Fintech Week London welcomes international industry event to UK this summer

Fintech Week London is taking place at a number of select venues in London and online on 12-16 July 2021.

Growth in fintech has accelerated since the start of the pandemic and, with much interest in the digitalisation of the banking sector, Fintech Week London 2021 is an eagerly awaited event.

Celebrating some of the biggest and most exciting names in the sector, the event comprises a two-day conference, breakout sessions, an award ceremony and an industry party.

The first physical event of its kind for some time, Fintech Week London will also be live streamed for those unable to be present onsite, providing online intelligent matchmaking and networking.

For those ready to meet in person again, and for those joining virtually, it’s set to be a packed agenda. Content for the conference has been curated by some of the industry’s most respected experts and B2B influencers. Topics to be discussed and debated include Sustainable Banking and Green Finance, CryptoCurrency, Big Tech & Big Banks and Digital Identity.

From fireside chats to fringe events, starting at Barclays Rise on Monday, 12 July 2021, Fintech Week London welcomes a host of respected keynote speakers and industry leaders:

Author and commentator, Chris Skinner, opens the event with the future of fintech and emerging trends, followed by a discussion on Green Finance and Sustainability and Social Inclusion.

Ghela Boskovich and Imran Gulamhuseinwala will lead the morning session on Open Banking/Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) on Tuesday, 13 July.

David Birch (Consult Hyperion), honorary president of EEMA, the European e-ID Association, and Matt Warman MP will later host a session around UK Digital Identity Framework, discussing any new requirements for businesses.

Big Tech and Big Banks leads the way for the morning session on Wednesday 14 July, curated by Theo Lau. Joining a panel session will be Dr Leda Glydis (10x) and Joanne Dewar (GPS).

Lord Chris Holmes and Martin Boyd (FIS) will then lead the discussion on open finance and financial health.

The afternoon will see the Next Big Things in Fintech, hosted by Chris Skinner and Suzanne Chisti looking at the power of fintech founders and the importance of diversity in a changing world, as well as how the pandemic and fintech have impacted each other.

The breakout sessions on Thursday will be hosted at Level39, and will focus on hot topics including raising capital for fintechs, cybersecurity, payments and artificial intelligence (AI).

In the afternoon, together with Market Across and main partner crypto.com, the topic will be cryptocurrencies and blockchain, looking at innovations such as DeFi, NFTs and what is happening to Bitcoin.

Speakers throughout the week will also include Alex March, head of Klarna UK, Dan Morgan, policy lead – Europe of Plaid, and Sophie Guibaud, chief growth officer of OpenPayd.

Guests, media and conference attendees will be treated to an industry party on Tuesday 12th July and The Open Banking Expo Awards will take place on Thursday evening, where experts and innovators from the world of financial technology will receive recognition. Awards include Best Open Finance Innovation, Open Banking for Good and Best Open Banking Partnership.

De Kimpe, CEO of Fintech Week London, says: “We have been blown away by the interest and support that we have received from the fintech industry in London and internationally. This has come from sponsors, speakers, partners and now we are seeing a surge in interest from attendees.

“Over the course of five days, we will welcome over 2,000 executives from high-street banks, digital challengers, technology giants, and new disruptors. Fintech Week London will host many of these industry leaders in person for the first time in so long, and we can’t wait to hear the fantastic discussions that will undoubtedly emerge.

“London still sits at the centre of global fintech, and we can clearly see the evidence of this as our event draws closer.”

De Kimpe continues: “Planning an event like this right now definitely comes with added pressure, but it is going to be worth it – this is an industry that feeds off of collaboration, and we want to help bring that back.

“In terms of mitigating potential risk, we are constantly monitoring the situation and government guidelines. We will take appropriate precautions and our terms and conditions on tickets are very flexible, we urge everyone that has symptoms or had a high-risk contact to join from the safety of their home. We’ll provide a costless swap from a physical to an online ticket (with partial refund).

“Additionally, we urge all our physical attendees to take a lateral flow test less than 24 hours prior to the event, these tests are available free of charge to UK residents.”

As a minimum, all visitors will be asked to scan the NHS Track & Trace QR code at the reception and temperature checks will be performed on entry. All visitors will be asked to wear a mask as much as possible and wash hands regularly. There will be extra hand sanitising stations throughout the venue and common areas will be disinfected regularly.

Registration for Fintech Week London is now open, and partner submissions are still being considered.

Click here for further information on Fintech Week London 2021.