There was plenty of positivity about what is a dynamic new sector at the Fintech Scotland Festival – but it was tempered by the message that we can’t rest on our laurels

It was like a long-anticipated school trip – the conversation was animated, the enthusiasm unrestrained and after 18 months of distanced virtual events the 165 delegates at Glasgow’s University of Strathclyde were clearly glad to be there.

Part of a wide-ranging series of events convened by FinTech Scotland that began in September in Edinburgh and chaired by Stephen Ingledew, the body’s Executive Chair, it brought together an impressive cast from around the UK, including the heads of fintech regional bodies from the West of England, Northern Ireland, North of England, Wales and West Midlands.

John Glen, Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister, UK Government, pointed out that the sector’s growing contribution to the nation’s economy was cementing the UK’s position as a global financial hub with 40 fintech unicorns (a new business that is valued at more than $1 billion and is privately owned), more than anywhere apart from the US and China.

Ivan McKee, the Scottish Government’s Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise was especially proud of the cooperation that was driving the sector’s growth: “The way that we’ve partnered together, and the way that the tech- style app companies, legacy financial businesses, the Scottish Government and enterprise agencies, universities and others have acted together has been very effective.”

The cluster effect

Scotland is now a world-leading fintech cluster with innovation and collaboration driving financial inclusion in the UK and far beyond – something emphasised by Nicola Anderson, Chief Executive of FinTech Scotland, who said: “We’ve heard a lot about the focus on clusters and the FinTech Scotland cluster is a combination of innovation, shared community, established experi- ence and collaborative and inclusive initiatives.”

The new imperatives

Throughout four sessions that elicited the thoughts of some of Scotland’s and the UK’s leading authorities in the sector representing regulation, law, entrepreneurs and technology and including in-depth panel discussions, the remarkable progress of fintech was saluted – but not uncritically so.

Much of the discussion centred around The Kalifa Review of UK fintech which was published in February this year, and which made several recommendations aimed at government, regulators, and industry across five areas: policy and regulation, skills and talent, investment, international attractiveness and competitiveness, and national connectivity.

The author, Ron Kalifa OBE, the former boss of payments processor Worldpay, was there to highlight some of these imperatives. The aim of the review was to support the continued growth and widespread adoption of UK fintech, as well as ensuring it can maintain its global reputation, he said, while reminding the audience that: “While we might hold a dominant position today, we cannot and should not take this for granted. Competition is fierce from the likes of the US, Singapore, Australia, Europe and other emerging markets.”

He has recommended the creation of a digital economy taskforce to draw together senior figures from across government and regulators to co- ordinate policy and remove blockages.

Better connectivity across the UK will be key to achieving this, he added. “Ensuring that we continue to develop fintech capability across the UK is important. Our fintech success story is not confined to London, but it is spread across the UK in clusters and these clusters are where financial services and technology expertise reside.”

Kalifa is also pressing ministers to establish a new organisation – the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT) – which would provide some stewardship for the strategy among the regional clusters.

Rules and regulations

As a dynamic new sector, the potential for the growth of fintech is phenomenal but with opportunity comes responsibility, said Maha El Dimachki, Head of Payments Supervision at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) who said that it was no surprise the Kalifa review contained a whole chapter on regulation.

“Regulation in any sector underpins the stability of that sector; it provides longevity, stability and security. And it’s important to achieve that, not just for consumers, but also for businesses and for the economy.” However, she stressed: “We also need to make sure that regulation is balanced. Too much will stifle innovation, it will slow it down.”

Yvonne Dunn, a partner at Pinsent Masons, added that while the fintech revolution is taking place in a regulated environment, it also involves engaging with people’s hard-earned cash and requires some legal advice on crucial elements such as cyber security and the supply chain – especially as one of the major cloud providers is increasingly likely to be part of that chain.

Creating a global identity

Janine Hirt, CEO of Innovate Finance, the independent industry body that represents and advances the global fintech community in the UK, said it was critical we ensure fintech is seen as a key pillar of the UK’s hard and soft power as we look to recreate our global identity in a post-Covid and post-Brexit environment.

“What must do is make sure that industry is working with government, general regulators and policy makers to continue that momentum. Because the worst thing we could do at this moment would be to rest on our laurels.

“There’s huge momentum but we need to keep that moving. About half of that investment is coming from international investors; we need to switch that up and make sure that fintech is seen as a destination of source, destination of choice for domestic investors as well – and for institutional investors and pension funds.”

Looking beyond borders

FinTech Scotland is part of a group of 15 European fintech hubs which can now work on European-wide initiatives and international markets in general with an increasing number of firms in the sector exporting across the world. Meanwhile, many businesses based overseas have recognised the Scottish fintech opportunity with its tech ecosystem, and world-class universities and talent.

Banking on the future

Pinar Ozcan, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Saïd Business School, the University of Oxford, proposed a searching and succinct analysis: “Because banks’ data is not harmonised yet, to work together with fintech they have to clean up their own house, first in terms of infrastructure and within their culture.”

She added: “The mindset needs to change in order for those potential partnerships to actually work. I welcome the efforts that are being made in helping fintech through things like accelerators and data sandboxes. But this doesn’t mean that fintech can survive on its own: banks are less innovative, but they are resourceful.”

The advantages of both are there to be exploited. While fintech has the benefit of being digitally savvy and innovative, banks have long international experience of dealing with customers.

“Big tech is coming into finance,” she added. “And when we start to see those players coming into finance, their propositions will be unique, what they’re going to do is unique and therefore the types of partners and ecosystems that they’re going to build are unique.”

Partner Content in association with FinTech Scotland.