EasyTap won the grand prize of $50,000 at Fintech Stars 2024

On October 9, 2024, the final of the Fintech Stars 2024 competition took place at the Central Asia Fintech Summit in Almaty, where EasyTap emerged as the winner and received the grand prize of $50,000. PartnersPay took second place and was awarded a trip to the Visa Innovation Center in Dubai. The competition brought together the top 10 Fintech startups from Central Asia, which presented their solutions to a jury comprising representatives of MOST Holding, the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan, Visa, and Mastercard.

From more than 30 startups that submitted applications, 10 finalists were selected to participate in the final battle. The jury evaluated their projects based on several key criteria: innovation, market relevance, scaling potential, and impact on the development of the region's financial ecosystem.

EasyTap took first place thanks to its unique project aimed at finding temporary staff in the HoReCa and Retail industries. The $50,000 prize will help the team accelerate project development and enter new international markets.

Partners Pay, which took second place, received the opportunity to visit the Visa Innovation Center in Dubai. As part of the program, the team will be able to test their solutions in Experience Zones, where they can test solutions in the areas of smart retail, biometric payment systems, and technologies for smart homes. These zones allow for real-time adaptation and testing of innovative products to meet customer needs.

All finalists of the competition received not only recognition from the jury but also access to key investors and partners, which will significantly increase their chances of successfully scaling their solutions. Participation in the competition also provided startups with the opportunity to showcase their ideas and technologies to a wide audience and strengthen their positions in the rapidly growing Fintech industry of the region.

This year marked the debut of the Fintech Stars competition, held as part of the Central Asia Fintech Summit, which will be held annually. The 2024 winners became the first to set a high standard for future participants, and the competition has proven itself as an important platform for supporting innovative startups.