Invitation-only executive breakfast brings together senior leaders from Kenya’s financial services, technology, and regulatory ecosystem alongside continental cybersecurity voices to address the widening gap between digital growth and operational resilience
Smartcomply, an African-built digital trust and cybersecurity technology company, will convene The Secure Horizon Executive Breakfast on 26 February 2026, a high-level, invitation-only gathering designed to reframe how Africa’s financial institutions and technology leaders approach the intersection of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital trust.
The event marks Smartcomply’s formal entry into the Kenyan market and signals a long-term commitment to supporting East Africa’s financial and digital infrastructure through trusted technology, ecosystem collaboration, and capacity development.
Why now: East Africa’s cyber risk has become an economic issue
The timing of The Secure Horizon is deliberate. East Africa is scaling digital systems faster than its security architecture can keep pace. Between April and June 2025, Kenya alone recorded more than 4.5 billion cyber threat events. In three months ending September 2025, the Communications Authority of Kenya detected over 842 million cyber threats — driven largely by automated system attacks, malware, and brute-force campaigns targeting the country’s interconnected digital platforms.
Kenya now accounts for 68 per cent of East Africa’s total attack surface with over 200,000 exposed applications and services. Cybercrime losses across the country are estimated at KES 29.9 billion (approximately US$230 million), while across the continent, cybercrime is projected to cost US$5 billion in 2025 alone against a cybersecurity expenditure of US$15.3 billion.
Yet the region’s real vulnerability is not the volume of attacks. It is the disconnect between awareness and execution. According to PwC’s 2026 Global Digital Trust Insights, 74 per cent of regional organisations rank cyber risk as a top strategic priority — exceeding the global average of 57 per cent — but only 29 per cent conduct tabletop exercises. Most leadership teams are preparing for threats they have never effectively simulated.
| “The next phase of digital growth in East Africa will not be defined by who adopts AI fastest. It will be defined by who builds trust and resilience deliberately. The Secure Horizon is designed to facilitate the leadership conversations that make that shift possible.”— Gbemisola Osunrinde, Chief Executive Officer, Smartcomply |
What leaders will engage with
The programme is structured around four pillars: keynote addresses on the operational realities of AI-accelerated cyber risk, a research-driven panel discussion, a fireside regulatory dialogue, and an industry recognition segment celebrating organisations advancing cyber resilience across Kenya’s financial ecosystem.
A centrepiece of the morning will be the launch of a new ecosystem research report, “AI & the Cyber Frontier: Securing East Africa’s Digital Future,” developed by Smartcomply in collaboration with TechCabal Insights. The report draws on original research, regional threat intelligence, and interviews with senior cybersecurity and governance leaders to examine how AI adoption, evolving threats, and regulatory expectations are reshaping the trust architecture of East African financial services.
Contributors to the research include Tim Theuri, Chief Information Security Officer at M-PESA (Safaricom); Mark Straub, Chief Executive Officer of Smile ID; Dr. Mugambi Laibuta, Chairperson of the Data Privacy and Governance Society of Kenya; and Dr. Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner and CEO of Nigeria’s Data Protection Commission.
| “Resilience improves when organisations plan for failure instead of assuming stability. This report is our contribution to that mindset shift — grounded in real data from the institutions and regulators closest to the challenge.”— Gbemisola Osunrinde, CEO, Smartcomply |
Who will be in the room?
The Secure Horizon will host between 70 and 100 senior executives drawn from Kenya’s financial services, fintech, and technology sectors. Expected attendees include chief executives, chief information and technology officers, chief risk and compliance officers, cybersecurity leaders, fintech founders, and policymakers. Attendance is strictly by invitation to preserve the quality of dialogue and peer-level engagement.
Confirmed speakers and session contributors include leaders from Nigeria’s Data Protection Commission (NDPC), the Nigeria Police National Cybercrime Centre, Coronation Merchant Bank, and Smartcomply’s executive and product leadership.
Ecosystem partners
The event is supported by Smartcomply’s technology ecosystem, including Seequre, Adhere, and Oculus, with TechCabal as the headline media partner.
