The North’s biggest FinTech event returns to Leeds

FinTech titans will descend on Leeds on Wednesday 22nd May, as the annual FinTech North conference returns to the city. Big-hitters, newcomers and everything in-between in the UK’s FinTech scene will gather to discuss the latest trends in the sector and explore opportunities for further growth.

Taking place at Cloth Hall Court, the conference will focus on themes including accessibility and inclusion, consumer behaviours, RegTech, and scaling – with the latter an often-overlooked segment of the market.

The event is being delivered in partnership with Leeds Building Society and fellow Leeds businesses Axiologik and Data on Demand, along with Lenvi and Mastercard.

In addition to sector updates from industry heavyweights – the likes of Innovate Finance and the Bank of England – delegates will also hear from home-grown FinTechs from within the Leeds city region.

The West Yorkshire FinTech ecosystem generates over £700m GVA each year, with over 100 FinTechs calling Leeds home and the city holding the position as the UK’s strongest financial centre outside London.

Leeds Building Society, the UK’s biggest shared ownership lender, will deliver a keynote speech outlining its digital transformation developments and objectives. We’ll also hear from the city’s emerging green finance star, Science Card – a current account provider that rounds up transactions to fund sustainable research projects, predominantly in climate change.

Data insights company Data on Demand will share tales from its own journey as a FinTech scale-up in Leeds. And there’s more scale-up advice on offer throughout the day, with Whitecap Consulting sharing recommendations on scaling a FinTech from its most recent report, the FinTech Growth Fund adding further insights with a dedicated scaling session, and a panel discussion to follow.

The panel includes LHV Bank, the second largest bank in Estonia, which now has a growing presence in the North of England after opening offices in Leeds and Manchester. The bank will share insights on scaling up its UK operations and its plans to diversify its product offering.

Consumer behaviour, attitudes, and expectations will be another big theme of the day, with Lenvi sharing some of the key takeaways from its 2024 Borrowing Report. This will include how spending and borrowing trends have changed over the last 10 years, what impacts decision making, and a deep dive into the growing popularity of Buy Now Pay Later.

Delegates will also hear the latest updates from Project Nemo, following its launch last month. The new disability inclusion initiative is aiming to help the FinTech sector better serve those with disabilities, and is embarking on a 12-month campaign to facilitate that.

The renowned quick-fire showcase session that concludes the FinTech North conferences will take a slightly different approach to usual at the Leeds event, with two focused sessions: one on RegTech, and the other shining a light on Leeds-based FinTechs.

The latter includes Incuto, platform provider and credit union champion, and app-based transaction tracker ReceiptSafe.

Joe Roche, General Manager at FinTech North, comments:

“Once again, we’ve got another fantastic line-up for our Leeds conference, with a real breadth of FinTech expertise in the room. I’m particularly excited to shine a spotlight on the brilliant work of Project Nemo and its disability inclusion initiative. We could all – whatever stage we’re at in our FinTech journeys – learn from this. I hope people will leave the conference feeling inspired, motivated and determined to push the sector onwards.”

The full Leeds agenda and registration page can be accessed here: https://www.fintechnorth.uk/events/leeds-conference-2024/