StreetsTalksTo

In this episode of #StreetsTalksTo we are joined by the partners and authors of The Scaling UK Regional FinTech Report.This groundbreaking research, conducted by Whitecap Consulting and co-published with Streets Consulting and  Innovate Finance, explores how to successfully scale fintech firms in the UK.

Key points discussed include:

1. Importance of Regional Growth: The report analyses 250 regional fintech scale-ups, highlighting the significance of growth outside London and the unique challenges and opportunities these regions face.

2. Diversity and Leadership: Findings reveal that firms with female founders achieved over 30% more turnover growth than those with male founders, emphasising the importance of diverse leadership in fintech success.

3. Impact of Accelerator Programs: Data shows that participation in accelerator programs significantly boosts a firm's chances of raising funding, underscoring the value of these programs in the fintech ecosystem.

4. Government and Policy Support: The discussion touches on the critical need for government and regulatory support to ensure the growth and global leadership of UK fintech, aligning with Innovate Finance's FinTech Manifesto.

Join Julia Streets, Janine Hirt, CEO of Innovate Finance, and Julian Wells, Director and FinTech Lead at Whitecap Consulting for an insightful conversation on the future of UK fintech and the strategies to drive its success.

In this episode of StreetsTalksTo we are joined by  Hilary Smyth-Allen, Executive Director of SuperTech, the UK’s first and only tech supercluster, based in the West Midlands. The supercluster is  leading the charge in accelerating technological adoption across professional services through ProfTech which includes FinTech, PropTech, LegalTech and InsurTech. In our conversation, Hilary shares invaluable insights into the intersection of innovation and professional services. We discuss: 

Roadmap for the Future: Hilary unveils SuperTech’s strategic Research and Innovation Roadmap, a 10 year plan based on deep analysis, developed through extensive consultation with industry stakeholders and academia. The Roadmap focuses on four key themes: Productivity, Open Data, Sustainability, and Inclusion & Wellness. Driven by a commitment to these areas, the blueprint is an actionable programme of targeted initiatives to drive prosperity and improve social outcomes.

Championing Innovation: Hilary emphasises the importance of innovation in driving growth and competition in the business, professional and financial services sectors. SuperTech's mission is to position the West Midlands as a hub for next-generation services, leveraging technology to enhance customer experience and business operations.

The ProfTech Revolution: We explore the concept of ProfTech and its significance. ProfTech encompasses a wide range of professional services enhanced by technology, from legal and property services to financial advisory. By embracing ProfTech, businesses can unlock new opportunities for growth and efficiency.

Driving Impact: Looking ahead, SuperTech is committed to translating the Roadmap into tangible outcomes. Cross-sector engagement is at the heart of the Roadmap and the delivery of all activities. 

Through collaborative partnerships and joined-up initiatives that will fully enable and serve businesses, consumers and investors, the potential  impact of the Roadmap is the creation of over 4,600 regional jobs and the addition of £1.5bn to the regional economy over the next decade.

In this episode of #StreetsTalksTo, we are joined by Anton Padmasiri, founder and CEO and Shri Krishnansen, Chief Commercial Officer of WealthOS. We explore the future of wealth management and delve into how WealthOS is driving innovation and reshaping the financial services landscape.

We also discuss: 

Legacy Infrastructure Challenges: The frustrations and limitations posed by outdated legacy infrastructure in the financial services industry, particularly in wealth management. This legacy technology impedes the delivery of modern, user-centric experiences and hampers firms' ability to innovate and adapt to changing market dynamics.

Innovation in Wealth Management: WealthOS’s pioneering solution to address the shortcomings of traditional wealth management systems. As a cloud-native operating system, it offers a scalable, user-friendly platform designed to modernise wealth management practices, enhance customer experiences, and meet evolving regulatory requirements. Through automation, APIs, and a focus on user experience, WealthOS aims to revolutionise how wealth is managed and accessed, paving the way for digital transformation in the industry.

Global Ambitions and Market Expansion: With a clear mission to provide equitable access to wealth management services worldwide, WealthOS demonstrates its international ambitions. The leadership envisions expanding beyond the UK market, leveraging their adaptable infrastructure to cater to the needs of financial institutions and investors across different jurisdictions. By embracing technological advancements, anticipating regulatory changes, and prioritising user needs, WealthOS aims to shape the future of wealth management on a global scale.

In this episode of #StreetsTalksTo we talk to Gillian Painter, Head of Membership and Engine, The Investment Association. We talk about the journey of Engine, the IA's Innovation Hub and FinTech Accelerator, and explore the transformative power of technology in investment management.

Our discussion also covers :

Innovative Programs: Gillian sheds light on the evolution of Engine, from its inception in response to regulatory changes to becoming a global hub for FinTech innovation. With programmes including the IA Engine Innovator, Sparks, and Advanced Access, Engine caters to firms at different stages of development, providing tailored support to foster growth and drive industry-wide innovation.

Real-World Impact: Through success stories and testimonials, Gillian illustrates the tangible benefits that participating firms experience. From generating additional revenue to securing new partnerships and funding opportunities, Engine's ecosystem empowers FinTech innovators to thrive and make meaningful contributions to the financial services landscape.

Global Collaboration: The importance of collaboration on both national and international levels. By forging partnerships and facilitating exchanges with global counterparts, The Investment Association seeks to harness the collective expertise and drive cross-border innovation. Through initiatives like the Global Partners Programme and international conferences like EmTech, The IA fosters a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing.

We discuss the intersection of technology, innovation, and financial services, and explore the endless possibilities for growth and transformation in the industry.

In this episode of #StreetsTalksTo we talk to Nicola Anderson, CEO of Fintech Scotland.

In this conversation  we learn more about FinTech Scotland, their key objectives to help the community of fintech entrepreneurs, the ambition of the economic contribution, strategic relationships, and the development of an inclusive environment to enable FinTech innovation to really thrive.

We outline the opportunities that fintech collaboration and innovation bring to us all, with  an update on the FinTech Research and Innovation Roadmap, one year on since it was launched. The Roadmap was published with a very specific question, what should the future of finance look like?  It was developed in close coordination with fintech entrepreneurs, the financial services sector, academia, regulators, Government bodies and consumer groups, and provides a framework to increase the positive impact of FinTech Innovation across Scotland and the UK.

We discuss the significance of fintech in our digital economy and how its evolving  innovation and problem solving in the current economic and climate. We talk about how the Kalifa Review and research and development (R&D)  in Scotland along with data, can advance business and help economic development in the UK and beyond.  And lastly  Nicola shares her favourite piece of regulation! 

In this episode of #StreetsTalksTo we are joined by  Dani Lipkin, Delilah Panio from the TMX Group. We delve into the global listings landscape, the TSX and the TSX Venture exchanges and their support for earlier stage firms and established companies in their journey to going public. 

We touch on Canada’s history of supporting innovative, early stage companies and discuss TSX Venture’s unique value proposition in helping scale-ups access growth capital, reduce the burden and cost of going public. We look at lessons we can learn from Canada as the UK and other jurisdictions are assessing their IPO rules to attract more junior listings.

We discover the 4 Rs – reason, readiness, requirement and reality – that can help decide whether your company is ready to go public and the benefits of being aligned. And we look ahead on the listings journey, as many firms have successfully graduated from the TSX Venture Exchange to TSX and gone on to dual list in the US and other major exchanges.

In this episode of #StreetsTalksTo we are joined by Mark Schaedel, CEO and Brandon Baker, Principle of DataBP.  We discuss the fascinating world of market data and how the impact of innovation and technology can be used to help make sense of the huge amounts of data and harvest unique insights. We talk about the genuine common goal across the industry for ultimate compliance, the importance of using The Cloud and how DataBP are empowering and connecting the community of data providers to gain efficiencies, reinvent how they manage their market data and ultimately realise and commercialise the full potential of their often unexploited data assets.

DataBP is a global provider of software and managed services for managing market data and index commercialisation. They provide tools that run business lines in one easy to use platform and a whole suite of purpose built tools, allowing data businesses of all sizes to increase their revenue, reduce their risk, and provide an improved customer experience without having to increase any staffing footprint.

In this episode of #StreetsTalksTo we are joined by Stéphane Rio, CEO & Founder of Opensee, and Senior Sales Executive, Julie Louvrier. We discover the challenges of big data, the increased demand for more granular information and how Opensee is transforming this data into a competitive advantage. We talk about different regulations, how ESG is bringing a new dimension to finance and how Opensee is helping its clients to unlock the full potential of their data by removing complexity.

Opensee is a Paris-based FinTech that is helping financial institutions turn their big data challenges into a competitive advantage, by unlocking vital business, user led opportunities. Its solutions allow financial institutions to harness 100% of their vast quantities of data instantly, on demand and for deeper and faster analysis than before. It was started by a team of financial industry and technology experts who were frustrated because they couldn't find a simple, big data analytics solution that enabled them to deep dive into all of their data or to run risk scenarios with the data that they were handling. They built their own instead. Opensee now gives banks, asset managers and other financial institutions the analytical tools for regulatory reporting, risk management, operational efficiencies and business development.

In this episode of #StreetsTalksTo we are joined by Ian Taylor, Executive Director and Su Carpenter, Head of Community at CryptoUK. We delve into the topic of regulation, what the current crypto regulatory landscape looks like and the challenges around ad regulation. We talk about how CryptoUK are trying to help develop policies, processes and standardisation to help crypto providers and institutions and how they are in regular conversations with the FCA. We cover taxation, legislation and so much more in this fascinating conversation.

CryptoUK exists as a cohesive, credible voice for the evolving UK crypto industry. As an independent industry body, CryptoUK represents the UK's crypto asset sector, working directly with policy makers and market players to advocate for better education, mutual understanding and fair and balanced policy. It has more than 80 members, including crypto natives, service providers, custodians and institutional investors.

In this episode of StreetsTalksTo we are joined by Vijay Oddiraju, CEO and Co-Founder, and Rachel Hunt, VP Growth Marketing at Volante Technologies. During the discussion we delve into the importance of real-time payments and what this means for financial inclusion and the democratisation of financial services. We consider the impact of COVID-19 across the industry, how this has accelerated the digitisation of payments around the world and how Volante is helping banks and financial institutions adapt quickly and effectively to empower consumers, corporates and economies. We find out more about Volante’s ISO 20022 migration project and how Volante is enabling an ever-growing cloud-native payments ecosystem.

Volante Technologies is the global provider of cloud payments and financial messaging solutions. It serves as a trusted partner to more than one hundred banks, financial institutions, market infrastructures, clearing houses and corporate treasury firms in 35 countries. As a result, Volante’s customers can stay ahead of emerging trends, become more competitive, deliver superior client experiences and grow their businesses through rapid digital transformation and innovation.