African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has unveiled a line-up of central bankers, financial regulators and fintech executives for its 2026 Compliance Forum in Botswana, as the continent seeks to reduce regulatory barriers that constrain cross-border trade and access to international financial services.
The three-day gathering, scheduled for November 16-18 at the Gaborone International Convention Centre, will bring together bankers, compliance specialists and technology executives from more than 40 countries to examine how regulatory cooperation and digital innovation can support African economic integration.
Organised in partnership with the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), the forum will focus on fragmented regulatory frameworks, declining access to correspondent banking services and the growing role of artificial intelligence in financial compliance.
The event comes as African financial institutions face mounting pressure to comply with international anti-money laundering standards, sanctions requirements and cybersecurity regulations while supporting the expansion of trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Among the confirmed speakers are Lesego Caster Moseki, governor of the Bank of Botswana; Patrick Ndzana Olomo, acting director for economic development, integration and trade at the African Union Commission; Luis Koberg, founder and chief executive of Klearium Group; and Shane Ridel, chief executive of Elucidate.
Other participants include Sophie Barre, global head of risk and compliance at Wave Mobile Money Group; Mooketsi Ramanteba of Botswana’s Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority; Nellie Nuyoni of CBZ Holdings; Moira Mapundu of NMB Bank; and Boitumelo William of Continental Reinsurance.
Compliance specialists from Standard Chartered and Dow Jones are also expected to participate.
Regulatory fragmentation remains a significant obstacle to financial integration across Africa, where banks operate under different supervisory regimes, reporting standards and levels of technological development.
Idrissa Diop, compliance director at Afreximbank, said greater interoperability between national regulatory systems would be essential to reducing transaction costs and facilitating trade without undermining domestic oversight.
“Our banks across Africa operate across very different legal systems, supervisory approaches and levels of digital maturity. Africa does not need uniformity at any cost. It needs interoperability that reduces friction while preserving regulatory sovereignty,” Diop said.
He urged regulators, financial institutions and technology providers to use the forum to develop practical solutions rather than limiting discussions to broad policy commitments.
The event, themed Better Compliance — Better Trade, will examine whether closer regulatory cooperation can improve the movement of capital, goods and services across African borders.
A central issue will be access to correspondent banking, which enables domestic banks to process international payments through relationships with financial institutions abroad.
African banks have faced difficulties maintaining or establishing such relationships as international lenders reassess compliance costs and exposure to financial crime risks.
Koberg said inadequate transparency across international payment networks remained a significant challenge.
“Many African banks continue to face barriers to accessing correspondent banking services. The reasons given often overlook a fundamental challenge: limited visibility across the payment chain,” he said.
He argued that greater transparency would allow financial institutions to assess risks more accurately rather than relying on broad restrictions that could limit access to international banking services.
The forum will also examine the expansion of financial technology across Africa, particularly the use of digital platforms to reach individuals and businesses underserved by conventional banks.
Barre said technological innovation and proportionate compliance requirements could help financial service providers expand access without compromising regulatory safeguards.
“Fintechs are rewriting the rules of financial inclusion and efficiency,” she said, adding that intelligent, risk-based customer onboarding could support affordable and reliable financial services.
Artificial intelligence will feature prominently in discussions, with an exhibition showcasing automated systems for detecting suspicious transactions, monitoring financial crime risks and improving regulatory reporting.
Other sessions will address counter-terrorist financing, sanctions compliance, consumer protection, cybersecurity and third-party risk management.
Keletsositse Olebile, chief executive of BITC, said predictable regulatory systems were important to attracting investment and supporting business expansion.
“Strong and predictable compliance systems build investor confidence, protect institutions, and create the conditions in which trade and enterprise can flourish,” he said.
The gathering forms part of Afreximbank’s wider efforts to strengthen Africa’s financial infrastructure and facilitate trade under the AfCFTA.
The Cairo-based multilateral lender has supported initiatives including the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), designed to facilitate cross-border payments in African currencies and reduce dependence on external settlement arrangements.
Afreximbank has also worked with the African Union and the AfCFTA Secretariat to establish a $10bn adjustment fund to help countries manage the economic consequences of implementing the continental trade agreement.
The bank reported total assets and contingencies exceeding $48.5bn at the end of 2025, with shareholder funds of $8.4bn.
For Afreximbank, the Botswana forum represents an opportunity to bring financial regulators and private-sector institutions closer together at a time when digitalisation, geopolitical uncertainty and increasingly complex international compliance requirements are reshaping African banking.
The challenge will be translating discussions into practical regulatory cooperation that reduces the cost of doing business across borders while maintaining safeguards against financial crime.
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