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Sunday, February 09, 2025
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What happened at the FF Awards 2023?!

Not many guests at the 2023 FF Awards would have expected the US state of Ohio to get such excellent representation at a London based awards show.

But the home of our friends and awards sponsors, JobsOhio, was on a few people’s lips, including when comedy and Bake Off legend Sue Perkins, sent up the infamous Oscars ‘slap’ incident, alongside our fabulous host for the evening Katherine Ryan.

It was a hilarious moment from a night that contained plenty of fun. Of course, you had to be there to find out what really happened, but you can get a taste for it in our summary video above.

And, what a night it was.

Over 600 people from across the fintech and finance world, flocked to the Old Billingsgate on the bank of the Thames, to strut down our red carpet, enjoy delicious food and drink and take in the entertainment. Guests flew in from America, Norway and beyond, representing finalists, friends, and supporters.

The night kicked off with a bit of mingling, but not before they’d been invited to take a walk past the ‘paparazzi’ and sample the canapes. No less than some of our industry’s finest deserve.

Everyone appeared to be having a great time. Even an unfortunate seating plan malfunction seemed to have the positive side effect of creating a pick and mix effect amongst the attendees. Nobody knew who they might meet!… Plus it proved that our tables (and awards) really can’t be bought.

Food was served, conversation ensued and before we knew it, the lights went down, and the reason we had all gathered could begin.

And the winner is…

At its heart the FF Awards is all about celebrating the real fintech trailblazers, the successes of the last year, and the companies we should all be raising a glass to. They’re taking finance into the future and tackling genuine customer pain points with innovative technology.

After introductions from our own CEO Ali Paterson and sponsor JobsOhio’s own Ron Rock, our host took to the stage.

Of course, Katherine Ryan confessed to not being an expert on the intricacies of fintech but she had done some research and the set was peppered with references to neo-banks and of course the enviable benefits of starting up in Ohio. As is often the case, the spontaneous remarks, gaffs, and audience participation garnered some of the biggest laughs.

Then it was time to find out who got the gongs. For a full list of this year’s winners head here.

With weighty trophy in hand, they got a pic and headed upstairs for some interviews, which should be available shortly.

And there were more surprises scattered throughout. YouTuber, prankster and one time ‘World’s Richest Man’ Max Fosh delivered one award, we had a performance from pop newcomer Saint Harrison and of course Sue Perkins turned up too.

We’d like to say another massive congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all the entrants and finalists for getting involved and submitting some sensational video entries. There really is so much talent out there.

Yes, there’s loads of other industry awards, of course. And you might wonder how ours really works. But we’re proud to award those companies who are genuinely doing the best work. Our extensive judging panel was selected from across the financial world and included some huge names. The brief: Who is killing it in each category? The results speak for themselves.

Party time

The night was but young and we had one more guest scheduled. It was time to dance in the moonlight.

Toploader took to the stage and performed a brilliant set of accomplished pop rock, with catchy tunes that got the dancefloor moving even before they delivered the goods; the song everyone in the building could sing along too.

The booze was flowing. And who knew, fintech can dance. There were some serious moves out there and it was great to see so many people turn up and have a great time on a Tuesday night!

That’s it for another year. So, to all those who attended, thanks for coming.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the efforts of the whole FF News team. We’ve been planning for some time, getting the word out, judging the entries and ensuring that we put on an unforgettable show.

It’s all worth it when you get kind words from attendees like:

“I’ve never experienced an awards event like this one.” – Bottomline

“It’s the best awards event I’ve been to this year and I’m looking forward to Toploader.” – PayIt by NatWest

“The venue’s great, the staff have been fantastic, and the event’s been run really well.” – Mitek Systems

“It’s been so much fun. Katherine Ryan was so funny… We’ve had the best time!” – McKenzie Intelligence Services

“Tonight’s been an absolutely amazing night.” – SmartStream

“I’ve really enjoyed tonight. The best thing has been the musical chairs at the beginning. It was actually a really good laugh. We’ve met some people tonight that we wouldn’t expect to speak to.” – Giesecke+Devrient

“It just pips the Oscars.” – Form3

“Thank you to FF News for putting on a fantastic event, there’s so much entertainment and so many surprises. One of the best awards ceremonies we’ve done this year.” – Plend

We aim to please and surprise. And we look forward to doing it all again next year.

Companies In This Post

  1. Wells Fargo Expands Its Commercial Banking Transformation with Q2 to Drive Collaboration Across Commercial Banking Teams Read more
  2. ADIB Becomes the First Islamic Bank to Adopt Swift’s Alliance Cloud Platform Read more
  3. CSI Launches Advanced Check Fraud Detection Tool in Partnership With Mitek Systems Read more
  4. LuLu International Exchange Partners With Fintech Galaxy for Open Banking Remittance Solutions in Bahrain Read more
  5. Wealthon Secures PLN 531M to Accelerate the Expansion of Unique Financial Services Ecosystem for SMEs Read more
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