A Disruptive Fintech for Inclusive Finance in Africa: Role and Contribution of Mobile Money

Abstract

Technological innovations applied to finance have given rise to a new industry: Fintech. One of the main issues this industry is addressing, especially in developing countries like Africa, is financial inclusion. However, despite the rapid development of fintech firms in Africa, particularly the mobile payment (mobile money) segment, over the past two decades, two-thirds of adults are still unbanked on the continent. This paper reviews the fintech landscape in Africa and the state of financial inclusion on the continent, focuses on the impact of fintech companies on three fundamental dimensions of financial inclusion (access, usage, and quality of financial products and services offered), and concludes with a discussion of the critical role that these fintech firms could play in the continent's future.