MNT-Halan, Egypt’s first unicorn and the country’s leading and fastest growing fintech ecosystem, has won Global Finance’s award for Most Innovative Financial Technology Company in the Middle East, and Most Innovative Financial Technology Company in Africa.
The only company to win two awards out of the 18 winners, MNT-Halan appears alongside Revolut, the Bank of America, HSBC and Santander, among others. Established in 1987 and headquartered in New York, Global Finance is a premier publication for international investors, whose awards have become a trusted standard of excellence for the global financial community.
Mounir Nakhla, MNT-Halan’s Founder and CEO, said: “Being globally recognized is an honor, and we’re eager to keep innovating right here from the heart of Africa and the Middle East as we unlock financial freedom for millions. A huge thank you to Ahmed Mohsen, our Co-founder, our fantastic MNT-Halan team and our very supportive shareholders.”
“Innovation continues to help banks and other financial institutions gain a strategic competitive advantage over their peers,” said Joseph Giarraputo, Founder and Editorial Director of Global Finance. “By harnessing new technologies and imaginative thinking, this year’s winners have developed groundbreaking solutions to both ease customer pain points and deliver outstanding user experiences.”
In its submission, MNT-Halan highlighted two innovations that have powered its growth. Firstly, the Halan superapp was the first of its kind in Egypt, offering consumers remote access to the entire Halan product and service ecosystem from small and micro business lending, to payments, investment products, and e-commerce, as well as consumer finance solutions including saving and BNPL products. Secondly, Neuron was the first proprietary core banking system software in the Middle East and Africa and has been critical to scaling.
The Global Finance awards are the latest in a string of global and regional recognition for MNT-Halan. The company was listed on the Financial Times’ 2023 rankings of Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies, and as a 2023 Top 30 Fintech Company by Forbes Middle East. In January this year, Mounir Nakhla accepted an invitation to speak on a panel discussing financial inclusion at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting in Davos as part of the WEF’s Unicorn Innovator Community.
