Neyber co-founder Ezechi Britton to lead new City of London-backed fintech unit

A key component of the Kalifa Review's findings was a plan to establish the Centre for Finance, Innovation, and Technology. now it has it's first CEO.

Ezechi Britton, a co-founder of financial well-being fintech Neyber, has been appointed as the first CEO of the new City of London-backed Centre for Finance, Innovation, and Technology.

CFIT has been on the hunt for someone to lead the new fintech unit for a number of months, according to a job advert seen by AltFi, which is being brought into life as part of the independent review of UK fintech announced in early 2020 and chaired by Sir Ron Kalifa. 

The results of the review were published one year later in 2021 but seed funding for CFIT was only announced towards the end of 2021. 

Charlotte Crosswell, the former CEO of Innovate Finance is CFIT’s first chair.  The organisation will also have a ‘steering committee’ which will be chaired by Kalifa.

“I am honoured to take on the position of the first CEO of  CFIT and to have the opportunity to make the UK the undisputed leader in Fintech globally. I look forward to working with the financial services, fintech and technology sectors across the UK to drive fintech growth, attract diverse talent into the fintech sector, and ensure better outcomes for consumers and SMEs,” said Britton 

“The UK is in a unique position with some of the strongest finance technologists in the world and we have an extraordinary opportunity to support this exciting sector and to capitalise on the forward-thinking approach taken by our regulators, government and industry to ensure that its transformative impact is felt by all,” he added.

HM Treasury will pay £5m of seed funding to set up CFIT with the City of London Corporation also contributing £500,000 but it is planned for the organisation to be a self-financed private sector-led body after its initial phase.