventures, one of the world’s leading startup pitch competition organizers, the regional challenge featured 15 exceptional startups selected from hundreds of applications submitted from across Africa.
Representing industries including fintech, regulatory technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and GovTech, the finalists presented their innovative solutions before a distinguished panel comprising investors, ecosystem leaders, and experienced judges. Each startup was assessed based on innovation, scalability, commercial viability, sustainability, societal impact, and presentation quality.
“At Afrikeye, our mission extends far beyond hosting conferences. We are committed to building a thriving ecosystem that empowers African startups through visibility, investment opportunities, and meaningful strategic partnerships. Platforms such as the Startup World Cup Regional Challenge are intentionally designed to connect Africa’s brightest innovators with global opportunities. The success of the Afrikeye Conference & Expo 2026 demonstrates that when innovators, regulators, and investors collaborate under one roof, the impact reaches far beyond individual businesses and contributes significantly to Africa’s financial and regulatory transformation.”
— Cyril Okoroigwe, Chief Executive Officer, Afrikeye
The collaboration between Afrikeye and Pegasus Tech Ventures further highlights the growing international recognition of Africa’s rapidly evolving fintech and regulatory technology sectors. By hosting the Startup World Cup Regional Challenge within the conference, both organizations reinforced their commitment to connecting African innovators with global startup ecosystems, investment networks, and international growth opportunities.
The Startup World Cup pitch competition attracted significant attention throughout the conference, with delegates, exhibitors, investors, and technology leaders actively engaging with participating startups and exploring innovative solutions capable of transforming financial services across Africa.
Following a rigorous evaluation process, the judging panel announced Mehtic Technology, creators of the BankPlus Core Banking Infrastructure platform, as the winner of the 2026 Abuja Regional Challenge. The company will now represent the region at the Startup World Cup Global Finals in Silicon Valley, United States, where startups from around the world will compete for a US$1 million investment prize along with valuable global strategic partnerships.
Their victory reflects not only the exceptional quality of their solution but also showcases the strength and growing competitiveness of Africa’s fintech innovation ecosystem.
“The Afrikeye Conference & Expo 2026 surpassed every expectation. From the high-level discussions taking place across the conference halls to the excitement generated during the Startup World Cup Pitch Day, the event clearly demonstrated Africa’s growing influence within the global RegTech and fintech landscape. Our collaboration with the Startup World Cup created an outstanding opportunity to celebrate African innovation while connecting talented founders with the global stage. I am incredibly proud of what we achieved together and excited about the future this represents for Africa’s innovation ecosystem.”
— Belinda Nkechi Idinmachi, Startup World Cup Ambassador
As the Afrikeye Conference & Expo 2026 comes to a successful close, the Afrikeye team has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing Africa’s regulatory technology and digital financial ecosystem through continued policy engagement, startup development initiatives, knowledge-sharing platforms, and strategic international collaborations.
The success of this year’s Abuja Regional Challenge establishes a strong foundation for future editions of both the Startup World Cup Regional Challenge and the Afrikeye Conference & Expo, further strengthening Africa’s position as a global hub for financial technology innovation.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Afrikeye
About Afrikeye
Afrikeye is a leading African organization committed to promoting innovation, regulatory excellence, and sustainable digital transformation across the continent. Through its flagship Afrikeye Conference & Expo, startup acceleration initiatives, policy engagement programmes, and ecosystem-building activities, Afrikeye connects regulators, financial institutions, technology companies, investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to foster collaboration and accelerate the growth of Africa’s digital economy.
