Europe can learn from Africa's mobile banking, says a Polish tech executive
With 1.1 billion registered mobile money accounts, the continent is ahead in simplicity, according to Asseco's Marta Mróz-Sipiora.
Nairobi — The old story has Africa catching up with Europe in banking. Marta Mróz-Sipiora, director of global development and innovation at Asseco Poland, told Euronews that in mobile banking and simple product design, it is now the other way round.
She said technology has reached communities that traditional banks never served, and that European banks often add features customers never use, which only raises costs.
The figures behind the argument
- Accounts: the share of adults in sub-Saharan Africa with a financial account rose from 34% in 2014 to 58% in 2024, the World Bank says.
- Mobile money: Africa had 1.1 billion registered accounts in 2024, up 19%, with 286 million active each month, according to the GSMA.
- Volume: users made 81 billion transactions in 2024, worth $1.1 trillion.
- Leaders: Kenya has the highest share of adults with an account at 90%, followed by Mauritius at 89%. Niger, at 14%, and Chad, at 20%, show how far others have to go.
She pointed to Kenya's M-Pesa and to South Africa's Capitec, which began in 2001 with small loans and reported 26 million active clients for the year to February 2026.
Source: Africanews, November 2026.
