Applications for the Global Fintech Hackcelerator @ Southern Africa are open.

The South African Reserve Bank calls fintech firms to submit their innovative and sustainable solutions to challenges identified within the financial services industry.

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) today launched the 2019 Global Fintech Hackcelerator @ Southern Africa competition. The Global Fintech Hackcelerator, powered by KPMG Matchi, is a fintech acceleration programme that creates a platform for fintech firms to demonstrate their innovative solutions to complex financial challenges in the Southern African region.

Fintech firms from anywhere in the world can apply to participate in the programme, to address problem statements constructed by the SARB. The SARB views such global fintech acceleration programmes as enabling processes to embrace fintech, while affording the opportunity for regulators to appraise benefits and risks in a balanced manner. Shortlisted respondents will be invited to showcase their solutions at the Southern African Demo Day on 29 October 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Demo Day will seek to explore sustainable financial services innovations that must address real-world financial services challenges. On the Demo Day, a panel of judges from the SARB and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority as well as local industry experts will select and announce two winning solutions.

Each Global Fintech Hackcelerator @ Southern Africa 2019 winner will:

 receive a stipend towards travel expenses to attend the 2019 Singapore Fintech Festival;

 get an opportunity to pitch their solution live during the Hackcelerator Demo Day at the 2019 Singapore Fintech Festival and engage with industry experts;

 receive funding to develop a contextualised proof of concept, to be deployed within a year from the Demo Day; and

 work with high-value corporates to contextualise a solution to their needs, while obtaining market entry into the Singapore and Asia-Pacific region.

Over and above the Global Fintech Hackcelerator @ Southern Africa gains, the top three winners at the Singapore Fintech Festival will each receive a cash prize. Applications for the Global Fintech Hackcelerator @ Southern Africa close at midnight on 8 September 2019.

Interested applicants are invited to view the problem statements and complete an application form, both of which are available at https://matchi.biz/hackceleratorSA.

Editor’s notes: About the Singapore Fintech Festival Attended by 45 000 participants from 130 countries in 2018, the Singapore Fintech Festival is hosted annually by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and provides a platform for connection, collaboration and co-creation on fintech in Singapore and beyond. The festival is expected to welcome international participants across all five days, with the vast majority being part of the C-suite, heads of department, key decision-makers and industry influencers.

The festival will be graced by giants of the fintech world, with luminaries such as Christine Lagarde and Narendra Modi taking centre stage.

About KPMG Matchi Distinguish real signals from noise to maximise opportunities with tech start-ups. Acquired by KPMG International in 2017, KPMG Matchi is an emerging technology matchmaking platform and a service that connects large corporations with innovative, leading-edge technology solution providers worldwide. Its approach delivers the most relevant technology solutions through global innovation challenges and scans that leverage the KPMG Matchi platform and proven methodologies. Having pioneered innovation matchmaking in 2013, KPMG Matchi’s global database exceeds 5 000 emerging technology solutions.

Issued by SARB Media Relations [email protected] 0123997966