Fintech giants to converge on Newcastle for major conference

On 14 July, startups, unicorns and giants of financial services will congregate at the iconic Common Room of the Great North, in Newcastle’s old Mining and Mechanical Engineering Institute, for the city’s second FinTech North annual conference.

The event will bring together a cumulative financial might with a valuation totalling well into the billions in one room, for example North Eastern success story Atom Bank alone is well on its way to unicorn status (a £1bn valuation), FTSE 100 listed Sage is often cited as the UK’s largest fintech, and headline supporter Mastercard is is a global force in the payments industry.

The hybrid event will receive approximately 250 delegates, both in the room and watching on live stream. They will be welcomed by an address from Sir Ron Kalifa, the author of a major strategic report into UK FinTech.

Published in February 2021, the Kalifa Review is the definitive strategy for the UK’s leadership in fintech on the global stage, in which the Newcastle and Durham cluster is identified as one of the emerging rapid growth areas for this fast-growing contributor to the nation’s economy.

The packed agenda of speeches, panel sessions, networking and showcases will also include contributions from Newcastle University Business School and the Regional Economic Crime Coordination Centre, NERSOU, as well as another home-grown success story, Kani Payments.

Pronounced as “canny” in a proud acknowledgement of its local roots, this fast-growing fintech business has processed over $10bn in payments using its technology since last time FinTech North visited Newcastle. Kani’s founder Aaron Holmes will take the stage to share insights from his journey.

Chris Sier, finTech north chairman and HM treasury finTech envoy for England, comments, “what a privilege to be back in the city for our second Newcastle FinTech North conference, and to have such an impressive line up of regional and nationally significant speakers to address the group about the unique power of fintech to not only boost our economy but also to effect real societal change.

“As the Kalifa Review shows us, the growth of fintech is making profound impact on people’s lives, from democratisation and accessibility to finance, to creating new jobs, regional engagement and sustainability. And this region is one of the areas where that’s happening more and more.”

FinTech North is a non-profit organisation founded in 2016. It aims to reinforce the UK’s Northern Powerhouse as a region of excellence for fintech and provide a platform for helping to forge relationships between the North’s fintech startups and innovators, established tech giants, policymakers and academia.

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