London welcomes the best of Mediterranean fintech
24 innovative fintech start-ups pitch their business ideas to a range of investors in London during a 2 day visit.
Martin Phelan, UKTI Director Iberia, introduces the UKTI Mediterranean Fintech mission at Level39
Start-ups from across Europe, including companies from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Israel and Greece, are visiting London from 25 to 26 November 2015 for a packed 2 day programme.
These companies cover emerging technologies such as:
- bockchain technology
- robo-advising
- peer-to-peer lending
During the visit they will have the chance to pitch their business to investors such as Google Ventures, Santander Innoventures and Firestartr.
Elena Williams, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of UKTI’s Financial Services Organisation (FSO), said,
We are delighted to see so many companies from across the Mediterranean region represented on this mission.
With London now the biggest global centre for fintech firms, and with over £300 million worth of investment made in London fintech in the first 6 months of this year alone, we are confident that the whole delegation will find this visit very productive.
Aim of the visit
The aim of the visit, led by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), is to:
- raise the profile of the UK fintech sector
- attract high value Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the UK
- give the attending companies the opportunity to meet important contacts in the UK fintech sector
- encourage the start-ups to consider the UK as a core part of their growth strategy
Claire Cockerton, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ENTIQ stated,
London and the UK continue to be a platform for global growth in Fintech. The business policy and financial regulatory environments here enable the right conditions for business growth. This why we continue to see companies come to the UK.
ENTIQ’s work within the London Fintech community has revolved around creating international connectivity with trade and investment hotspots across the Mediterranean, Israel, Asia and the US, as specialists in the development in Fintech innovation such as Blockchain and ecosystems such as Level 39.
We are passionate about working with challengers and incumbents alike in reforming the banking sector.
London visit
The companies will spend a day at the Canary Wharf based Technology Accelerator - Level39, in partnership with ENTIQ, – a specialist global innovation and ecosystem enabler – where they will have the chance to pitch their services to UK and international investors.
They will also have one-to-one mentoring meetings with established thought leaders in the field and engage with key sector contacts at a networking reception sponsored by Banco Santander.
The following day will see them find out more around opportunities to set up in the UK through talks held by:
- UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) sector specialists
- London and Partners
- Mazars
- Bloomberg
UK fintech sector
The UK’s Fintech sector:
- has an estimated £20 billion turnover
- employs around 44,000 people
- took the largest share of £97 billion investments in Europe with London alone securing 53% of the funding
Earlier this month, London Mayor, Boris Johnson, and Eileen Burbidge – the UK’s special Fintech envoy – visited Israel to strengthen the already close ties between countries’ 2 tech sectors.
Contacts
Contact Financial Services Organisation for more information on opportunities in the UK for fintech companies.