NI fintech company Seopa Ltd, has announced the return of its scholarship programme for higher education students.
Belfast-based fintech company Seopa Ltd, parent company of financial comparison platform CompareNI.com, has announced the return of its scholarship programme for higher education students. The initiative has been specifically designed to help foster greater diversity in the fintech sector here in Northern Ireland.
Data from a wide range of research firms and government agencies, including the Department for Education, suggests the talent shortage is the single biggest concern for senior leaders in the financial services industry. PwC global fintech report found 42% of both financial services and Technology, Media and Telecommunications organisations are struggling to fill roles.
This scholarship aims to encourage students from outside the world of fintech to explore what it could potentially offer them as a career and enter a short blog post on what the next generation see as the future of fintech.
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Northern Ireland has been hailed as a key epicentre for growth in the fintech sector, employing 39,000 people and leading the way across over half a dozen key fintech disciplines such as trading and payments technologies, analytics and cybersecurity, Blockchain and AI.
Belfast is ranked as the world’s top destination for financial technology investment projects, with major global players attracted to its talented workforce, economical office space and supportive business environment - ranking in the top three fintech locations of the future, after London and Singapore.
CompareNI.com’s parent company, Seopa, renowned for its comparison technology, was founded by the Northern Irish entrepreneur, Greg Wilson, in 2003 and has now grown to more than 50 team members spread across two European offices.
Seopa’s approach to fostering greater diversity in its sector has been hailed by politicians, academics and business leaders across the UK.
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Commenting on the new fintech scholarship Greg Wilson, the fintech entrepreneur behind comparison site CompareNI.com, said: “Talented graduates are the lifeblood of the fintech sector and in our experience, teams that are more diverse tend to perform better and create more sustainable growth for the business.”
Mr. Wilson also added: “The financial sector is being reinvented and we need aspiring students to think outside the box and drive innovation forward. The list of contributions made to fintech by those with non-traditional backgrounds is extensive and the main driver behind the disruptive nature of fintech which has been so pivotal in embracing change.”
The successful candidates of the scholarship will receive a £1000 bursary which can be used to cover part of the cost of their studies, course materials or any other living expenses. Each of the UK's four regions will have their own individual winner.
The deadline to apply for CompareNI.com’s Fintech Scholarship is 31st December 2021, full details of how to apply are available here: Fintech Scholarship.
Source: Written from press release.
