AfreLa

Current projects

The research underway at the Applied Fintech Research Lab for Africa, from national fintech ecosystems to conversational AI.

Fintech ecosystem in Morocco

The project uses the Delphi method to analyze Morocco’s fintech sector, with a panel of 45 experts from finance, technology, academia, startups and service organizations. Over three phases (open brainstorming, narrowing down, final ranking), the panel reached consensus on 12 key challenges and 12 strategic actions, among them an open banking framework, a unified national fintech vision and regulatory sandboxes. The result is a focused agenda for policymakers and industry leaders.

A student standing in a classroom, headphones around his neck.

African fintech: a ten‑year media retrospective

Africa’s financial sector has been transformed by fintech, supported by policies and investments, and media coverage has played a part in that growth. Research on how the media represent African fintech is still limited. This study reads a decade of news coverage with natural language processing (topic modeling and sentiment analysis) to show what the press keeps coming back to, what it rarely covers, and how its narratives frame fintech’s role in Africa’s economic advancement.

A basic mobile phone resting in a bowl of maize.

Financial inclusion through frugal innovation: cases from emerging economies

This research project investigates the intersection of fintech and frugal innovation in emerging economies, focusing on how cost-effective, accessible innovations can enhance financial inclusion in resource-constrained environments. The study examines three case studies, BIMA (micro-insurance in Ghana), Oye (insurance for motorcycle taxi drivers in Kenya), and Farmdrive (credit access for smallholder farmers in Kenya), to illustrate how these companies use mobile technology and network theory to serve underserved populations. The research highlights the broader implications of these frugal innovations, emphasizing their potential to promote financial inclusion.

Published in Research Handbook on FinTech (Edward Elgar, 2026)

The Finlingo chat screen answering a question about loan rates.

Finlingo: a conversational AI for enhancing financial literacy education in Africa

In collaboration with IWAZOLAB

Africa’s fintech revolution offers unprecedented financial opportunities, yet a persistent literacy gap hinders its full potential. This research project proposes Finlingo, a conversational AI designed to enhance digital financial literacy in Africa. Leveraging artificial intelligence and natural language processing, Finlingo aims to provide accurate, contextually relevant responses to financial queries, addressing issues from basic concepts to complex products. By offering personalized, accessible financial education, this innovative solution seeks to bridge the gap between financial knowledge and effective decision-making, contributing to financial inclusion across Africa.

Motorcycle taxi riders gathered in a field in Kenya.

Frugal innovation in African fintech: the case of Oye in enhancing financial inclusion for Kenya’s bodaboda riders

This research project examines Oye, a Kenyan fintech startup leveraging frugal innovation to enhance financial inclusion for bodaboda riders. By integrating accident insurance into daily fuel purchases, Oye provides affordable safety nets accessible via basic mobile phones. The approach highlights how frugal fintech solutions can overcome infrastructural and economic barriers in informal sectors, supporting underserved populations.

Engage with the research

Universities, regulators and companies interested in a joint project, a student program or a talk on this research can write to the lab.