Northern FinTech Summit 2026

October 21st, 10:00am
York Guildhall

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We’re delighted to announce our return to York for the third annual Northern FinTech Summit, hosted in partnership with Aviva, Barclays Eagle Labs and CubeMatch, with support from the North’s inward investment agencies and exhibition sponsors Layers Studio.

Now firmly established as a highlight of the FinTech North calendar, the Summit is our flagship two-day gathering that brings the whole of the North’s fintech ecosystem into one room. Over two days, we’ll hear from the founders, leaders, investors, corporates, and policymakers driving the region forward, across four themes that between them capture where the sector stands today and where it’s heading next.

The Themes

Day One

– Market – What’s really shaping the sector right now: the international picture, the macroeconomic backdrop, and how firms across the North are responding to a fast-moving landscape.

– People – Teams, culture, inclusion and diversity, and the leadership that turns talent into growth. If fintech has a competitive edge, it starts with the people building it.

Day Two

– Money – The funding and investment landscape, and a look at where money is heading next — from how it’s raised to how it moves.

– Tech & Product – The innovation at the heart of fintech itself, including a Summit favourite returning once again: the Startup Showcase.

The Venue: The Guildhall, York

We’re returning to the Guildhall, one of York’s most storied buildings and a fitting home for a Summit built on collaboration. Sitting on the banks of the Ouse in the heart of the city, the Guildhall has served as a meeting place for York’s merchants and civic leaders for over 600 years. Today it’s been reborn as a University of York building and home to Barclays Eagle Labs – a space where centuries of civic collaboration now sit alongside academia, innovation, and enterprise support. Few venues so naturally embody what the Summit is about: bringing an ecosystem together under one roof.

The Social: Lendal Cellars

As night falls on Day One, we’ll head to Lendal Cellars for our evening social – the very event that first inspired us to build a social into every FinTech North conference. The connections built on the night are as key to the Summit as anything on the agenda, and Lendal Cellars, tucked into the city’s historic vaults, right next door to the Guildhall, is the perfect setting for it.

Why Attend

The Summit draws a senior audience from across the sector – founders, C-suite leaders, investors, and policymakers shaping fintech across the North. The Guildhall’s setting naturally shapes who’s in the room, so every conversation carries weight. This is a gathering for people who want to meet the leaders defining the region’s fintech future.

AGENDA 

**This agenda is under construction and is subject to change**

Day 1:

MARKET SESSION

10:00-11:00: Arrival & Registration

11:00-11:10: Welcome from FinTech North

Delivered by Joe Roche, General Manager, FinTech North

11:10-11:20: Welcome from Barclays Eagle Labs

Delivered by Chris Lunardi, Ecosystem Manager, Barclays Eagle Labs

11:20-11:30: The Chris Sier Keynote

Delivered by Colin Payne, Head of Innovation, FCA

11:30-12:15: The Market in Motion: Political Change, Regional Growth and the Forces Reshaping UK Fintech

– Moderator: Stephen Ingledew OBE, Chairman, FinTech Scotland & Senior Independent Non-Executive Director, CFIT
– Andy Thornley, Head of Regulatory Policy, Innovate Finance
– John Huddleston, Senior Manager, UK Growth and Investments, Group Public Affairs, Aviva
– Jackie Kingham, Director, Business Transformation, Raisin

          – Chelsea Boothroyd, Nexus Engagement Manager, University of Leeds

12:15-12:30: How Technology, Regulation and Smart Data are reshaping homebuying in the UK

Delivered by Angela Hesketh, Head of Government & Public Affairs, PEXA

12:30-13:00: Staying Ahead of Fraud in a Faster, Smarter Financial System: a fireside chat

– Chris Anderson, Managing Partner, Financial Crime Solutions Practice, CubeMatch

– Naheed Akram, Founder, Karakor Consultancy

-Moderated by Rebecca Hall, Team Manager – Inward Investment and Sector Development,           Business Durham

13:05-13:55: Lunch & Networking

PEOPLE SESSION

14:00-14:10: Built in the North East: Growing the Next Generation of AI Talent

Delivered by Steve Kevan, CEO & Co-Founder, FinPact

14:10-14:55: Keeping Pace: Fintech Talent and Skills in the Age of AI

– Moderator: Rhys Griffiths, Relationship Manager, FinTech Wales

– Crispin Read, CEO, The Coders Guild

– Dr Ashleigh McLellan, Founder, Anumi

– Macs Dickinson, Director of Engineering, LHV Bank

14:55-15:10: Regulation as a Force for Good

Delivered by Hannah Morrison, Founder, Clear Creator

15:15-15:35: Break

15:40-15:55: The Missing Data: Why Fair Access Depends on the People in the Room, Not Just the Policy

 Delivered by James Brown, CEO, Leeds Credit Union

15:55-16:40: Can Culture Scale as Fast as Growth?

– Samantha Turner, CPO, Lenvi

– Suzanne Lawson, Partnerships Manager, Group Innovation,

             Aviva

– Natalie Garner, Transformation Programme Lead, DXC

– Moderator: Bianca Spruit, Founder, Sprout Coaching

– Anna Chandler, Consultancy & Fractional Leadership, Anna Chandler

16:40: Closing remarks

16:40-19:40: Evening FinTech Social

Lendal Cellars
26 Lendal
York
YO1 8AA

Day 2

10:00-10:45: Arrival & Registration

10:45-10:55: Welcome from FinTech North

Delivered by Joe Roche, General Manager, FinTech North

MONEY SESSION

10:55-11:05: The State of UK Fintech Funding 2026

Delivered by Joshita Ganesan, Membership Manager & Investment Lead, Innovate Finance

11:05-11:30:  Show Me the Money: What It Actually Takes to Get Funded in 2026

– Ant Barker, Director of Venture Capital, Aviva

– Moderated by Angela Yore, Founder & CEO, SkyParlour

11:30-11:40: Retail Payments in Real Time: What’s Actually Changing for Consumers and Merchants

Speakers tbc

11:40-12:10: Tokenisation, Unpacked: What’s Actually Changing in How Money Moves: A fireside chat

– Frances Edwards, COO, Avantgarde

– Daire Lawlor, Advisor, CubeMatch

– Moderated by: Chris Hemsley, Director, S&W

12:15-13:05: Lunch & Networking

TECH & PRODUCT SESSION

13:10-13:30: The Agentic Shift: AI as Co-Builder, Not Just a Feature

Delivered by Edward Marshall, CTO, Enablis

13:30-13:55: Building an Agentic FinTech

Delivered by Anthony Pengleton, AI Practice Lead, Softwire & Rags Sathanandan, Co-Founder, platform3

13:55-14:05: AI ready? Prove it. If you can’t find your data, you can’t trust your AI. Neither can your regulator.

Delivered by Richard Handley, Director – Data & AI, Red Badger

14:05:14:20: The Future of UX: Designing Financial Products People Understand and Trust

Delivered by James Hanson, MD Layers Studio

14:25-14:30: Comfort break

14:35-14:55: Tech Innovation Supercharging Financial Inclusion

– Helene Panzarino, Chief Ecosystem, Director, Money Carer

– Jo Yates, Product Manager, Money Carer

14:55-15:45: Northern FinTech Showcase

– Paul Hands, CTO, Ark51
-Suz Ferreira, Founder, Suz Finance

– Freddie Gjertsen, Co-Founder & CEO, Prompted

          – Angela Jayne Walton, Co-founder & CEO, alvovi

– Hawa Kandeh, Founder & MD, AI TechTouch

– Simon Catley, Co-founder Canongate AI

            -Josh Ojo, Founder, Ndewo

– Moderated by Rachel England, Events & Project Manager, FinTech North

15:45-15:50: Closing remarks

15:50: Event to close

 

Want to get involved as a speaker or sponsor?

We’re looking for fintech voices and leaders from across the North to help shape this year’s agenda. If you’d like to speak or explore brand and sponsorship opportunities, we’d love to hear from you.

For more information, or to discuss speaking, sponsorship, or collaboration opportunities, get in touch at info@fintechnorth.uk.