More than 50 events will run over three weeks in September as part of Scotland’s second annual ‘FinTech Festival’.
A range of events – from conferences, meet-ups, networking and social activities – will help promote the country’s aspiration to become a top tier global financial technology centre.
Established by Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, the financial services sector and University of Edinburgh, FinTech Scotland is the national organisation responsible for the festival and charged with raising the profile of Scotland for fintechs.
Stephen Ingledew, Chief Executive of FinTech Scotland, said: “I am very excited about this year’s Fintech Festival with its global appeal and engagement.
“We are building on last year when the impromptu festival was born out of real collaboration and inclusion with many participants and organisations coming together to create something very special.
“This year, even more organisations have put their hands up to participate. This is a real testament to the fact that the fintech scene across the country is vibrant and inclusive, welcoming people and enterprises to Scotland from around the world.”
The festival, on from September 9 to 27, will have a focus on new financial innovation and ‘inclusive collaboration opportunities’.
The events include a number of showcase events such as the FinTech Summit at Dynamic Earth, the FinTech Awards evening and the FinTech Future conference at University of Strathclyde
Other events organised by the community will be up and down the country from Glasgow to Fife, Edinburgh to Dundee, Stirling to Aberdeen and Inverness
Events can be seen on www.scotlandfintechfestival.com
This year will attract a large international delegation with FinTech Scotland working closely with Scottish Development International (SDI) and the Department for International Trade (DIT), which are set to support two trade missions from Europe, the Middle East & African (EMEA) nations, with one understood to comprise 15 fintech firms and one with large financial companies.
FinTech Scotland also announced that most European fintech hubs will be in attendance – including Luxembourg’s LHoFT, Belgium’s B-Hive and Spain’s Innsomnia – and that delegations from the US and Asia will attend the festival.
Graham Hatton, Team Leader, Inward Investment at Scottish Development International, said: “International interest in Scotland’s Fintech community has never been higher. In the 12 months following last year’s Fintech festival, firms from London, Hong Kong and California have established operations in Scotland to support their growth, attracted largely by a domestic workforce with a deep understanding of Financial Services and expertise in areas including Data and Artificial Intelligence.”
Rory Archibald, Head of Association & Sectors at VisitScotland Business Events, said: “We are thrilled to be supporting the fintech community here in Scotland for a second year to help promote this thriving sector to the world. Fintech Festival is testament to the positive outcomes of collaboration between many organisations. The goals of the fintech sector and indeed the Scottish Government to promote social change, inclusive growth and inward investment can be achieved by bringing people together to realise the new ideas that will drive fintech forward.”
