Olufemi Adeyemi 

United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening collaboration between traditional financial institutions and fintech companies across Africa, as it hosted its first-ever Fintech Conference focused on the evolving future of digital financial services on the continent.

The event, themed “Navigating Regulatory Milestones: The Future of Bank–Fintech Partnerships,” brought together more than 20 major players in the fintech and financial ecosystem. Participants included leading platforms such as PalmPay, OPay, PayAza, alongside global payments giants Mastercard and Visa, as well as key regulatory and infrastructure stakeholders including the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System and representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Discussions at the conference centered on the intersection of regulation, innovation, cybersecurity, and the rapid transformation of payment systems across Africa’s financial landscape.

In his opening remarks, UBA’s Executive Director of Digital Banking, Emmanuel Lamptey, called for a more collaborative approach between banks and fintechs, urging the sector to move beyond competition toward structured partnership models that enhance financial access and efficiency.

“The future is not banks versus fintechs, but banks with fintechs,” Lamptey said. “When we combine scale, trust, and regulatory depth with innovation and agility, we unlock a financial system that works for far more Africans.”

Industry stakeholders also weighed in on the shifting dynamics of the ecosystem. Peter Ehizogie of Mastercard highlighted Nigeria’s payments evolution as both a success story and a learning curve, noting that while innovation continues to expand access, it also introduces new risks that require coordinated responses.

“Each wave of innovation—instant payments, cards, gateways, and now AI—has expanded opportunity while introducing new risks. Collaboration is what ensures progress is sustained, not disrupted,” he said.

From the fintech perspective, Seyi Ebenezer, Chief Executive Officer of PayAza, stressed that integration between banks and fintechs can no longer be delayed, emphasizing speed and interoperability as critical factors for scaling financial services across the continent.

“Collaboration is no longer optional. The priority now is speed—how quickly we can remove the barriers between fintechs and banks to unlock scale,” he said.

Head, Operational Risk Management, Lateef Busari; Chief Information Officer, Onyebuchi Akosa; Executive Director, Digital Banking, Emmanuel Lamptey; Founder, CEO, Payaza, Seyi Ebenezer; Team Lead, Pos Services, Mary Nneoma James and Head of Partnership, Palm Pay, Chibuzor Mela during the maiden Fintech Conference: themed, “Navigating Regulatory Milestones: The Future of Bank-Fintech Partnerships at the UBA House, Marina on Tuesday

UBA also showcased elements of its internal digital innovation strategy during the conference. The bank’s Head of Mobile Banking, Gideon Iheama, highlighted advancements in “Leo,” its AI-powered virtual assistant, which now enables users to carry out conversational transactions, including fund transfers of up to ₦5 million and foreign currency operations—reflecting growing customer adoption of AI-driven banking services.

Closing the event, UBA’s Head of Digital Banking Sales, Shamsideen Fashola, drew attention to the rising importance of cybersecurity within an increasingly AI-driven financial ecosystem, describing digital security as an evolving technological arms race.

“Cybersecurity is now AI versus AI,” Fashola noted. “As institutions innovate to improve customer experience, they must invest just as aggressively in defending against evolving threats.”

The conference ended with a shared consensus among participants: that sustained collaboration between banks, fintechs, regulators, and technology providers remains essential for expanding financial inclusion, strengthening system resilience, and driving long-term growth across Africa’s digital economy.

With operations spanning 20 African countries as well as the United Kingdom, United States, France, and the United Arab Emirates, UBA continues to position itself as a major force in retail, commercial, and institutional banking, serving over 45 million customers globally while advancing technology-led financial services across emerging markets.