Newcastle Conference 2025 Write-up
On Tuesday the 1st of July, FinTech North returned to the North East for its annual Newcastle Conference, marking its fifth year in the region. The flagship event was hosted in partnership with brand sponsors, Mastercard, networking sponsors, Kani, exhibition sponsors, the North East Combined Authority, and evening social sponsors, Google Cloud.
The conference was hosted at the Wylam Brewery, one of the region’s most treasured historic venues. Across the day, we saw a stellar 95% turnout rate, with nearly 140 attendees joining us across the day, and over 36% of delegates in C. suite, founder, managing director or equivalent roles at financial services, FinTech and tech organisations.
We’ll be sharing the conference footage soon. To view the photos from the day, click here.
Across the day, we explored key themes pertaining to regional specialisms, celebrating the region’s expertise. The themes included:
- Banking, Payments & Savings
- International Expansion & Links
- Data & AI
- Purpose Driven FinTech
Collaboration and scaling were also strong themes that emerged from many of the discussions, emphasising the crucial role of community in business and sector growth.
Welcome and Sector & Payments Outlook
After a lively breakfast networking session, Joe Roche, FinTech North’s General Manager, kicked off the day by welcoming attendees and sharing an update on the organisation’s recent activity, before handing over to Julian Wells, Director at Whitecap Consulting, to outline key regional and national developments.
Julian highlighted how the sector has shown resilience in recent years and now plays a pivotal role in the UK’s new Industrial Strategy. He also provided a preview of the upcoming North of England FinTech Report 2025, due later this month.
The first panel of the day brought together industry experts to discuss ‘Ecosystems in Action: Unlocking the UK’s FinTech and Payments Potential.’ Chaired by Stephen Ingledew OBE, Chairman of FinTech Scotland, this dynamic panel brought together leading voices shaping the future of UK FinTech and payments. Peter Cunnane, Director of International & Partnerships at Innovate Finance, offered a high-level view of the investment landscape, noting that while post-2022 FinTech investment has dipped, the UK remains a top global destination for funding, with new growth potential particularly in the North East.
Mark Mullen, CEO of Atom bank, stressed the importance of creating high-value employment in the region and noted that scaling successfully means investing in the right people and culture. Dr. Emma Black, Founder of Cascade, shared insights from her journey scaling a purpose-driven FinTech, calling for more empowerment, trust, and accountability across the sector.
From a regulatory perspective, Dan Moore, Head of Strategy, Analysis and Engagement at the Payment Systems Regulator, emphasised a user-first approach, reflecting on recent PSR research on consumer behaviour in payments. He reflected on the role of proportionate regulation as an enabler – not a blocker – of growth and innovation, especially in areas like open banking.
Meryl Levington, Director of Innovation and Industry Engagement at the University of Strathclyde, spoke to the importance of connected ecosystems, the commercialisation of research, and addressing gaps in access to finance. She reinforced the power of collaboration between academia, industry, and entrepreneurs in building high-growth clusters.
Throughout the conversation, themes of collaboration, consumer impact, regulatory alignment, talent development, and regional opportunity came through strongly. The panel captured the North East’s entrepreneurial spirit and made a compelling case for its ability to compete – and lead – on the global FinTech stage.
Next up was James Harbidge, Investment Partner: Financial & Professional Services, from the Department for Business and Trade, who shared insights into his role at the Office for Investment (OFI) – a government body dedicated to driving investment into the UK. James expressed a strong interest in engaging directly with FinTechs to better understand the challenges they face and explore how government support can help unlock greater investment across the sector.
Aaron Holmes, CEO, and Roger Binks, CCO of Kani, were joined on stage by Rebecca Minchella, Investment Manager at Maven Capital Partners, following Maven’s recent multi-million-pound investment into the Newcastle-based FinTech. Together, they shared valuable insights on what it takes to scale successfully. A clear niche, a strong mindset, and perseverance were recurring themes- with Aaron noting, “It’s no plain sailing. If it was, everyone would be doing this.”
Next up, Silas Ozoya, Talent Upskill Associate at FinTech North, delivered a timely update on the skills agenda. He spotlighted the Trailblazer group, which aims to help close the FinTech skills gap by equipping graduates with the tools they need to be employment-ready. Employers keen to shape the next wave of talent are encouraged to get involved by reaching out to Silas or the wider FinTech North team for opportunities to collaborate.
International Expansion & Links
Rebecca Hall, Inward Investment Manager at the North East Combined Authority, sat down with Michael Graham General Manager at Infotel UK Consulting, to explore growth opportunities in the region. Michael encouraged businesses to make full use of the support and resources available locally, stressing that there’s a strong ecosystem ready to assist those looking to expand.
Rounding off the morning, Peter Cunnane of Innovate Finance returned to the stage and was joined by Roisin Perry, FinTech Trade and Investment Manager at the Department for Business and Trade and Samantha George, Business Development Manager at Acclime for a discussion on international expansion. While North America remains a key target for FinTechs, interest in the Gulf region and APAC is rapidly growing. Their advice? Don’t go it alone – seek support, build strong local networks, and take time to understand your target markets before scaling overseas.
Data & AI
Following a vibrant lunch networking session, delegates returned for the next part of the day, covering Data & AI.
A forward-looking panel on AI and the future of financial services brought together experts Kevin Telford, Co-founder of FinPact; Karen Zhang, FinTech Lead & VC Partnerships at Google Cloud; Vicki Jordan, Policy Manager – AI, Remuneration, and Policy Profession at the Financial Conduct Authority; Vicky Adeney, Vice President – Data Strategy at Mastercard; and Lucy Batley, Owner/CDJ at Traction Industries.
The discussion explored how their organisations are harnessing AI, encouraging responsible innovation, and establishing guardrails to ensure safe deployment. Themes of vision, vigilance, velocity, and ventures underpinned the conversation – highlighting the strategic direction of AI, its accelerating pace, and the investment fuelling its growth. Vicky shared how Mastercard is using anonymised product-level data to build real-time fraud solutions and unlock personalisation, while Lucy emphasised the importance of trust, ethics, and inclusive design – noting that 1.4 million people in the UK remain unbanked. Vicki outlined the FCA’s evolving approach to regulation, including the use of sandboxes and a willingness to collaborate with firms on safe AI testing. Karen offered insights into how AI innovation must be tied to clear business outcomes, and stressed the need for a data-first mindset in developing scalable, effective solutions. The panel also discussed cross-sector collaboration, data quality, and embedding AI awareness from leadership through to early education.
We also looked abroad – Japan’s MUFG Bank is training AI using financial advice geared toward elderly and vulnerable users, while in the USA, AI literacy is being introduced into school curriculums as early as age five.
Sarat Pediredla, CEO of hedgehog lab, delivered a rapid-fire breakdown of a 100-day AI playbook for FinTechs. With 88% of AI pilots never reaching production, Sarat advised applying three filters to any AI project: value, viable data, and regulatory nuance.
Our first afternoon showcase spotlighted data and AI innovation in the North East, featuring a thought evoking presentation on AI from Dai Davis, Solicitor and Chartered Engineer Partner at Percy Crow Davis & Co and exciting offer from Dave Jennings, Strategic Accounts, AI Practice at bigspark – ree access to its synthetic data sandbox for 30 days. A fantastic opportunity for FinTech North community members to experiment with AI in a safe, flexible environment. Interested parties can contact Dave to find out more.
Purpose Driven FinTech
Following a networking break, a fireside chat on Scaling a Northern FinTech with Purpose explored Andrew Rabbitt, CEO of incuto’s funding and scaling journey with Naomi Allen Seales, Investment Manager at Northstar Ventures. Andrew shared an honest look at the challenges of scaling a FinTech, including some of the more complex aspects of navigating the investment journey – offering practical advice for firms on a similar path.
On a panel titled ‘Sustainable Finance, Scalable Tech: Aligning Profit and Planet’ expertly moderated by Katherine Keddie, Co-founder of Adopter, Michael Donnelly, Digital Marketing Strategist at Netto, Anne- Marie Soulsby, Associate at Genee and Dan Graf, CEO & Co-founder at earthchain explored how sustainability is increasingly tied to commercial opportunity. The conversation noted that nature risk – like climate exposure – should be treated with the same strategic urgency as cybersecurity or regulation.
The final showcase of the day celebrated FinTechs with a social purpose, as Michelle Jones, CSIO at Keepl Social and Olivia Toplass, Head of Product at thankyü demonstrated how they’re empowering communities, addressing local needs, and supporting frontline workers. It was a fitting close to a day that reflected both innovation and impact.
To round off the day, attendees came together for a buzzing networking social in the Brewery’s Tap Room, hosted by evening social sponsors, Google Cloud, to celebrate the valuable connections and insights made throughout the conference. It was a fitting close to a day full of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and forward-thinking conversations that showcased the strength and potential of the North East’s FinTech ecosystem.
A huge thank you to everyone who made the day such a success – our brilliant speakers and panellists, our engaged FinTech North community, and of course, our sponsors: brand sponsors, Mastercard; networking sponsors, Kani; exhibition sponsors, the North East Combined Authority; and evening social sponsors, Google Cloud.
We look forward to seeing you again at a future FinTech North event, please reach to us at info@fintechnorth.uk to explore opportunities for collaboration.
