AI · Fintech · Africa

Applied Fintech Research Lab for Africa

AfreLa, based at UQAR, studies how emerging technologies, above all AI, are reshaping fintech in Africa: how financial systems are designed, how national fintech sectors form, and the capacity of companies and institutions to use AI and to supervise it.

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Scope of research

The lab studies what AI and emerging technologies change in African fintech, from alternative banking and payments to regtech and suptech. Its work runs from empirical studies to theoretical frameworks and policy analyses, and speaks both to the academic discourse and to the people who make decisions in the sector.

Why fintech in Africa, and why AI now

01
The financial gap
The World Bank estimates that nearly 350 million Africans are financially underserved, without access to basic banking services.
02
Fintech as infrastructure
In Africa, fintech is less a product category than a layer of national infrastructure. Mobile money, digital credit and instant payments now carry everyday financial life.
03
The AI capacity gap
Banks and fintechs already use AI, from credit scoring to fraud checks. The capacity to use it well, and to supervise it, is still being built.

+2,175.79%

Growth in mobile money transaction volume across five African regions, 2011 to 2022.

GSMA Global Mobile Money DatasetRead the analysis →

59%

of African financial authorities see moderate to advanced AI adoption by fintechs.

World Bank, 2025

Research objectives

01
Scholarly publications
To publish research findings in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals and books.
02
Adoption and impact
To study the economic, social and cultural factors that shape the adoption and effectiveness of fintech and AI in Africa.
03
AI capacity
To examine how companies and institutions build the capacity to use AI in financial services and to supervise it.
04
Partnerships and training
To run interdisciplinary projects with universities, financial organizations and public bodies, and to turn the research into courses and workshops.