Central Bank of Egypt Launches the Third Edition of the «FinTech Got Talent 2025» Competition
First Bank
Two of the final qualifiers in the competition secured first and second place in the "Arab FinTech Challenge"
In line with the Central Bank of Egypt’s (CBE) commitment to empowering youth and strengthening Egypt’s position as a leading regional hub for FinTech, the "FinYology" Initiative - introduced by the CBE’s "FinTech Egypt"- has launched the third edition of the «FinTech Got Talent 2025» competition, in collaboration with the Federation of Egyptian Banks (FEB) and the Egyptian Banking Institute (EBI).
This competition aims to identify and select the most innovative projects and ideas among university students.
The CBE has recently hosted the third edition of the competition, during which Mr. Rami Aboulnaga, Deputy Governor of the CBE, delivered the opening remarks in the presence of several senior officials from the CBE and the banking sector, as well as representatives from Egyptian universities.
In his remarks, Mr. Aboulnaga emphasized that the competition aligns with the CBE’s FinTech and Innovation Strategy, which focuses on qualifying and building young talent in this field by equipping them with the skills and capabilities required for the job market.
He further noted that the competition exemplifies the institutional integration between the banking sector and the educational system, reflecting Egypt’s commitment to advancing digital transformation, promoting financial inclusion, and fostering an enabling environment for innovation - particularly among youth.
The competition featured multiple stages, starting with university-level elimination rounds for selecting the top 11 projects to join a one-month comprehensive program at the "DMZ Cairo" Incubator.
The program aimed to develop their projects and transform their innovative ideas into practical, market-ready solutions. The competition concluded with the announcement of the three winning projects.
Concluding the competition, Eng. Ayman Hussein, First Sub-Governor for the Information Technology Sector at the CBE, awarded the winning teams. ESLSCA University claimed first place with "Tapay" project, a mobile application that transforms any smartphone into a contactless payment terminal, enabling couriers to accept NFC payments without the need for traditional Point of Sale (PoS) hardware.
The British University in Egypt (BUE) secured second place with "Money Adventure,"the first gamified financial literacy application designed to make learning about money an engaging experience for children.
Cairo University attained third place with "AgriDawar," a digital platform that directly connects farmers and buyers of agriculture surplus residues, leveraging e-payment technologies and e-wallets to ensure transparent and real-time transfers to farmers.
The three teams earned the opportunity to represent Egypt in the "Arab FinTech Challenge" held in October 2025, in Dubai. Notably, the teams from ESLSCA University and the BUE successfully secured first and second places, respectively, following a fierce competition with a number of other participating universities from different Arab countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Morocco.
Dr. Rasha Negm, Assistant Sub-Governor of CBE for FinTech and Innovation, highlighted that the qualified teams from the "FinTech Got Talent" competition achieved remarkable milestones over the past two years, securing first place in the Arab FinTech Challenge, surpassing teams from various Arab countries.
This reflects the outstanding capabilities of Egypt’s youth in this vital sector and solidifies the state’s position as a growing regional hub for FinTech innovation.
The "FinTech Got Talent" competition, the first of its kind in Egypt, was launched in 2023 under the "FinYology" initiative. This initiative aims to integrate students into hands-on practical setting, equipping them with the necessary skills and experience to keep up with the global FinTech developments. It also focuses on nurturing their creative capacities across multiple areas to meet labor market demands.
FinYology initiative currently encompasses over 30 Egyptian universities, delivering 900 student-led projects with the participation of approximately 19,000 students.
These projects receive progressive support from the Egyptian banking sector (with around 18 banks provide assistance throughout the year). This underscores the CBE and the banking sector’s commitment to fostering young talents and boosting entrepreneurship in the FinTech landscape.
