In line with the Central Bank of Egypt’s (CBE) commitment to empowering youth and reinforcing Egypt’s position as a leading regional hub for financial technology, the FinYology initiative—launched by the CBE’s FinTech Egypt—has introduced the third edition of the “FinTech Got Talent 2025” competition. Organized in collaboration with the Federation of Egyptian Banks (FEB) and the Egyptian Banking Institute (EBI), the competition aims to identify and nurture the most innovative FinTech ideas among university students.
The CBE recently hosted the third edition of the competition, which opened with remarks by Mr. Rami Aboulnaga, Deputy Governor of the CBE, in the presence of senior officials from the banking sector and representatives from Egyptian universities. In his address, Aboulnaga emphasized that the competition aligns with the CBE’s FinTech and Innovation Strategy, which focuses on qualifying and developing young talent by equipping them with the skills and capabilities required by the modern job market. He highlighted that the initiative embodies strong institutional cooperation between the banking sector and academia, reflecting Egypt’s commitment to driving digital transformation, promoting financial inclusion, and fostering innovation among youth.
The competition unfolded over several stages, beginning with university-level qualifiers that shortlisted the top eleven projects. These teams participated in a one-month incubation program at DMZ Cairo, where they developed their ideas into practical, market-ready solutions. The competition concluded with the announcement of the winning projects during the final ceremony.
The first-place award went to ESLSCA University for its project Tapay, a mobile application that transforms any smartphone into a contactless payment terminal, allowing couriers to accept NFC payments without the need for traditional Point-of-Sale hardware. The British University in Egypt (BUE) earned second place with Money Adventure, the first gamified financial literacy application designed to make learning about money engaging and interactive for children. Cairo University achieved third place with AgriDawar, a digital platform connecting farmers directly with buyers of agricultural surplus residues, using e-payment technologies and e-wallets to ensure transparency and real-time financial transfers.
The three winning teams went on to represent Egypt at the Arab FinTech Challenge 2025, held in Dubai in October. Remarkably, the ESLSCA University and BUE teams secured first and second place, respectively, outperforming participating universities from across the Arab region, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Morocco.
Rasha Negm, Assistant Sub-Governor of the CBE for FinTech and Innovation, praised the performance of the Egyptian teams, noting that their continued success at the regional level underscores the exceptional capabilities of Egypt’s youth and reaffirms the country’s growing role as a regional hub for FinTech innovation.
Launched in 2023, the “FinTech Got Talent” competition was the first of its kind in Egypt under the FinYology initiative. The initiative integrates academic learning with hands-on FinTech applications, equipping students with the technical knowledge, skills, and experience needed to stay abreast of global developments in the field.
FinYology encompasses more than thirty Egyptian universities and has supported over nine hundred student-led projects, with the participation of approximately nineteen thousand students. The initiative also receives continuous backing from eighteen partner banks, reflecting the ongoing collaboration between the CBE, the banking sector, and academic institutions to nurture young innovators and promote entrepreneurship within Egypt’s FinTech ecosystem.
