Ivorian Fintech Daba Finance Wins 2024 Ecobank Fintech Challenge
Ivorian fintech company, Daba Finance, has emerged as the winner of the 2024 Ecobank Fintech Challenge. This was announced by Ecobank, a leading pan-African financial services group.
Kenya’s neobank, Melanin Kapital, secured second place and a $10,000 prize, while Guinea-based fintech, YMO, came in third, receiving $5,000. For the first time, the general public was invited to vote for their favorite fintech, resulting in Togo’s MiaPay winning the “Public Choice Award.”
Daba Finance’s CEO, BOUM III JR, expressed deep gratitude for the recognition, emphasizing that the victory will further their mission. “This win propels our mission to make investing and wealth-building accessible to all. With Ecobank as our partner, we are accelerating the journey to bring financial empowerment to millions across the continent,” he said.
The Ecobank Fintech challenge saw 12 innovative fintech startups vying for the grand prize of $50,000, carefully selected from a record 1,550 applicants from 70 countries—marking the highest number of applications in the competition’s seven-year history. The organizers believe this reflects the event’s growing prominence and showcases the impressive innovation driving fintech across Africa.
Speaking at the ceremony, Group CEO of Ecobank, Jeremy Awori, hailed the African continent as a hotbed for fintech innovation globally, constantly pushing the boundaries to enhance convenience and establish new digitally enabled capabilities. He said also that Ecobank’s Fintech Strategy centres on leveraging its borderless pan-African digital platform, to provide cutting-edge solutions to fintechs that will benefit millions of Africans.
“I am particularly proud of what we have achieved so far with fintechs through our annual Ecobank Fintech Challenge. I am hugely impressed by the quality of the pitch of our twelve finalists, and I want to congratulate Daba Finance for making it to the top of the podium. I look forward to seeing how our collaboration will help them grow and scale,” he said.
Source: Technext
