The African Development Bank and Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility (ADFI) are partnering with the Government of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT) to host the 9th Edition of Catapult: Inclusion Africa, in Abidjan.

The Catapult: Inclusion Africa programme opened on Monday 29 June and is designed to identify, support, and scale high-potential financial technology startups that advance financial inclusion across the continent.

This year’s programme is powered and run by the LHoFT, with support from ADFI and the African Development Bank Group. It focuses on early-stage stage fintechs driving innovative solutions that increase financial access for underserved populations across Africa. Catapult leverages Luxembourg’s dynamic fintech ecosystem and the African Development Bank Group’s unique footprint to provide participating fintechs with hands-on mentorship, tailored training, and extensive networking with industry leaders.

“At the African Development Bank, we are actively committed to facilitating access to finance and creating an environment conducive to the development of innovative businesses. The event today perfectly illustrates this shared ambition and reinforces and complements the already strong partnership between ADFI and Luxembourg in the areas of financial innovation and sustainable development,” affirmed Mohamadou Ba, Manager of the Financial Intermediation & Inclusion Division at the African Development Bank Group.

Alex Panican, Acting CEO – LHoFT said: "Partnering with the AfDB and ADFI is a powerful validation of the impact that the Catapult Africa programme continues to deliver. After nine years of empowering Africa’s fintech ecosystem, this partnership recognizes not only the programme’s consistent success but, more importantly, the extraordinary entrepreneurs whose innovation, resilience, and ambition are shaping the future of finance across the continent."

The bootcamp will culminate in a high-level conference on Friday 3 July, bringing together participating fintechs, investors, financial institutions, technology partners, regulators, and government officials to foster an enabling ecosystem for inclusive digital finance in Africa. The conference will include investor pitches from participants, culminating the selection of ten participants to attend the second session in Luxembourg in November.

The collaboration is aligned with the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy (2024 – 2033) and Four Cardinal Points, which highlight the pivotal role of financial inclusion and technology in Africa’s transformation. It also shows the Government of Luxembourg’s strong commitment to promoting financial inclusion globally, as evidenced by its support for the Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility.

The African Development Bank Group seeks to promote financial inclusion in Africa for underserved populations, supporting the development of policies and products that foster inclusive finance and innovation in the financial sector and encouraging the adoption of digital financial solutions to enhance financial accessibility and usage.

About Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility (ADFI):

ADFI is a multi-donor partnership including the Ministry of Finance of Luxembourg which is hosted and managed by the Financial Intermediation & Inclusion Division (PIFD1), one of the Bank Group's vehicles to promote Africa’s financial inclusion, working to a continental mandate to catalyse inclusive digital financial services through the gender-intentional development of infrastructure, policies and regulations and product innovation.

About The Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT)

The Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT) works to accelerate the growth and impact of high-potential fintechs offering innovative solutions to underserved communities. The LHoFT’s Catapult: Inclusion Africa bootcamp program supports fintech companies that promote financial inclusion in Africa, connecting selected companies with Luxembourg's inclusive finance ecosystem to foster partnerships, investment, and knowledge exchange, while strengthening collaboration between the fintech ecosystems of Africa and Europe.