Financial Inclusion Tech4Good Award 2026 winner revealed

Annie Mannion | 06 Jul 2026

Three people standing on stage with one in middle holding award. Text reads: Financial Inclusion award winner

Financial innovations getting the credit they deserve as part of the Tech4Good Awards winners this year.

Announced at a ceremony at IBM's headquarters in London on 3 July, Dots for Africa became the first winner of AbilityNet's new Financial Inclusion Award introduced this year. 

Recognising innovative and inclusive work within the financial sector, the Award went to ‘Dots for Africa’ for its ‘Unlocking Financial Inclusion for the Unbanked in Rural Africa via Alternative Data Credit’ feature. 

Dots for Africa beat impressive entries from Nationwide, AdviceNow and Signly to the top spot.

What financial inclusion need does Dots for Africa solve?

Carlos Oba of Dots for being presented with award by Leigh Smyth and Mark WalkerWith more than 933,000 customers across 650 villages, Dots for Africa demonstrates how inclusive infrastructure can unlock opportunity at scale.

Dots for Africa is tackling one of the biggest barriers to financial inclusion in rural Africa: people being excluded from credit because they do not have formal financial histories.  

By using alternative data, the project helps create a fairer view of creditworthiness for people often invisible to traditional lenders. That opens access to finance for individuals and communities who need it most, supporting livelihoods, resilience and economic participation.

It is a powerful example of technology solving a real-world inclusion challenge at scale. Practical, relevant and ambitious, this work shows how innovation can extend opportunity to people the financial system has too often left behind. 

Judging the Financial Inclusion Award

AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards in partnership with Impact Match logoAnnouncing Dots for Africa as the winning entry, one of the judging panel, Leigh Smyth of Tech4Good Awards partner, Impact Match, said:

"You made us judges cry! We have so much love and heart for you all. Technology is the key enabler of our time, it enables everyone to have equal access and no greater access than financial inclusion.

...There are a lot of finance leaders in this room. You make the biggest difference to people to get them access to their money, to be able to live lives equitably, to be able to feed their families and have healthy lives... This winner - and there was lots of debate between the judges - this is an amazing solution that is now in 700 villages, helping a million people in rural Africa. So Dots for Africa, come and collect your award!"

Watch the full Tech4Good Awards 2026 ceremony:

Dots for logoCarlos Oba of Dots forProfile: Carlos Oba, CEO of Dots for Africa
What's Dots for Africa all about?
Dots for Africa is providing a digital solution for digitally divided African rural villages in Benin and Senegal.
How does it feel to be a Tech4Good Award winner?
Being a winner in the Financial Inclusion Award at the Tech4Good Awards is a kind of recognition of the organisation and our activity in Africa. We are a Japanese company, but recognition from a European institution is good evidence that the direction of our work is not wrong and that we are moving in the right direction.
What financial challenge are you helping people with?
In African villages, many or almost all people do not have access to financial services such as microfinance because they do not have credit scores, and they do not have physical access to branches or services in cities and towns.
Dots for Africa provides credit scoring based on local data and financial support, so people can buy income-generating tools to help change their lives.
What is one thing financial service organisations can do today to become more inclusive?
Financial institutions should support digital inclusion. People in offline villages cannot access services, and financial institutions cannot access the large pool of potential customers living in those villages. Digital inclusion is key for financial institutions to reach this large, often invisible market in rural areas. Dots for Africa supports organisations in accessing these rural markets.
What opportunities do you see for financial service organisations to create greater social value?
People still lack many opportunities and access to information. Many do not even know they are eligible for services or that such services exist. Financial institutions and service providers need to reach out first and let people know they are there to support them. That creates a great impact for both village communities and financial service providers.

Group of approximately 25 people standing on stage smiling, with many holding trophiesWhat are the Tech4Good Awards?

UK charity AbilityNet’s Tech4Good Awards celebrate using technology to create a more accessible, inclusive and sustainable world.

From AI and assistive technology to education and financial services, the nine award categories highlight practical solutions making a real difference to how people live, learn and work.  

Founded in 2011, the awards are organised by AbilityNet and ImpactMatch, with support from BT Group, eBay, HSBC, IBM and a network of partners. 

Judges for the Awards represent varied sectors, but those from the financial sector include individuals in senior digital accessibility roles at HSBC, EY, Standard Life, NatWest and Santander.  

Need help with digital accessibility in the financial sector?

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Inspired by this year’s winners? 

Explore how AbilityNet supports organisations to build accessible, inclusive digital experiences and be part of the movement using technology to make a difference. 

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Stay tuned for individual winner features and case studies coming soon.