Egypt Launches 12th PAFIX Digital Payments Expo
The 12th edition of the PAFIX Digital Payments and Financial Inclusion Exhibition and Conference opened today under the patronage of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), as part of the Cairo ICT 2025 exhibition. The event brings together a wide range of fintech players, banks, and leading local and international companies operating in the digital payments ecosystem. This year’s edition is held under the overarching theme «AI Everywhere», reflecting the growing influence of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of financial transactions and digital transformation.
During the opening session, Mohamed Amer, Acting Sub-Governor for Banking Operations and Payment Systems at the CBE, delivered a keynote speech on behalf of H.E. Hassan Abdalla, Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt. Amer emphasized that digital transformation has become a cornerstone in modernizing the financial sector and advancing efficiency, transparency, and economic growth.
“The Central Bank continues to make steady progress in adopting the latest global technologies through a comprehensive national strategy focused on innovation, fintech development, strengthening digital infrastructure, and supporting digital inclusion,” Amer said.
He highlighted several major achievements made by the CBE over the past period, including:
• Online and mobile banking: 18 million subscribers and 114 million transactions totaling EGP 11.7 trillion as of end-2024.
• Meeza national payment system: Over 43.5 million cards issued by June 2025.
• Instant Payments Network and InstaPay: More than 16 million users and nearly 1.1 billion transactions worth EGP 2.4 trillion.
• Meeza Digital mobile wallets: 55.5 million wallets with 1.4 billion transactions exceeding EGP 1.8 trillion.
• National card tokenization platform: Enabling contactless payments via smart devices, including Apple Pay, with over 40 million transactions valued at more than EGP 32 billion, alongside ongoing work to enable Android Pay.
Amer also highlighted progress in Egypt’s electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) initiative, noting that artificial intelligence technologies will become the backbone of future banking and financial operations.
He added: “In 2019, the CBE launched its technology and innovation strategy, defining the frameworks and standards necessary for the responsible use of AI. The Bank has also collaborated with I-Score to develop a behavioral credit scoring model based on alternative data and AI, supporting nationwide financial inclusion efforts.”
Amer stressed that human capital remains central to this transformation, pointing to flagship capacity-building initiatives such as the CBE’s Digital Academy, specialized banking degree programs, the Regulatory Sandbox, the Nclude fintech investment platform, and NilePreneurs.
He noted that these efforts have yielded significant results: financial inclusion for individuals rose to 76.3% by June 2025, while SME financing portfolios grew by 395% over the same period.
Osama Kamal, Chairman of Trade Fairs International and organizer of Cairo ICT, affirmed that PAFIX has become a leading platform shaping the dialogue around the future of digital financial transformation in Egypt and the region. He extended his gratitude to H.E. the CBE Governor for supporting the event, stating:
“This year’s launch of PAFIX comes at a time of unprecedented growth in the fintech ecosystem. The event plays a vital role in supporting the state’s vision and advancing financial inclusion. PAFIX adopts the same theme as Cairo ICT 2025 — «AI Everywhere» — to showcase the latest advancements in digital payments and present forward-looking recommendations driven by the Central Bank of Egypt.”
PAFIX 2025 will continue to host specialized panel discussions, workshops, and industry-focused sessions featuring regional fintech leaders and technology experts. The event will explore the future of the digital economy and the expanding role of artificial intelligence in shaping Egypt’s digital payments landscape.