Northern FinTech Summit 2025

October 1st, 10:30am
The Courtyard, Guildhall

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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 namebadge sponsors, Incuto, and our inward investment partners, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Invest Liverpool City Region, North East Combined Authority and MIDAS – Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency.

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, including 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.

We’re looking forward to seeing you in York to celebrate the entire North’s FinTech ecosystem – for questions about the event, please reach out to us at info@fintechnorth.uk.

AGENDA:

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-11:25am: FinTech in the North – opportunities for growth

Delivered by Julian Wells, Director, Whitecap Consulting

11:25am-12:10pm: What’s Next for UK FinTech?

Anna Chandler, Fractional Marketing Leader & Growth Advisor

Liam Spence, Senior Vice President – Franchise Innovation, Mastercard

Amul Batra, Co-Founder, North Coders

Chris Tanoh, Senior Associate – Financial Services Regulation, Squire Patton Boggs

Angela Hesketh, Head of Market Development UK, PEXA

Moderator: Julian Wells, Director, Whitecap Consulting

12:15pm-12:30pm: Comfort & Coffee break

12:35pm-13:15pm: The Power of Partnerships: Co-Creating the Next Generation of FinTech

James Brown, CEO, Leeds Credit Union

Amy Morgan, University Innovation Manager, Barclays Innovation Banking

Chris Barnett, Managing Consultant, Risk & Regulation, RSM

Moderator: Rebecca Hall, Inward Investment Manager, The North East Combined Authority

13:20pm-14:10pm: 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

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

Moderator: Samantha Turner, Head of People, Lenvi

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-16:25pm: Culture, Collaboration, Community: What’s Next for People in FinTech

Delivered by Bianca Spruit, Leadership Coach & Trainer, Sprout Coaching

16:30pm-16:35: Closing remarks

 

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

Valhalla

4 Patrick Pool

York

YO1 8BB

 

DAY 2: MONEY AND TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCT

10:00am-10:30am:  Breakfast, 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: Keynote – Money Theme

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-11:40am: Funding a FinTech – Preparing for Investors

Ant Barker, Director of Venture Capital, Aviva

Ben Davies, Marketing Director, Praetura Ventures

Johnnie Martin, Investor, Augmentum Fintech

Moderator: Joshita Ganesan, Associate – Fintechs Membership, Client Management & Growth, Innovate Finance

Moderator: Joshita Ganesan, Associate – Fintechs Membership, Client Management & Growth, Innovate Finance

11:40am-11:55am: From Sheffield to Scale-Up: Northern FinTech Investment Success

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

11:50 am-12:15pm: Planning the Path to Exit

Gary Fenemore, Director, S&W

Richard Carter, CEO, Lenvi

12:15pm-12:25pm The Future of Money

Sofie Churchill, Enterprise Key Account Manager, Marqeta

12:30pm-1:20pm: Lunch

1:25pm-1:40pm: Market trends & inspiring innovation

Delivered by Colin Payne, Head of Innovation, FCA

1:40pm-1:55pm: Cyber Security Maturity Roadmap

Delivered by Cyber Alchemy

1:55-2:10: FinTech Calling: easology’s Journey North

Sateesh Ramoutar, CCO, easology

Dr Peter Ashall, CEO, easology

Moderator: Jenny Halford, Sector Development (FinTech & Digital) Business Durham

2:10pm-2:40pm Tech & Product Showcase

Charles Knight, Head of Sales – UK, SideUp

Suz Ferreira, Founder, Proper Financial Coaching

Andrew Rabbitt, CEO and co-founder, Incuto

Moderator: Rachel Swann, Founder, Rachel Swann Advisory Ltd

2:40pm-3:25: 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

Moderator: Georgina Mitchell, UK Fund Board iNED, Orbis Investments

3:25pm- 3:30: Closing remarks & event to close

 

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.