Think your fintech solution might just be the one? The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has 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.