Fidelity Bank showcases creative talents, promotes SME financing and provides business development opportunities at four-day event in Lagos.
Fidelity Bank Plc has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing Africa’s creative economy through its participation as an Official Trade Partner at CANEX WKND 2026, held from November 5 to 8 at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, Lagos.
The four-day event attracted creative entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders and other stakeholders from across the continent to explore investment opportunities, partnerships and emerging trends within Africa’s rapidly expanding creative industries.
The bank’s participation highlighted the importance of bridging the gap between creative talents and the financial resources, business infrastructure, digital solutions and market access required to transform creative ideas into sustainable enterprises.
Speaking with journalists at the event, Fidelity Bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, said the bank’s involvement reflected its commitment to building commercially viable businesses within Africa’s creative sector.
She noted that although Africa possesses enormous creative talents, unlocking the sector’s economic potential requires more than financial capital, stressing the need for investment in human capacity, productive resources, market networks and institutional structures.
According to her, sustainable growth in the creative industry requires developing entrepreneurial skills, providing access to equipment and production infrastructure, connecting creatives to customers and commercial opportunities, and strengthening the business structures needed for long-term success.
A major attraction at the event was the Fidelity CreatiVerse Pavilion, which provided visitors with an engaging showcase of Nigerian creativity through fashion, visual arts and other creative expressions.
The pavilion featured fashion brands OHIOLE LAGOS and SuperDiva by Valerie, alongside artworks by visual artists Emmanuel Anaiye Ifebunmi and Donald Onuoha.
Beyond showcasing creative works, the pavilion also served as a business engagement platform, where the bank’s financial experts offered information on SME financing, digital payments, card services, trade and export solutions, account opening and other customer onboarding services.
Another major highlight was the SME Banking-led masterclass titled, “Beyond Funding: Building the Infrastructure for Africa’s Creative Economy,” which attracted more than 120 participants.
The session brought together creative industry practitioners and banking professionals to discuss critical challenges confronting creative businesses, including access to finance, production infrastructure, skills development, market access and long-term business sustainability.
Discussions also focused on CreatiVerse, located at the Fidelity SME Hub in Gbagada, Lagos, an initiative designed to provide creative entrepreneurs with access to production facilities, learning opportunities and collaborative workspaces.
Equipped with music, photography, podcast and content production studios, alongside training and business development opportunities, CreatiVerse reflects the bank’s broader approach to supporting creative businesses beyond conventional financial services.
Fidelity Bank is also expanding opportunities for Nigerian businesses seeking international markets through its trade and export banking services and initiatives such as the Fidelity Nigeria International Trade and Creative Connect (FNITCC), which links Nigerian enterprises with international buyers, investors and strategic partners.
Through its combination of financial solutions, capacity development, business infrastructure and market access, the bank continues to support the growth of commercially sustainable creative enterprises.
Its participation at CANEX WKND 2026 further highlights its efforts to empower entrepreneurs, promote innovation and create opportunities for Nigerian businesses to expand their operations and compete in local and international markets.
About Fidelity Bank Plc
Fidelity Bank Plc is a full-fledged commercial deposit money bank serving more than 14 million customers through digital banking channels and its 255 business offices across Nigeria, as well as its United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.
The bank has received several local and international recognitions, including the 2025 Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Innovation Award for MSME Support; Best Retail and SME Bank Award from Independent Newspapers; Best Bank for Export and Trade Finance and Most Innovative Bank of the Year at the 2025 BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards; and Nigeria’s Best Private Bank at the 2025 Euromoney Awards.
Other recognitions include the inaugural Most Improved Commercial Bank of the Year award by Nairametrics, SME Bank of the Year by NewsDirect, the Straight-Through Processing (STP) Excellence Award by Citi Group, and recognition for Excellence in Community Empowerment by Global Brands Magazine.
