The financial services landscape is no longer just about moving money; it is about moving intelligence. Yet, for many senior executives across East Africa, the gap between legacy infrastructure and the hyper-personalized, real-time demands of the modern consumer feels like a chasm. You know you need to modernize, but navigating the complexities of AI-driven decision intelligence, regulatory shifts, and cross-border payments can paralyze even the most ambitious digital transformation roadmaps.
Have you ever left a conference with a notebook full of ideas but zero actionable partnerships? That is the pain point we are eliminating.
This is why the 26th Connected Banking Summit – Innovation & Excellence Awards 2026 isn’t just another date on the calendar. It is the catalyst. Scheduled for 11 March 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, this flagship East Africa edition is where strategy meets execution. We aren’t here to talk about “innovation” in the abstract; we are here to dissect the virtual transformation stack, celebrate the teams making it happen, and forge the partnerships that will define the next decade of financial-technology integration.
Let’s dive into why this summit is the ultimate fintech networking opportunity and how you can leverage it to drive tangible ROI for your organization.
Why the 26th Connected Banking Summit is Non-Negotiable for 2026
The financial services industry demands proof, not promises. Boards and investors no longer fund “pilots”; they fund scalable, compliant, revenue-generating infrastructure. The 26th Connected Banking Summit is structured specifically to provide that proof.
The Shift from Theory to Practice: Demonstrating Real Experience
In the past, a bank could claim to be “digital-first” by launching a basic app. Today, customers and regulators demand tangible experience. They want to see the case studies, the code, and the regulatory wins.
Consider this: A recent McKinsey report highlights that banks leveraging AI & data-intelligence enablement for personalization see a 15-20% increase in operating profits. However, 70% of digital transformations fail due to a lack of clear regulatory dialogue and executive alignment.
This summit solves that. By bringing together policymakers like Timothy Were (Deputy Director, Ministry of ICT) directly with fintech founders and banking CEOs, we bridge the gap between regulation and innovation. This isn’t just a conference; it’s a working session for the region’s financial architecture.
Ask yourself: Is your organization learning from the market, or is it falling behind?
Event Highlights: Beyond the Agenda, Into the Funnel
When evaluating the ROI of attending a financial technology summit, you need to look beyond the coffee breaks and into the conversion metrics. Here is what the 26th Connected Banking Summit delivers that standard events miss:
1. Access to the Decision-Making Funnel
We don’t just count attendees; we qualify them.
200+ C-suite executives: Specifically CIOs, CTOs, and CFOs who hold the budget for digital banking modernization.
70% proven selection-makers: You aren’t pitching to interns. Every conversation is with a stakeholder who has the authority to sign a partnership or sponsorship deal.
25+ global media channels: Your brand equity isn’t just built in the room; it’s broadcast across the continent.
2. The Innovation & Excellence Awards: Validating Your Reputation
Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) isn’t just a metric for subscriptions; it applies to reputation. Winning an Innovation & Excellence Award at this summit serves as third-party validation. It tells the market: “This company doesn’t just sell tech; they execute it.”
Quick Win: Even being shortlisted provides you with social proof assets you can use in your email nurture campaigns for the next 12 months.
Key Focus Areas: Solving the 2026 Banking Paradox
The theme of the summit, “Driving Digital Banking Evolution and Financial-Technology Integration Across East Africa,” tackles five specific technical debt problems. Let’s break down the actionable insights you will gain for each.
AI-Driven Decision Intelligence vs. Traditional Risk Analytics
The Problem: Legacy risk models are reactive. They analyze fraud after the money is gone.
The Solution: AI-driven decision intelligence allows for real-time, predictive fraud orchestration.
What you will learn: How to implement intelligent fraud orchestration systems that score transactions in milliseconds. We will showcase how Morris Maina (CEO, TransUnion Kenya) is leveraging alternative data to credit-score the unbanked, moving beyond traditional KYC/AML modernization.
Quick Answer: AI-driven decision intelligence in banking uses machine learning to analyze customer behavior in real-time, enabling instant loan approvals and detecting fraud before it happens, rather than after.
Open Finance and API-Driven Ecosystem Development
Is your bank a walled garden or a platform? The open-finance and API-driven ecosystem is no longer a regulatory burden; it is a revenue stream.
Case Study Preview: Learn how UBA Bank Kenya, under the leadership of Mary Mulili, is utilizing embedded finance to allow third-party developers to build services on top of their core banking infrastructure.
The ROI: Increased engagement without increasing marketing spend.
The Risk: Poor API security. We will cover the specific cyber resilience frameworks required to open your doors without inviting intruders.
Question for you: Are you treating open finance as a compliance checkbox, or as a growth engine?
Real-Time Payments (RTP) and Interoperability Advancement
Cross-border payments in East Africa have historically been a labyrinth of correspondent banks and 3-day settlement times.
The 2026 Reality: Customers expect real-time payments (RTP) and interoperability advancement between telco money (M-Pesa) and traditional bank accounts.
Actionable Insight: We will dissect the technical infrastructure required for national-scale trust frameworks and digital identity. How do you verify a farmer in a remote area instantly so they can access SME credit expansion? The answer lies in cloud adoption and scalable digital infrastructure design.
Cyber Resilience and Intelligent Fraud Orchestration
The Statistic: According to the African Union, cyber threats cost the continent over $4 billion annually.
Thx: The summit will host dedicated sessions on moving from simple firewalls to intelligent fraud orchestration. This involves layering AI on top of your existing stack to detect behavioral anomalies.
Reflection point: Is your cybersecurity strategy just compliance, or is it a competitive advantage?
Financial Inclusion and SME Credit Expansion
Financial inclusion is not just a social good; it is a massive market opportunity. The unbanked and underbanked represent millions of potential customers with demonstrable LTV.
What the data shows: Research from the World Bank indicates that closing the SME financing gap in Africa could increase GDP by 5-7% in key markets.
The summit angle: We move from theory to execution. How do you underwrite risk for a borrower with no formal credit history? Sessions on digital identity and alternative credit scoring will provide you with immediately deployable frameworks.
The Audience Profile: Who Actually Shows Up?
One of the biggest pain points for technology providers is wasting time with unqualified leads. The 26th Connected Banking Summit solves this with a strict 100% verified attendee policy. Here is who is in the room:
Banking CEOs & Senior Executives: Looking for platform transformation vendors.
Fintech Founders & Innovators: Seeking partnership opportunities and distribution channels.
Regulators & Policymakers: Led by Stanley Kamanguya (CEO, ICT Authority) , shaping the regulatory dialogue for the next 5 years.
Telecommunications Executives: Critical for embedded finance and telco-bank convergence.
Investors & Venture Leaders: Scouting the next unicorn in financial inclusion acceleration.
Sponsorship and Partnership: Calculating the ROI
If you are a technology provider or solution vendor, you might be wondering: “Is this a lead generation event or a brand awareness event?”
The answer: It is a revenue acceleration event.
The Funnel Strategy:
Top of Funnel (Awareness): Media coverage across 25+ channels.
Middle of Funnel (Consideration): Curated networking sessions designed for commercially viable partnerships. This isn’t a random mixer; it’s speed-dating for enterprise contracts.
Bottom of Funnel (Conversion): The Innovation & Excellence Awards gala. This is where trust is socialized in a high-stakes environment.
Common Mistake to Avoid:
Don’t treat this as a tradeshow where you hand out pens. Treat it as a closed-door advisory session. The decision-makers in Nairobi on 11 March 2026 don’t want a sales pitch; they want an actionable roadmap. They want to know how you have solved SME credit expansion in other regulatory environments and how you can adapt it for East Africa.
The Digital Infrastructure Imperative
Cloud Adoption and Scalable Digital Infrastructure Design
Legacy core banking systems were built for a branch-centric world. They were not built for 10,000 transactions per second during a mobile sale event.
The Summit Solution:
We will feature technical deep-dives on cloud adoption and scalable digital infrastructure design. Learn how regional banks are lifting and shifting—or completely rebuilding—their cores to achieve sub-second latency.
Case Example:
A regional bank in East Africa recently migrated its loan origination system to the cloud. Result? Loan processing time dropped from 3 days to 7 minutes. Non-performing loans decreased due to better real-time risk analytics.
Can your infrastructure handle the next wave of digital banking evolution?
The Awards: Celebrating Excellence in Financial-Technology Integration
The Innovation & Excellence Awards are not a ceremonial afterthought. They are the competitive benchmark for the region.
Categories include:
Best Digital Banking Modernization Initiative
Outstanding Financial Inclusion Program
Excellence in Cyber Resilience and Fraud Prevention
Leader in Open Finance and API Ecosystems
Pioneer in AI-driven Decision Intelligence
Why enter?
Credibility: Winning validates your experience in front of 200+ verified industry peers.
Visibility: Coverage across 25+ global media channels.
Partnerships: Past winners report a 40% increase in inbound partnership inquiries within 90 days of receiving the award.
Event Details
Date: 11 March 2026
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
- Website: https://connected-banking.com/summit/east-africa/
Conclusion: Your Seat at the Table
The gap between the “digital bank” and the “traditional bank” is shrinking, but the gap between the innovators and the laggards is widening. The 26th Connected Banking Summit – Innovation & Excellence Awards 2026 is your opportunity to ensure you are on the right side of that divide.
We have covered the AI-driven solutions, the cybersecurity resilience, the cross-border payments efficiency, and the financial inclusion metrics. But data without action is just trivia.
Your next move:
Don’t just read the recap. Be in the room. Whether you are applying for the Innovation & Excellence Awards, booking a sponsorship booth, or simply securing your delegate pass to network with Morris Maina, Mary Mulili, and Stanley Kamanguya, the time to act is now.
The future of East African banking is being written on 11 March 2026 in Nairobi. Will your organization be cited as a reference—or as a cautionary tale?
Let’s build the scalable, inclusive, and intelligent financial future of East Africa—together.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Structured for Google Rich Snippets and Voice Search
Q: What is the Connected Banking Summit – East Africa?
A: It is the flagship financial technology summit organized by ICSA focusing on digital banking evolution and financial-technology integration. It connects senior banking executives, regulators, and fintech innovators to address the specific challenges of the East African market, including cross-border payments and open finance.
Q: When and where is the 2026 summit taking place?
A: The 26th Connected Banking Summit will take place on 11 March 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya. The venue is centrally located to accommodate delegates from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Ethiopia.
Q: Who organizes this event?
A: The event is organized by the International Centre for Strategic Alliances (ICSA) , a global leader in designing high-impact conferences and strategic partnership summits for the BFSI sector.
Q: Who needs to attend?
A: If you are a CIO, CTO, CFO, Head of Digital Transformation, or a fintech founder focused on SME credit expansion, AI-driven decision intelligence, or cyber resilience, this is a non-negotiable event. It is also critical for regulators and policymakers involved in digital identity and national-scale trust frameworks.
Q: What are the key topics covered at the summit?
A: The agenda focuses on digital banking modernization, real-time payments (RTP) , open-finance and API-driven ecosystems, cybersecurity resilience, AI & data-intelligence enablement, cloud adoption, financial inclusion, and cross-border payments efficiency.
Q: Are there awards at the summit?
A: Yes. The Innovation & Excellence Awards honor top contributors to the region’s growth, specifically recognizing achievements in virtual transformation, financial inclusion, and interoperability advancement.
Q: How can I become a sponsor or partner?
A: Please visit the official website at https://connected-banking.com/summit/east-africa/ to explore sponsorship opportunities and customized partnership packages with the ICSA team.
Q: Is the event only for East African companies?
A: While the focus is East Africa, the summit welcomes global technology providers, investors, and financial institutions looking to enter or expand in the region. The cross-border payments and interoperability sessions are particularly relevant for international players.
