Financial Service Innovators Mark Another Milestone Achievement

The Financial Service Innovators are marking another milestone achievement as it is set to mark its second anniversary with 4,674 members and many more are still joining.

The Financial Service Innovators is an association created on the 23^rd of February 2017, as a response to the Central Bank of Nigeria's collaboration with the NIBSS Plc to help accelerate the growth and development process of the Nigerian FinTech industry.

The organization with many reputable names in the FinTech and conventional banking space has succeeded in charting a course to enable innovation within the Nigerian financial services industry.

The firm has reiterated its commitment to the creation of an enabling platform for innovators to create, develop, and commercialize ideas.

As a non-profit organization, the group has, in the past two years, created a system that produces talents for the tech ecosystem – from growing a community to clarifying the implications of certain policies on startups and nurturing businesses, amongst many other achievements.

To mark the event, the Executive Director of FSI, Aituaz Kola-Oladejo, said the organization has launched an essay competition for students in tertiary institutions with some financial benefits attached to it.

"This is an opportunity to transfer knowledge and encourage students in tertiary institutions in their academic pursuits," Kola-Oladejo said.

She also used the opportunity to present the organization’s focus areas for 2022, which includes developing its founders’ community to raise unicorns in Nigeria and Africa.

Discovering employable tech talents globally and engaging others eager to embark on an entrepreneurial journey and enhance collaboration in the ecosystem are part of next year’s goals.

"We will continue to organise tech-related challenges for several sectors, including education, health, transportation, and insurance, to solve financial inclusion challenges as well as create products for the underserved markets," she stated.

According to her, Nigeria’s fintech scene has been fraught with several challenges lately, but opportunities abound for innovators and startups.

"We have seen several startups in Nigeria become unicorns despite the economic situation and other limiting factors in the country. Our primary goal is to build, grow, and support an innovative and collaborative ecosystem."

"It has been a rewarding experience, "she concluded.