FinTech Connect 2018

Newbie here! And what better way to spend my first day than getting up to speed on all things Fintech at the annual FinTechConnect conference?

Held at Excel London on 5th and 6th of December, the two-day event put top fintechs in the same room as leading banks, insurers, and capital investors. Over 175 companies occupied the exhibition booths, including Mastercard, BBVA, and Quadient to name but a few.

Nestled amongst these stalls was Fintech Finance’s very own Big Fat FinTech Quiz of the Year featuring such participants as Joy McKnight of The Banker, Ross Gallagher from 11:FS, Oak North’s Valentina Kristensen, and Mark Curran of CYBG.

         In addition to the expo there were three auditoriums, an interactive workshop space, a Think Tank, and Launchpad—all boasting a full-on programme of presentations, panel discussions, and fireside talks.

More than 250 speakers took to the stages to discuss blockchain, next generation RegTech and InsurTech, going cashless, and th emethods by which to accelerate digital transformation.

Highlights included: a rundown of the importance of being ‘delightful’ by Barclay’s head of Open Banking Ruchir Rodrigues; Ben Stanway’s presentation on how Moneybox is helping young people invest; CitiBank’s Amit Varma’s charming explanation of the future of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT); and a panel discussion on PSD2 and GDPR chaired by Letitia Seglah.

No international conference is complete in this current political climate without featuring at least one talk on Brexit. As such, Dr Joanna Perkins of FMLC attracted a nearly-full house. To crudely summarize her talk: Brexit needs to actually happen before we will can gauge its impact on the regulatory landscape…

         All-in-all FinTech Connect 2018 was a stimulating and productive crash course on the industry’s current challenges and visions for the future. Good vibes.

By Siufan Adey