News and Press
Africa’s MI Leaders Convene in Cluj-Napoca to Chart the Future of the Continent’s PMI and SMI Ecosystems
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Market Infrastructure (MI) Summit by Montran Africa united central banks, central securities depositories, and market infrastructures from seven nations to advance cross-border interoperability, financial inclusion, and sovereign payment rails.
CLUJ-NAPOCA, Romania — 23 May 2026 /Montran/ — Over four days in May, the heart of Romania’s technology corridor became the meeting point for the institutions building Africa’s financial future. The Market Infrastructure Summit by Montran Africa brought together central banks, central securities depositories (CSDs), and market infrastructures from Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Tunisia, and Mauritania for a landmark gathering on the modernisation of the continent’s payments and securities ecosystems.
Held in Cluj-Napoca, the centre of Montran’s global application development, the Summit marked a milestone in the company’s decades-long commitment to the region, anchored by the December 2025 opening of its Nairobi office. As Montran Executive Director Raegan Esca told delegates, the company measures success “in decades, not quarters.”
A defining moment for the region
The Summit opened with keynotes from Razvan Vartolomei, Head of the Payments Directorate at Banca Națională a României, who reminded delegates that the most successful market infrastructure is the one that remains invisible, and His Excellency Abdel Aziz Dahi, former Central Bank Governor and Minister of Economics of Mauritania, who framed the three trade-offs facing African banking as it modernises: speed versus resilience, sovereignty versus interoperability, and innovation versus supervision.
“The institutions in this room are not waiting for the future of African finance to be defined elsewhere,” said Wohoro Ndohho, Regional Executive Director, Montran Africa. “Our role is to build alongside them, where they are, and that is exactly why we are now on the ground in Nairobi.”
Across two dedicated streams, Securities (SMI) and Payments (PMI), and a series of plenary panels, delegates and Montran experts confronted the questions that will define the next decade of African market infrastructure. Swift and PAPSS aligned on evolving ISO 20022 standards and API libraries built to meet fintechs and mobile money operators where they are. Panellists from across the region’s central banks and clearing houses made the case that mobile wallets and capital markets, underpinned by digitised trust, can widen participation for retail investors and savers alike.
Cross-border interoperability emerged as the next frontier, with consistent IBAN adoption, harmonised currency-exchange mechanisms, ISO 20022 messaging, and extended operating hours identified as priorities aligned with the G20 roadmap to cut the cost and raise the speed and transparency of cross-border payments. In a fireside chat, the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) detailed its expansion plans, including connectivity beyond Africa in support of sovereign payment rails for the continent.
Montran also shared its perspective on practical, governed AI, spanning real-world use cases, data ownership, and explainability, and demonstrated an AI-assisted portfolio management tool that drew strong interest from attendees, alongside forward roadmaps across RTGS, ACH, Instant Payments, the Investor Portal, the Exchange Platform, and Post-Trade.
More than a conference — a commitment
Delegates left Cluj-Napoca not with a set of slides, but with a concrete agenda: investor-education tools, engagement with global index providers to unlock liquidity, per-solution roadmap walk-throughs, sustained progress on cross-border interoperability, and the exploration of a Montran African user group to carry the conversations forward. For those in the room, the Summit was less an event than the start of a partnership.
“The conversations that began in Cluj will shape African market infrastructure for years to come,” said Raegan Esca, Executive Director, Montran. “We look forward to continuing them, and to welcoming our partners to our new Nairobi office.”
Planning is already under way for the next gathering. Institutions that wish to be part of the conversation, and the next Summit, are encouraged to reach out to the Montran Africa team.
About Montran
Montran is the leading provider of Payment and Capital Market Infrastructure solutions, servicing the world’s foremost financial institutions with installations and operations in over 90 countries. Discover more at www.montran.com.
SOURCE Montran