From telecoms to the media, the past few decades have seen industries transformed by disruptive technology. But financial services have, until recently, remained largely untouched.
That looks set to change, with the explosion of financial technology, or “fintech”, companies. London is at the heart of this revolution, as the global centre of financial services and a tech hub. Financial technology start-ups in the UK and Ireland raised more than $700m (£461.3m) from investors between 2008 and 2013, according to research from Accenture. That is less than fintech companies in Silicon Valley, but growth in the UK is much faster.
These companies are bringing banking to the unbanked, making it easier to transfer money abroad, or using the power of the internet to crowdfund sustainable projects. Nominet Trust last year launched its social tech guide, a list of the top 100 technology companies tackling some of the world’s biggest social problems, many of which focus on economic empowerment.
Join us on Wednesday 21 January, at 1pm GMT for a live chat with a panel of experts to discuss questions such as:
- To what extent can fintech be used for social good?
- Which will be the breakthrough apps and services?
- How far can they disrupt the traditional financial services sector?
- How can regulators adapt to encourage the growth of fintech start-ups?
- What can we learn from the experience of mobile banking companies in Africa?
Panel
- Imran Gulamhuseinwala, fintech and transactions advisory services partner, EY
- Eric Van der Kleij, head of technology accelerator Level39 in Canary Wharf
- Dan Sutch, head of development research at Nominet Trust, which is behind the Social Tech 100
- Gerald Brady, UK-based managing director at Silicon Valley Bank
- Alick Varma, founder of Osper, London-based fintech start-up teaching children to manage their money
- Lu Zurawski, solution practice lead, ACI Worldwide
- Tracey Horner, head of Lendwithcare
Get involved
Join us on Wednesday 21 January, at 1pm GMT to explore how fintech is transforming the financial services sector and tackling social problems. To submit a question in advance, fill in the form below, tweet us @GuardianSustBiz or email hannah.gould@theguardian.com.
The finance hub is sponsored by EY. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled ‘brought to you by’. Find out more here.
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