The ‘Digital Railroads’ panel on Sept 19 at the Omni Atlanta Hotel will examine seamless payments, access to finance and financial inclusion; hosted with AFRICON, with 3,000+ participants and $400m in projected deals.
Event Focus: Fintech as a Trade Enabler
Fidelity Bank Plc will host a high-profile panel titled “Digital Railroads: Powering US–Africa Commerce Through Fintech” at the Fidelity Nigeria International Trade and Creative Connect (FNITCC) in Atlanta, USA. The session will explore how fintech is reshaping cross-border trade by enabling seamless payments, improving access to finance and driving financial inclusion across Africa and the diaspora.
Date, Venue and Scale
The session is scheduled for Friday, September 19, at the Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park. The event, hosted in partnership with AFRICON, is expected to attract over 3,000 participants with projected trade and investment deals of more than $400 million.
The Panel
The lineup lists a host of names in digital trade, including Aisha N. Ahmad (former Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria), Seyi Ebenezer (Founder, Payaza Africa) and Charles Oligbo (Founder & CEO, Sawport).
Speaking ahead of the session, Isaiah Ndukwe, Divisional Head, Agric. and Exports, Fidelity Bank Plc, underscored the stakes: “The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is projected to boost intra-African trade by more than 50% by 2030. But challenges like fragmented payment systems, currency conversion, and limited trade finance continue to hold businesses back.”
He added: “Fintechs are uniquely positioned to address these gaps – enabling real-time, low-cost cross-border payments, offering alternative financing for SMEs, creating digital identities for exporters, and facilitating diaspora remittances and investments. This is why we’re putting fintech at the heart of discussions at FNITCC Atlanta.”
African Fintech
According to BDO South Africa, Africa’s fintech market is projected to hit US$65 billion by 2030, signaling that it will be key to trade and business going forward.
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