What are our Future FinTech Champions learning at the moment? And what are their thoughts on the current development of FinTech? Read through this submission from one of our FFCs, Sonia Suraya Ingaiza Kaiser, currently studying Cyber Security and Digital Forensics @ Middlesex University [Submission made in September 2025].

Africa has undergone a major transformation in its banking and payment systems through the rapid introduction and integration of Financial Technology (FinTech). This digital shift ishighlighted by the development of modern infrastructure and evolving digital ecosystems that supports the delivery of financial services at scale. As a result, a wide range of FinTech products and services now enable on-demand access to computing power, data storage, payment systems, and analytical tools across both cloud-based and on-premises systems.

Launched in 2022, The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), is an innovation, which aims to “establish a continent-wide sovereign digital payment system that drives financial autonomy across payment products” (Africa Prosperity Network, 2025) while curating digital harmonization through seamless payment solutions across African borders. This development reflects the emergence of a holistic, horizontally scaled digital infrastructure (combination of soft and hardware systems) that is designed to improve service availability, access, and resilience. Therefore, forming a growing network, enabling scalable innovation across sectors and transforming how financial services are designed, delivered, and consumed. Thus, a unified market system that accelerates trade and prosperity.

This article identifies FinTech as one of Africa’s hidden assets, offering a simple overview of how digital infrastructures are being curated to facilitate payments and data flows in support of financial sovereignty across the continent. It positions FinTech as a transformative force capable of bridging long-standing economic gaps and uplifting historically underserved communities. Furthermore, the article explores the critical role of policymakers in promoting widespread financial inclusion while safeguarding digital identities and ensuring network privacy amid growing cyber threats. In doing so, the article examines the extent to which these infrastructures are enabling a more harmonized, interconnected, and inclusive digital ecosystem across Africa.

“Good intentions never work—you need good mechanisms to make anything happen.” Jeff Bezos.

Intentionally designed to bridge fragmented payment gateways across the continent while curating a harmonized digital network. One can state that, PAPSS, is a hidden asset that will reduce the “reliance on external currencies and enable seamless transactions across national borders (PAPSS, 2025).” It’s vision – becoming a one-stop financial application, an amplifier, and an eco-enabler for Africans both on the continent and in the diaspora. Based on well- constructed infrastructures and integrated ecosystems of tech pioneers (open banking): M-Pesa (Kenya), Tala (Tanzania), PiggyVest (Nigeria), and Yoco (South Africa). PAPSS embodies frameworks of Disruptive Innovation, The Diffusion of Innovation, and Schumpeterian Theory; defining how various components can interact efficiently within a workload. Example, it’s a convenience store transitioning into a fully operational store for Africans that seamlessly integrates mobility, information, and access. Where its robust infrastructure mitigates information asymmetry while reducing transaction costs, therefore, improving investment efficiency.

We observe that effective FinTech must be built on strong infrastructural pillars. M-Pesa’s success in Eastern Africa was anchored in six core principles: operational excellence, security, reliability, performance efficiency, cost optimization, and sustainability. This cohesion is often driven by technological and process transformation, which together facilitate broader organizational transformation. However, PAPSS challenges: becoming a monolithic application, finding the closest cost-effective servers, establishing partnership across borders with telecommunication companies and policymakers of each country.

“With great complexity comes great responsibility.”

The primary goal of digital architects is to design and implement infrastructures, that are flexible, reliable, scalable, and secure, aligned with both business objectives and social needs. This requires a deep understanding of the local context (building a narrative arch) while upholding the core principles of confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA) to sustain customer trust and confidence.

According to AWS Academy (2022), the infrastructure of any application must reflect the nature of the services it is designed to deliver, particularly when dealing with
sensitive financial or personal information. This begins with a conceptual design that aligns the business and data models with infrastructure needs, which is then developed into a physical system capable of secure deployment (Oracle, 2023). To achieve this, algorithms and programming within infrastructures should mimic consumer behaviour while incorporating adaptive mechanisms to respond to fluctuations in demand. For example, during a cross-border payment, asynchronous processing systems should be capable of detecting failures and autonomously initiating self-healing protocols while also prioritizing offline accessibility and ensuring data integrity. This sequence is essential to achieving six nines (99.9999%) accuracy and ensuring interoperability across data centres, whether cloud-based or on-premises, in alignment with a FinTech’s data governance framework.

Adaptive mechanisms that FinTech’s can opt for are decentralized, distributed systems (cloud). Decentralized systems do not rely on a single server; they distribute control across multiple nodes, leveraging event-driven architectures or edge locations to operate closer to users. While distributed systems spread resources across various geographical locations but typically operate under centralized coordination (Geeks for Geeks, 2025). Result: an inclusive infrastructure capable of supporting holistically scaled digital harmonization across Africa’s ecosystems by improving latency, availability, and fault tolerance.

Therefore, the choice of deployment mechanism depends on system requirements and capacity. It must support availability while sustaining a microservice architecture to deliver real impact while building a narrative arch. Ensuring reliable solutions reflect local realities while mitigating information asymmetry – access to information, expand networks, and engage confidently in the digital economy.

“Financial independence is about more than just money — it is about the confidence and freedom to live life on your own terms.”

Narrowing the digital divide in Africa will be critical for unlocking consumer benefits and driving broader global adoption. If governments and institutions across the continent create a conducive environment for Fintech to thrive.

So, the central question becomes: How can we facilitate digital connectivity while linking economic activity and benefits through smart infrastructure? According to the Africa Prosperity Network (2025), African institutions are already investing in broadband infrastructures and Computing 3.0 (intelligent computing). These developments can significantly improve decision-making for both organisations and end-users by enabling faster access to data and more efficient service delivery. However, such physical infrastructure is often underutilized and unevenly distributed, limiting its ability to deliver full value to ordinary African citizens.

“When the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind.” — African proverb

In conclusion, FinTech is paving the way for inclusive and harmonized digital economies across Africa by reducing financial fragmentation and reliance on foreign currencies. Its impact is amplified through sustainable, locally relevant solutions, and accessible digital infrastructure. Therefore, with continued investment and collaboration from governments, organisations, and institutions. FinTech holds the potential to bridge longstanding divides and shape a more equitable, secure, and integrated digital future for the continent.