Is Cross-Border Mutual Recognition Through Sandboxes Now Closer or Farther?

Expanding across fragmented regional markets forces digital finance startups into repetitive licensing cycles that multiply compliance costs and stall international scale. Recent progress by Kenya and Rwanda’s central banks in establishing mutual licence-passporting demonstrates that cross-border supervisory reciprocity is workable in practice. A recent survey by TechCabal Research revealed that 62.5% of regional fintechs already operate internationally or plan to, with an identical proportion backing passporting frameworks. This session convenes financial regulators and founders to examine how central banks can align supervisory frameworks and establish mutual recognition standards without compromising financial stability or compliance oversight.