Eswatini Ushers in a New Era with National Fintech Strategy

Eswatini has taken a decisive step towards modernizing its financial sector with the launch of its National Fintech Strategy, marking a significant milestone in the country’s journey toward greater digital transformation and innovation.

Unveiled in Ezulwini, the National Fintech Strategy lays out a comprehensive roadmap aimed at making financial services more accessible, affordable, and relevant for all citizens, from rural farmers to urban entrepreneurs. The initiative is the result of extensive collaboration across government agencies, regulators, industry leaders, academia, and development partners, reflecting a broad-based commitment to building an inclusive digital financial ecosystem tailored to Eswatini’s context.

While Eswatini has made substantial strides in financial inclusion—boasting an 87% inclusion rate driven largely by mobile money—challenges remain. Cash continues to dominate daily transactions, infrastructure limitations persist, and many citizens lack access to a full suite of financial products. The new strategy seeks to address these gaps by leveraging fintech solutions to reduce cash dependency, expand financing options for small businesses, make insurance and savings products more widely available, and open up employment opportunities in the digital economy. Importantly, it positions Eswatini to leapfrog older legacy systems in favor of modern, efficient solutions.

The Central Bank emphasized its ongoing commitment to fostering responsible innovation, balancing technological advancements with the imperatives of financial stability, consumer protection, and market integrity. As the strategy moves from conception to execution, success will hinge on coordinated efforts across the public and private sectors, with a clear call for leadership, agility, and resource mobilization.

This launch signals Eswatini’s determination to harness fintech as a catalyst for economic growth, resilience, and inclusion, setting the stage for long-term prosperity and digital advancement.