The third edition of the Visa Fintech Day took place on Tuesday at the Mohammed VI Tower in Rabat, bringing together key players in Morocco’s financial ecosystem to discuss innovation, digital payments, and financial inclusion.

Organised by Visa in partnership with the Morocco Fintech Center (MFC), the Digital Development Agency (ADD), and Technopark, the event drew representatives from government authorities, regulators, banks, fintechs, investors, and technology companies. This edition placed a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence and its potential to reshape financial services.

The proceedings were opened by Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, Minister Delegate for Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, who spoke about the role of AI in driving inclusive digital transformation. Several discussions also explored the impact of digitalisation on the national economy, notably during a conversation between Sami Romdhane, Country Manager of Visa Morocco, and Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry and Trade.

Speakers highlighted the growing contribution of digital technologies to modernising Morocco’s economic fabric, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. Digital payments, data utilisation, and AI-powered tools are now seen as major drivers of competitiveness and development.

Morocco leverages AI to accelerate its financial transformation

A highlight of this edition was the presentation of a white paper on the Moroccan fintech ecosystem. Developed jointly by Visa and the Morocco Fintech Center with input from several institutions, this document aims to serve as a reference for investors, industry professionals, and public decision-makers.

The report puts forward several recommendations to accelerate financial innovation in Morocco. These include developing regulatory sandboxes to test new services in a secure environment, standardising technological integrations between market players, strengthening funding mechanisms for startups, and making greater use of artificial intelligence and data analytics to promote financial inclusion.

The event also showcased the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator programme. Launched as part of the group’s commitment to invest one billion dollars in Africa by 2027, this initiative supports fintech startups across the continent through an intensive 12-week programme.

Startups, banks, and regulators: a maturing collaboration

Since its launch, the accelerator has supported 104 African fintechs across six successive cohorts. Their combined valuation exceeds 1.4 billion dollars. Ten Moroccan startups have already benefited from the programme, gaining access to strategic mentorship, Visa’s technological infrastructure, and funding opportunities.

At this third edition, two Moroccan startups from the latest cohort were highlighted. Both are developing solutions based on artificial intelligence and data exploitation to address structural challenges in the financial sector.

According to Sami Romdhane, this evolution reflects the growing maturity of the national ecosystem. He noted that Moroccan fintechs now favour collaboration with banks and regulators rather than a disruptive approach. Visa intends to support this dynamic by providing its technological infrastructure and global expertise to foster financial innovation and expand access to financial services in Morocco.

By Boureima Amadou — Reporter