First Bank of Nigeria Limited said it sponsored the recently held Canada-Africa Fintech Summit (CAFS 2025) in Downtown Toronto to drive home its commitment to inclusive fintech innovation.
Conveyed by President of the African Fintech Network, Dr Segun Aina, it was a landmark event that united fintech leaders, regulators, startups and investors from Africa and Canada to explore scalable digital solutions, encourage investment and promote inclusive economic development across both continents.
As a legacy institution with over 131 years of leadership in financial services, FirstBank’s sponsorship highlights its commitment to fostering cross-border collaboration, financial inclusion and forward-thinking innovation in the global fintech landscape, the bank said in a statement.
Acting Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications at FirstBank, Olayinka Ijabiyi, stated: “Our support of CAFS 2025 reflects our belief that collaboration between African and Canadian fintech ecosystems can lead to transformative innovations. FirstBank is proud to help shape that future.”
During a high-level panel discussion with MPP for Mississauga–Lakeshore, Rudy Cuzzeto and Country Director for the United Nations World Food Programme (Nigeria), David Stevenson, Group Executive for E-Business and Retail Products at FirstBank, Chuma Ezirim, stressed the significance of digital collaboration in Africa’s financial ecosystem.
“We are building APIs that understand regulatory bifurcation, who has access to what, and why. Technology is the easy part. The real challenge lies in maintaining security, consent, and performance.
“In Nigeria, fintech has evolved beyond disruption to convergence, integrating banks, fintechs and regulators into an agile and accountable ecosystem,” he added.
In a separate panel discussion, Chief Technology Officer at FirstBank, Rachel Adeshina, shared insights on harnessing AI to enhance credit access for the underbanked.
“We are addressing data poverty by using AI to interpret alternative data, allowing us to lend to individuals who might otherwise be invisible to the traditional credit system,” she noted.
The summit formed part of Canada’s broader Africa Strategy, aimed at fostering economic partnerships, digital cooperation, and innovation exchange.
