Business

Africa: Ecobank Group launches 2024 Fintech Challenge with US$50,000 Prize

Published

1 year ago

June 7, 2024

Joel Ajayi

The 2024 Ecobank Fintech Challenge has opened applications for early-stage and mature startups to partner with Ecobank (www.Ecobank.com) across its 35 African markets; This marks the 7th edition of the Fintech Challenge.

Ecobank , the pan-African financial services Group, officially opens call for applications to the 7th edition of its Fintech Challenge. This annual competition invites early-stage and mature fintech startups to partner with Ecobank, offering a grand prize of US$50,000 and a chance to scale their solutions across Ecobank’s extensive network spanning 35 African countries.

Despite the fintech eruption in the African continent, a McKinsey report [1] reveals that fintech start-ups in Africa are still facing several challenges such as reaching scale, navigating an uncertain regulatory environment, or managing scarcity of funding. The Ecobank Fintech Challenge provides a unique opportunity for Fintech Entrepreneurs to address these challenges by not only offering financial rewards but by also providing Ecobank’s expertise in diversified markets operations and the right solutions to scale across its pan-African footprint and international presence such as France.

“Building partnerships with fintechs is a catalyst for driving financial inclusion in Africa. At Ecobank, we prioritize fintechs in our Growth, Transformation, and Returns strategy “, said Jeremy Awori, Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank Group. “We have enhanced this new edition of the Ecobank Fintech Challenge to continue to provide fintech entrepreneurs with a premier platform to showcase groundbreaking solutions, while creating unparalleled opportunities for growth and expansion across 35 markets in Africa.”

Last year’s competition attracted 1,490 entries of real quality, which underscores the significance of this pan-African challenge. Successful applicants reaching the Grand Finale and Awards Ceremony in October 2024 will have the chance to join the highly coveted Ecobank Fintech Fellowship programme, with the overall winner receiving a cash prize of US$50,000.

Ecobank Fintech Fellows will gain access to numerous opportunities through collaboration with Ecobank and its partners, potentially including:

Multinational product rollout: an opportunity to integrate their solutions with Ecobank, opening doors to potential product launches within Ecobank’s expansive 35-country Pan-Africannetwork.
Service provider partnerships: Selected fintechs may become Pan-African service partners within the Bank’s ecosystem.
Access to Ecobank’s Pan-African Banking Sandbox: Fellows will receive exclusive access to Ecobank’s cutting-edge APIs, enabling them to test and develop their products for the Pan-African market.
Priority access to Ecobank’s Venture Capital partners for funding exploration.

Since inception, 60 fintech startups have been inducted into the Ecobank Fintech Fellowship.

The Ecobank Fintech Challenge is designed in partnership with international advisory firm, Konfidants, and is supported by various partners.

Applications for the 7th Ecobank Fintech Challenge are now open to fintechs and developers from across Africa, as well as global Africa-centered fintechs. Interested parties can find out more about the competition and submit their applications through the official website: EcobankFintechChallenge.com

Share on Facebook

Business

TAJBank Emerges Nigeria’s Biggest Non-Interest Bank

Published

2 weeks ago

October 23, 2025

The Gleamer

Cyril Ogar

After five years of operations in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving non-interest banking (NIB) space, TAJBank Limited has become the biggest player in the NIB subsector based on its total assets and gross earnings values.

Disclosing this during his paper presentation on the key performance indices in the non-interest banking space over the past few years at a seminar organized by Leaders Corporate Services with the theme “Roles of Non-Interest Banks In SMEs’ Financing” for SME entrepreneurs yesterday in Abuja, an investment expert, Mr. Olabode Akeredolu-Ale, maintained that based on the non-interest banks’ approved financial statements for the half year 2025, TAJBank currently remained the biggest in terms of its total assets.

The expert, a chartered stockbroker, specifically confirmed that his recent investment researches on the NIBs and their financial performances showed that TAJBank, with its total assets rising to N1.017 trillion in half year 2025 up from N953.098 billion as of December 2024, which is about N53 billion higher than the nearest NIB’s assets, now ranked top in the banking subsector.

According to him, TAJBank’s gross earnings for H1 2025 also surged to N53.752 billion from N32.86 billion as of December 2024, representing a 64% growth, and higher than the nearest NIB’s gross earnings in the period under review.

This is even as he disclosed that on the NIBs’ earnings per share during the half year, TAJBank reported N61.36 kobo earnings per share, about 92% higher than the earnings per share of the next NIB during the period.

Akeredolu-Ale, who is also a chartered accountant, clarified: “The figures I am reeling out here on the NIBs are sourced from the banking and capital market regulatory institutions’ platforms, which anyone can access to verify.

“I am part of this event because of my research interest in non-interest banking and how the players in the subsector in Nigeria can help to leverage their competencies in innovation and ethical banking to support our MSMEs.

“Today, the MSMEs cannot access DMBs’ loans due to high lending rates and other inclement macroeconomic factors. This is where I think the NIBs have become very crucial to Nigeria’s economic growth.

“Overall, my findings on the NIBs indicated that they are all trying their best with non-interest loans to support entrepreneurs, particularly the MSMEs owners. I have advised those of them at this seminar to explore the cost-friendly financing options of the NIBs to grow their businesses by opening accounts with the NIBs”, the expert added.

Another speaker at the event, Benjamin Chukwudi, also commended the NIBs for their “catalytic roles in helping SMEs to access interest-free loans and providing them the needed financial management advisory, which have been helping them in sustaining their operations in the face of rising cost of doing business in the country.”

Share on Facebook