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Ghana Fintech Awards Opens 2026 Nominations as Organisers Tighten Rules, Boost Credibility
The Ghana Fintech Awards (GFA) today opened nominations for its fifth edition at a media launch held at Nobel International Business School, with organisers unveiling a slimmer, more rigorous awards process designed to strengthen credibility, encourage collaboration and spotlight high-impact innovation across the local fintech ecosystem.
Cristiana Swan-Awagah, Project Coordinator for the Ghana Fintech Awards, told journalists the event exists to bridge gaps in the sector and to celebrate resilience, financial inclusion and technology that drives real impact. “When we started, we noticed many fintechs didn’t know each other. The awards create a platform for discovery, partnership and growth—not just applause,” she said, reviewing the event’s steady expansion and partnerships since its inception.
Swan-Awagah traced the Awards’ evolution: early collaboration with industry bodies, the launch of the Ghana Fintech Association at the second edition, and the addition this year of Fintech Management Solutions to the organiser stable.
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She said the 2026 ceremony will review activity in 2025 and has been restructured around 25 competitive categories—down from a larger list in previous years—to raise standards and focus competition.
Key procedural changes were highlighted. The coveted Fintech Company of the Year will no longer be a popularity pick but a performance-based award assessed across categories. Companies may be nominated in a maximum of three categories; organisers will contact any entity nominated in more to select which three to pursue. Swan-Awagah explained the cap is intended to ensure depth over breadth in the evaluation process.
Ezekiel Akpan, Manager, Technology Advisory at KPMG, outlined the nomination and validation process and stressed integrity measures. KPMG will validate 23 of the 25 categories.
The nomination platform is tightly controlled to prevent early or fraudulent submissions, and the public voting window is enforced. “This year’s rules assign 20% weight to public votes and 80% to jury assessment — reflecting our emphasis on objective, evidence-based adjudication,” Akpan said. He noted KPMG’s role in ensuring the data submitted to the jury is secure and verifiable.
Organisers also announced refined category definitions. Digital Bank of the Year, for example, is now reserved for fully digital banks, while a new Best Commercial Bank with Digital Innovation category lets traditional banks compete on their digital credentials. Swan-Awagah said strategic removals — such as healthtech from this year’s competitive slate — are intended to give emerging sub-sectors space to mature before re-entering the main race.
The launch emphasised inclusivity initiatives. The Women in Fintech programme, launched last year, now benefits from a technical working group with the Bank of Ghana and aims to support skills, policy engagement and financial backing for women-led fintechs. The Top Fintech Voices initiative will continue to elevate thought leadership in the sector.
Nominations open immediately and will follow the published schedule leading to the main awards in 2026. Swan-Awagah closed by inviting industry stakeholders, sponsors and the media to back the Awards’ renewed focus on trust, standards and meaningful collaboration: “This is a celebration, yes—but it’s also a mechanism to help fintechs grow together and build the ecosystem Ghana needs.”
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