Scotland’s largest festival of fintech to address 'economic and social challenges'

Plans have been unveiled for Scotland’s largest festival of financial technology to highlight how fintech can address “economic and social challenges”.

The event is due to take place over four weeks in September and October and will be the fifth fintech festival hosted by industry body FinTech Scotland.

Every year since 2018, the festival has showcased the growing innovation across the fintech cluster involving a diverse range of business leaders and organisations.

Organisers said there was every indication that this autumn’s event would be even larger than previous years with participation from “leading entrepreneurs, innovators and policy makers from across the UK and the world”.

The 2022 festival will give particular emphasis to the growing collaboration throughout the UK that is enabling the progress of the fintech research and innovation roadmap launched in March by FinTech Scotland.

The festival is set to open on September 15 with the annual fintech summit at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh and conclude on October 6 with an evening of awards recognising the achievements of people and organisations across the industry cluster.

Nicola Anderson, FinTech Scotland chief executive, said: “The festival has grown each year, despite the pandemic, and for 2022 I’m looking forward to more in-person events. The four weeks is an ideal opportunity to share how collaborative innovation has a key role to play in addressing economic and social challenges.”

A highlight will be the UK Fintech Symposium taking place at NatWest’s Gogarburn headquarters on September 22, which will bring together all the UK regional fintech clusters as well as government ministers, regulators and “fintech innovation influencers” to discuss financial innovation contribution to economic recovery.

Financial technology, or fintech, has become a key growth area for the digital economy in Scotland. Picture: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Stephen Ingledew, FinTech Scotland chairman and host of the UK FinTech Assembly, sai:, “The festival will celebrate how fintech is very much a ‘team’ activity and how this UK collaborative approach to innovation is fueling sustainable growth and job creation as well as a positive social impact to benefit all UK regions and communities.”

FinTech Scotland is a not-for-profit cluster body jointly established by the financial services sector, universities and Scottish Government/Scottish Enterprise. The organisation acts as a strategic enabler and cluster management body.