South Africa’s fintech industry body joins Africa’s largest gathering of business leaders to bring fintech into the mainstream business conversation.
The Fintech Association of South Africa (FINASA) has partnered with Leaderex 2026, bringing a dedicated fintech presence to Africa’s largest gathering of business leaders, professionals and entrepreneurs, taking place from 1 to 3 September 2026 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
The partnership reflects how far financial technology has moved beyond its own sector. Payments, credit, digital identity and embedded finance now sit inside the operating decisions of almost every business, from listed corporates managing collections at scale to small enterprises trying to get paid on time. Leaderex draws a broad cross section of that audience, and the partnership is intended to put fintech expertise directly in front of it rather than keeping the conversation within the industry.
Fintech on the Leaderex programme
FINASA’s programme activity takes place on 3 September and includes two slots at the Leaderex Payments conference. FINASA CEO Darren Franks will deliver a session at 14h30 on the topic "Why Banks and Fintechs are Collaborating to Accelerate Financial Inclusion", examining how the relationship between incumbents and challengers has shifted from competition to partnership, and what that has meant for reaching underserved consumers and small businesses.
Earlier in the day, at 12h50, FINASA COO Danielle Lawrence will moderate the panel discussion "The Path to Frictionless, Secure and Instant Payment Experiences", covering the tension between speed, security and cost that sits at the centre of payments modernisation in South Africa.
"Fintech has become part of how almost every business operates rather than a sector standing on its own. Leaderex brings together executives, founders and professionals from right across the economy, which makes it a valuable place for our members to be heard and, just as importantly, to hear what the rest of the market is working through. We are pleased to be working with Leaderex and to bring a strong fintech voice into the programme." said Danielle Lawrence, Chief Operating Officer of FINASA.
The road to the South African FinTech Awards
FINASA’s presence at Leaderex forms part of a broader event programme running through the second half of 2026, which culminates in the South African FinTech Awards in Cape Town on 26 November. The Awards close out the industry calendar for the year and recognise the companies, teams and individuals doing the most significant work across payments, lending, digital identity, financial inclusion and financial services technology in South Africa.
In the weeks leading up to the event, FINASA will convene a series of sub-sector working groups, each producing a charter setting out priorities for that part of the industry in 2027. Those charters will be launched from the Awards stage, making the evening a marker of where the sector intends to go rather than only a celebration of what it has already done. Judging is independently audited by Deloitte, FINASA’s consulting partner for the Awards.
Nominations for the South African FinTech Awards 2026 are open at finasa.org.za/awards.
Leaderex 2026 runs from 1 to 3 September 2026 at the Sandton Convention Centre. Registration and full programme details are available at www.leaderex.com.