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The Ecobank Fintech Challenge is a flagship event of the Ecobank Group to support and enthuse early stage fintechs from across the African continent
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The leading pan-African Banking Group, Ecobank Group (www.Ecobank.com), announces that Trove Finance, a Nigerian-based global share dealing app, is the winner of the fourth edition of the annual Ecobank Fintech Challenge. The winner was announced at the grand finale on December 9. The Ecobank Fintech Challenge is a flagship event of the Ecobank Group to support and enthuse early stage fintechs from across the African continent. The virtual grand finale was streamed live from Accra in Ghana – and saw each of the five finalists pitching to the tech-savvy jury.
 Trove Finance’s app enables African-based financial institutions and individuals to buy, sell and trade any publicly traded equity, bond or exchange traded fund across US, Chinese, Nigerian or other global stock markets, with as little as 1,000 Naira (circa US$2). Trove Finance’s solution has plugged a gap by providing an easy-to-use digital investment platform that is widening investment participation and inclusion by providing a secure and cost-effective alternative to the current paper-based investment process which is largely provided by brokers charging exorbitant fees. Congratulating the finalists, Ade Ayeyemi, Chief Executive Officer, Ecobank Group, said: “The array of fintech services and solutions entered in this year’s edition was of such a high standard that the jury faced a really difficult task whittling the hundreds of entrants down to the final five and, ultimately, selecting Trove Finance as the overall winner. We will be inducting all five finalists into Ecobank’s Fintech Fellowship, during which they will receive mentoring and networking support, can utilise our Banking Sandbox to access our APIs to further develop their propositions, and could potentially partner with Ecobank to roll it out across our 33-country footprint. The Ecobank Fintech Challenge furthers our vision of treating fintechs as potential commercial partners with whom we can engage to provide innovative solutions to our customers.” The finalists of this year’s edition emerged from a hotly contested competition involving over 890 entrants from 44 countries. In addition to their induction into the Ecobank Fintech Challenge Fellowship programme, the first, second and third placed winners also received prizes of US$15,000, US$12,000 and US$10,000 respectively. Oluwatomi Solanke, CEO of Trove, commented on the victory: “Winning the 2021 Ecobank Fintech Challenge is a real honour and publicly validates the huge potential of our app to widen asset ownership. I applaud the Ecobank Group for bringing African fintechs into the limelight through this competition and for providing us with continued support through its Fellowship programme. The opportunity to partner with Ecobank and roll-out our app across 33 sub-Saharan African countries would provide the icing on the cake by massively accelerating our growth.” OKO Finance, from Mali, came second with its affordable crop insurance products – distributed via mobile phone – for smallholder farmers in Mali. OKO insurance products are automated and instantly indemnify farmers when they are affected by adverse weather, thanks to the constant monitoring of weather conditions via satellite data. Ghana’s Motito was third place with its solution promoting financial inclusion in Africa through a ‘buy-now-pay-later’ platform that enables small businesses to offer interest-free credit at the point of sale to customers. |
![Canon (www.Canon-CNA.com) today announces the Colorado XL-series, a new platform of 3.4m printers that extends the proven advantages of Canon's UVgel technology to the 3.2m graphics market. Available in hybrid and roll-to-roll configurations, the modular, field upgradable platform powered by UVgel technology delivers great versatility and exceptional productivity for both flexible and rigid media applications from signage and décor to point of sale and packaging. The Colorado XL-series comprises two easy-to-operate models: the Colorado XL7 roll-to-roll printer and Colorado XL7 hybrid printer. The new series brings the benefits of UVgel to a new market segment with exceptional application versatility across a comprehensive range of media – from banner, paper, vinyl and films to soft signage, heat-sensitive materials, foam board, fluted polypropylene, acrylic, aluminium composite boards and cardboard – providing the flexibility to tackle diverse customer requirements. With print speeds of 70m² per hour in quality mode, 106m² per hour in production mode and up to 211m² per hour in express mode, the system delivers the productivity needed for demanding production environments while accommodating substrates up to 52mm/2 inches thick for rigid applications. The new platform includes multiple technology innovations, such as the UVgel 860 ink set, which has been optimised to cover a wide variety of both rigid and flexible applications. It also provides the proven benefits of UVgel: odourless and instant-dry prints, high mechanical and chemical robustness, dimensional stability due to low-temperature curing, excellent colour consistency, TPO [1] - and VCL [2] -free, and matte and gloss finish without the need of a separate varnish. The Colorado XL-series also incorporates new UVgel 850 PrintHeads. Each printhead has 4,544 nozzles and features automated built-in nozzle performance monitoring and compensation. A single printhead supports two colours simultaneously, so that only two printheads are required to print CMYK, plus an optional third if white is configured. Additionally, the Colorado XL-series has an agile and precise printhead carriage that features UVgel DynamicMotion Control to ensure exceptional print quality even with challenging media. Taking the UV LED curing process to the next level, the Colorado XL-series introduces UVgel FullBeam Curing. This technology uses a unique 3.4-metre-wide LED curing array that, combined with an ingenious mirror system, delivers consistent UV light dosing across the entire print width, guaranteeing exceptional print uniformity over large surfaces and enabling a wider colour gamut. Media handling is optimised by the new UVgel TRIdrive vacuum belt system, which features three interactive rollers and multiple powerful vacuum zones that reduce wrinkling and skewing by automatically detecting and correcting the media positioning. This results in highly repeatable media transport through the printer, ensuring accurate positioning both longitudinally and laterally and enabling razor-sharp applications. Optional features for the Colorado XL-series, which are already available on the highly successful and modular Colorado M-series, include: UVgel White for hassle-free white printing, FLXfinish+ for creative effects using matte or gloss or mixed matte and gloss on the same print without additional varnish, and FLXture for textured finishes that mimic materials like leather, wood or fabric. Mathew Faulkner, Director, Marketing & Innovation, Wide Format Printing Group, Canon EMEA, comments: "For the past decade, Canon has been at the forefront of the inkjet evolution in large format, with market-leading technologies including the Colorado roll-to-roll printer series powered by UVgel technology and the Arizona flatbed printers. Large format print providers are looking for systems that deliver high productivity, versatile applications and reliable quality while addressing the challenge of finding skilled operators – which is why Canon is launching our new, breakthrough Colorado XL-series, an addition to our portfolio that will set a new standard in productivity and versatility. “This innovative solution brings the proven advantages of our unique UVgel technology to the 3.2m market for the first time, combining it with extensive automation and a modular design that will enable customers to extend their application possibilities into markets such as packaging and décor. Print service providers already producing high-value signage and graphics can now leverage UVgel's distinctive finishes, including mixed gloss and matte effects and textured printing, at scale to stand out in these new markets. And with its hybrid capabilities, users can print both roll-to-roll and rigid applications on the same device, using the same ink, the same colour profiles and the same unique features and finishes. For brands, for example, this translates to seamless campaigns that span the full spectrum of applications, ensuring perfect consistency across campaign assets whether they're roll-fed graphics, rigid signage, packaging, or décor elements. This is particularly valuable when these different applications appear side by side in-store, where maintaining that consistent quality and finish elevates the entire brand experience that today's brands demand." The Colorado XL-series will be available from the beginning of 2026 via Canon’s direct sales organisations as well as from accredited partners. For more information about the Colorado XL-series, please visit: https://apo-opa.co/3WltKtM](https://businessinsights.africa/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/canon_prograf-100x70.png "Canon expands large format graphics production portfolio with new 3.4m Colorado XL-series")
