The first ever Northern Ireland FinTech Symposium has convened in Belfast to celebrate an industry that contributes £392 million in GVA to the local economy.
The two-day event hosted by FinTech NI, the independent voice of fintech in Northern Ireland, brought together fintech leaders from across the UK with the chief executives, funding organisations, educational institutions and professional services that support the fintech ecosystem in Northern Ireland.
The symposium brought together over 70 delegates to examine how the sector is heading towards the creation of thousands more jobs and the attraction of over £25 million in Foreign Direct Investment to Northern Ireland.
Addressing a pre-event reception of technologists and business leaders on Tuesday, Northern Ireland Economy Minister Gordon Lyons MLA said the region is building a “global reputation in fintech”, underpinned by a highly skilled and adaptable workforce and “business friendly culture with innovation and collaboration at its core.”
RELATED: UK FinTech leaders to unite in Belfast for first ever Northern Ireland FinTech Symposium
Speaking after the event, the Minister also added: “The world might be changing rapidly, but we can always rely on the vibrant business community in Northern Ireland to continue innovating and positioning our region as one of the world’s elite small economies. Nowhere is this clearer than in fintech, a sector that has grown significantly in recent years to become a key priority area. It is sectors like fintech that are at the heart of our economic vision, the 10x Economy, and have the potential to be a window of opportunity for Northern Ireland.”
The summit featured sessions with fintech leaders in Northern Ireland, Scotland, the North of England and the West Midlands. It also heard from Innovate Finance, the industry body for fintech in the UK, and explored the areas that will strengthen the local sector, including progressing the local investment landscape and safeguarding the skills and talent pipeline.
A panel discussion of local business leaders also took place, featuring contributions from Head of Ventures at Deloitte Roisin Finnegan, Co-Founder of ESTHER Carol Rossborough, Professor in Financial Technology at Ulster University Daniel Broby and Finance Partner at A&L Goodbody Chris Jessup.
RELATED: FinTech and Further Education leaders unite to inspire post-pandemic workforce
Speaking about the event, Andrew Jenkins, Chair of FinTech NI and HMT FinTech Envoy for Northern Ireland said: "This was an opportunity to unite the sector, celebrate our achievements and showcase our potential both locally and to the rest of the UK. We are thrilled to have been joined by fintech leaders from regional hubs around the UK, as well as representatives from our ecosystem of start-up fintechs and established financial services institutions here. FinTech NI exists to promote the region as a leading global fintech hub, and today’s event will be the first of many as we seek to implement our three-year strategy and take the fintech sector to the next level.”
Chris Jessup, Finance Partner at A&L Goodbody also added: “The fintech sector has grown considerably in the last five years, and there is no doubt it is on course for further expansion and development. Though this success is beneficial right across the wider business landscape, it is also the same issues of skills, access to finance and business infrastructure that impact us all. That is why it is important the sector comes together, particularly with leaders from across the UK to collaborate and share.”
The Northern Ireland FinTech Symposium 2022 was supported by A&L Goodbody, Invest NI, Deloitte and Fintech Nexus.
Source: Written from press release.
