Zenith Bank Takes Tech Fair Online for First Time with AI Theme on 5 NovemberZenith Bank Takes Tech Fair Online for First Time with AI Theme on 5 November
Key Highlights
- Nigeria's Zenith Bank is moving its flagship technology fair entirely online for its sixth edition, opening it to viewers far beyond Lagos.
- This year's blunt theme frames artificial intelligence as a choice between adoption and irrelevance for businesses and workers.
- Past editions have handed prizes to fintech and edtech start-ups, but organisers have not yet confirmed the 2026 competitions.
Zenith Bank will stage the sixth edition of its annual technology fair on Thursday, 5 November 2026, holding it entirely online for the first time under the theme "AI: Embrace or Extinct".
The Nigerian lender says Zenith Bank Tech Fair 2026: Future Forward 6.0 will stream on Zoom, Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube, with registration open on the bank's Tech Fair page. The switch to a virtual format matters for founders and developers outside Nigeria, including in Kenya, because it removes the travel cost of joining one of West Africa's larger bank-backed technology showcases.
A theme that frames AI as a business choice
The bank says the programme will examine the growing influence of artificial intelligence and how individuals and organisations can put it to work. Sessions are set to cover emerging innovations and the future of work and business, although Zenith has not yet published a schedule or named speakers.
Earlier editions drew technology executives, entrepreneurs and young innovators to Lagos. Moving online is intended to widen that audience across Nigeria and the rest of the continent, according to the bank, which has not given an attendance target.
Start-up prizes from earlier editions
The fair, founded by Zenith Bank's founder Jim Ovia, has used hackathons and pitch contests to spotlight young companies. At the 2025 edition, TrustLoop won the hackathon with a digital identity verification product, while Cubbes Technologies took the start-up pitch prize with an AI-driven learning platform for schools.
Earlier winners include JumpnPass, which built a self-checkout system for retailers, and CreditChek, which uses AI and open banking to verify borrowers' creditworthiness. Zenith has not confirmed whether the hackathon and pitch competition will return in 2026.
A bank under earnings pressure invests in visibility
The event comes as Nigerian lenders face tighter margins. As Mwenendo earlier reported, Zenith Bank's half-year profit rose before tax but fell after tax as higher levies bit. Its shares slipped 0.41% on 28 October during a bank-led sell-off, when Nigerian stocks lost KSh 68.06B in a single session.
For Kenyan start-ups building in identity, credit scoring and education, the free online format offers a low-cost way to track what a large Nigerian bank considers worth backing.
In Summary
- What is happening?
- Zenith Bank is holding the sixth edition of its Tech Fair, Future Forward 6.0, under the theme "AI: Embrace or Extinct".
- When is it?
- Thursday, 5 November 2026.
- Where can people join?
- Online only for the first time, streamed on Zoom, Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube, with registration on Zenith Bank's Tech Fair page.
- Who founded the fair and who has won before?
- It was founded by Zenith Bank founder Jim Ovia. Past winners include TrustLoop, Cubbes Technologies, JumpnPass and CreditChek.
- Why does it matter outside Nigeria?
- The virtual format lets founders and developers elsewhere in Africa, including Kenya, take part without travel costs.