The 2026 RegTech Africa Conference and Expo (RACE 2026) (https://RegTechAfrica.com) concluded on a landmark high, bringing to a close a three-day gathering of regulators, investors, technology innovators, policymakers, financial institutions, and startup founders from across the continent. Held at the prestigious State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, the conference reaffirmed its standing as Africa's premier platform for advancing regulatory technology, digital financial services, and ecosystem-wide innovation — and this year's edition may have been its most significant yet.

RACE 2026 convened a rich cross-section of Africa's financial and technology leadership for panel discussions, workshops, and policy roundtables designed to address the continent's most urgent regulatory and digital transformation challenges. From central bank representatives and compliance professionals to venture capital investors and growth-stage founders, the conference created a uniquely convergent space — one where regulation, innovation, and capital could meet in productive conversation.

Among the highlights of the conference was the highly anticipated RegTech Africa Startup World Cup Abuja Regional Challenge, as a centrepiece event of the expo. Organised through a strategic partnership between RegTech Africa and Pegasus Tech Ventures — one of the world's most recognised startup pitch competitions — the Abuja Regional Challenge brought together 15 carefully selected startups drawn from hundreds of applications received across Africa. The finalists, representing sectors spanning fintech, regulatory technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and GovTech, pitched their solutions before a distinguished panel of judges, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Entries were evaluated on innovation, scalability, revenue potential, business sustainability, societal impact, and quality of presentation.

“At RegTech Africa, our mission has always been more than convening conversations — it is about building an active, enabling infrastructure for the African startup ecosystem. Through platforms like the Startup World Cup Regional Challenge, we are deliberately creating pathways for Africa's most promising innovators to gain global visibility, access to capital, and the strategic partnerships they need to scale. RACE 2026 demonstrated clearly that when regulators, investors, and entrepreneurs share the same room, the outcomes are transformative not just for individual companies, but for the continent's broader financial and regulatory landscape.” — Cyril Okoroigwe, Chief Executive Officer, RegTech Africa

The partnership between RegTech Africa and Pegasus Tech Ventures reflects a growing recognition that Africa's regulatory technology and fintech sectors are ripe with world-class solutions deserving of global platforms. By anchoring the Regional Challenge within RACE, both organisations demonstrated a shared commitment to ensuring that African innovation is not simply acknowledged locally, but positioned for meaningful participation in global startup ecosystems. The pitch day drew significant energy from the conference audience, with attendees, exhibitors, and delegates from across Africa and beyond actively engaging with the competing teams and their solutions.

After a rigorous selection process, the panel of judges crowned Mehtic Technology — developers of the BankPlus Core Banking Infrastructure platform — as the winner of the 2026 Abuja Regional Challenge. The company will now advance to represent the region at the Startup World Cup Global Finals in Silicon Valley, United States, where startups from across the world will compete for a $1 million investment prize and strategic global partnerships. Their selection from a highly competitive field is a testament both to the quality of African fintech innovation and to the rigour of the Regional Challenge process.

“RACE 2026 exceeded every expectation we had for it. From the quality of conversations in the conference halls to the electric energy of the Startup World Cup Pitch Day, what unfolded at the Presidential Villa over those three days was a genuine statement about where Africa stands in the global RegTech and fintech conversation. The partnership between RegTech Africa and the Startup World Cup produced something special — a competition that not only celebrated the ingenuity of African founders but gave that ingenuity a genuine global stage. I am immensely proud of how this edition came together, and deeply encouraged by what it signals for the future of the African innovation ecosystem.” — Belinda Nkechi Idinmachi, Startup World Cup Ambassador.

As RACE 2026 draws to a close, the RegTech Africa team has reaffirmed its commitment to continuing to build and strengthen the infrastructure of Africa's regulatory and financial technology ecosystem — through conferences, startup development programming, policy dialogue, and strategic global partnerships. The success of this year's Abuja Regional Challenge sets a powerful precedent for what future editions of the competition, and of RACE itself, can achieve.

ABOUT REGTECH AFRICA: 
RegTech Africa is a leading organisation dedicated to driving innovation, compliance, and transformative growth in the regulatory technology (RegTech) landscape across the African continent. Through its flagship RegTech Africa Conference and Expo (RACE), startup development initiatives, policy engagement programmes, and pan-African ecosystem building, RegTech Africa serves as a critical bridge between regulators, financial institutions, technology innovators, and investors shaping Africa's digital financial future.