Northern FinTech Summit 2025

FinTech North is proud to announce the return of our Northern FinTech Summit – back for its second year, the Summit will be hosted in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs, Aviva, Cyber Alchemy, and Lenvi. With thanks to our inward investment partners West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Invest Liverpool City Region, North East Combined Authority and MIDAS - Manchester's Inward Investment Agency.

The Summit is one of our most loved events and has quickly become a cornerstone of our events calendar – and for good reason. This was our first flagship event with a truly pan-northern focus. Unlike our city-specific conferences, the Summit was created to unite the entire North, showcasing its strength, diversity, and innovation as a FinTech powerhouse.

Positioning the North as a national and international hub for FinTech leadership remains a strategic priority for us, and last year’s event was a major milestone in that journey. With 200 delegates, nearly 80% attendance, and an exceptional Net Promoter Score of 95, the Summit drew strong engagement — including close to 30% of attendees at C-suite, founder, or MD level across FinTech, legal, financial, and tech sectors.

This year, we’ll continue that momentum, bringing fresh stories, real-world insight and new voices into conversations around growth, investment, regulation and future trends. From international expansion and fundraising journeys to exits, innovation and the wider economic forces shaping FinTech today, we’ll spotlight the North’s role as a driving force in the UK’s FinTech and adjacent sectors.

What to expect?

- Day One: We’ll dive into the themes of Market and People, exploring customer needs, commercial strategy, talent, leadership, and inclusion. We'll wrap up with a vibrant evening social, inclduing food and drink, in York city centre, offering a dynamic space to celebrate the day and build on new connections.

- Day Two: We’ll return to the Guildhall to focus on Money and Tech & Product – covering everything from investment and funding to cutting-edge product development and the technologies shaping tomorrow’s FinTech landscape.

A key highlight of this year’s Summit will be delving into the findings of Whitecap Consulting’s highly anticipated Northern FinTech Report, due to be published later this year, which will map every FinTech firm and summarise key activity across the region.

Who should attend?

- Leaders from financial, professional, and legal services, tech firms, academia, government, and policy.

- Established brands, public sector bodies, regulators and industry thought-leaders.

- Anyone interested in building FinTech partnerships, discovering new opportunities and connecting with sector leaders.

Want to get involved? Opportunities for collaboration include:

- New speakers: We’re always on the lookout for new speakers with fresh perspectives leading the future of FinTech today.

- Profiling diverse thought-leaders: We recognise the importance of diversity, inclusion and representation. It’s a key priority for us to profile female and under-represented leaders with speaking opportunities.

- Sponsorship: We have a number of brand opportunities available if increasing your organisation’s profile and visibility at the Summit is of interest.

We’re excited to share more about our agenda and speakers soon – please reach out to us at info@fintechnorth.uk for more information about opportunities for collaboration.

Why the Guildhall?
More than just a venue, York’s historic Guildhall has served as a centre of civic life and decision-making since the 15th century. Built as a home for the city’s medieval guilds and council, it has hosted monarchs, landmark trials, and major public events for centuries. Today, it continues that legacy as a University of York building and home to Barclays Eagle Labs, combining heritage, academia and innovation – a perfect reflection of our mission to connect culture, the civic spirit of the North and the future of FinTech.

WORKING AGENDA (tbc)

DAY 1: MARKET AND PEOPLE

10:30am-11:00am: Arrival & Registration

11:00am-11:05am: Welcome from FinTech North

Delivered by Joe Roche, General Manager, FinTech North

11:05am-11:10am: Welcome from Barclays Eagle Labs

Delivered by Chris Lunardi, Ecosystem Manager, Barclays Eagle Labs

11:10am-11:20am: Sponsor welcome

11:20am-11:35am: FinTech in the North - opportunities for growth

Delivered by Julian Wells, Director, Whitecap Consulting

11:35am-12:20pm: Scanning the FinTech Landscape: North, Global, and Beyond

Liam Spence, Senior Vice President – Franchise Innovation, Mastercard

12:20pm-12:30pm: Comfort break

12:30pm-13:15pm: The Power of Partnerships: Co-Creating the Next Generation of FinTech

13:15pm-14:15pm: Lunch

14:15pm-14:25pm: FinTech North Skills update: One year on

Delivered by Silas Ozoya, Talent Upskill Associate, FinTech North

14:25pm-14:35pm: Seeple: Digital Innovation for the Evolving Workforce

Delivered by Vinay Chavda, Co- founder, Seeple

14:35pm-15:20pm: Closing the Gap: Evolving Opportunities for FinTech Skills

Samantha Turner, Head of People, Lenvi

Crispin Read, CEO & Founder, The Coders Guild

Rachel Kenyon, Business Engagement Manager, The University of Manchester

Becky Fores, Dean of Higher Education, University Centre Leeds

Rashmi Arora, Associate Professor in Development Economics, University of Bradford

15:20pm-15:30pm: Women Pivoting to Digital: an update from City of London Corporation

Delivered by Amelia Axelsen, Senior Policy and Programme Manager, City of London Corporation

15:30pm-16:15pm: Inclusion Fuelling Innovation: an interactive panel discussion

Sarah Tulip, Co-Founder, WILD Digital

Rachael Riley, Project Lead, Project Nemo

James Brown, CEO, Leeds Credit Union

Moderator: Suzanne Lawson, Partnerships Manager – Group Innovation, Aviva

16:15pm-16:30pm: Culture, Collaboration, Community: What’s Next for People in FinTech

Speaker tbc

16:30pm-16:35: Closing remarks

16:40pm-19:40pm: Evening social

Central York Location TBC

DAY 2: MONEY AND TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCT

10:00am-10:30am: Arrival & Registration

10:30am-10:35am: Welcome from FinTech North

Delivered by Joe Roche, General Manager, FinTech North

10:35am-10:40am: Welcome from Barclays Eagle Labs:

Delivered by Chris Lunardi, Ecosystem Manager, Barclays Eagle Labs

10:40am-10:50am: Sponsor Welcome

Speaker tbc

10:50am-11:00am: UK Fintech Investment Landscape: H1 2025 Insights & Trends

Delivered by Joshita Ganesan, Associate - Fintechs Membership, Client Management & Growth, Innovate Finance

11:00am-11:10am: How Gender Smart Investing can Fuel the UK Economy

Delivered by Jordan Dargue, Co-founder, Lifted Ventures

11:10am-11:30am: Funding a FinTech – Preparing for Investors

Ant Barker, Director of Venture Capital, Aviva

Ben Davies, Marketing Director, Praetura Ventures

Johnnie Martin, Investor, Augmentum Fintech

11:30am-11:40am: From Sheffield to Scale-Up: Northern FinTech Investment Success

Delivered by James Jackson, CEO & Co-founder, Bumper

11:40 am-12:00pm: Planning the Path to Exit

Gary Fenemore, Director, S&W

12:00pm-12:20pm The Future of Money

Sofie Churchill, Enterprise Key Account Manager, Marqeta

12:20pm-1:20pm: Lunch

1:20pm-1:35pm: Market trends & regulation inspiring innovation

Delivered by Colin Payne, Head of Innovation, FCA

1:35pm-1:50pm: Cyber Security Maturity Roadmap

Delivered by Cyber Alchemy

1:50pm-2:50pm Tech & Product Showcase

Charles Knight, Head of Sales - UK, SideUp

2:50pm-3:35: Innovation 2026: Forces shaping the Future of Financial Technology

Sam Goodacre, Director of Product, Lenvi

Sarat Pediredla, CEO, hedgehog lab

Kaushik Vaidya, Product Manager, TSYS

more speakers tbc

3:30pm: Closing remarks & event to close