There are four compelling reasons to come down to the sixth AltFi London Summit at 155 Bishopsgate on 18th March. This year looks set to be another crucial 12 months for the sector that is likely to see more questions posed by regulators with investor interest in disruption also shaping up for more rapid growth.
Britain’s leading and best-loved fintech and alternative finance conference will focus on two key developments: the continued rise of alternative credit both as an asset class and key component of financing for the real economy, as well as the ongoing digitisation of the banking and investment market through Open Banking.
The full-day event will explore the opportunities and the challenges facing new players and established names looking to bring radically new products to market.
1. HEAR . . . from 65 of the brightest names in European fintech, including OakNorth chief financial officer Cristina Alba-Ochoa as she maps out how the business bank, valued at $2.8bn, became Europe’s largest fintech in less than four years. Anne Boden, chief executive and founder of one of the sector’s most admired firms, Starling Bank, will lay out what’s next for digital banking. Ed Cooper head of mobile at headline-grabbing Revolut is talking about the prospects for consumer share trading, while Zopa’s P2P chief executive Natasha Wear will explain the latest thinking in the lending market.
2. UNDERSTAND . . . the key issues as star investor Eileen Burbidge and Zopa cofounder Giles Andrews discuss whether the ‘techlash’ sparked by Facebook and Google in Silicon Valley last year will collide with fintech in 2019. Will regulators seek tighter regulations? So fintechs that have pushed for growth in recent years have the right privacy controls in place? Speakers will debate how Open Banking, ushered in across Europe this year, will revolutionise SME lending. There will also be sessions on whether fintechs make good investments, and what effect Brexit will have on the alternative lending market.
3. VOTE . . . for your favourite, as six of Europe's most-promising fintechs go head-to-head in AltFi's first Fintech Pitch-Off. The session is moderated by journalist Kitty Knowles and is presented in-partnership with The Clubhouse, London’s leading business members club. Our audience will decide who wins.
The six startups on show are:
Torca, with chief operations officer David von Dadelszen,
Coinfirm, with chief corporate development officer Pawel Tomczuk,
Penfold, with co-founder Pete Hykin,
Blend Networks, with chief strategy officer Roxana Mohammadian-Molina,
Coconut, with chief executive officer Sam O’Connor
And Goldex, with founder and chief executive Sylvia Carrasco.
4. NETWORK . . . as the day provides several opportunities to strike new partnerships. With time at the end of the event set aside for speed meetings and networking, while throughout the day a coffee break, lunch, and just walking between sessions offers the chance to tap someone on the shoulder you have always wanted to get touch with.
Speakers you might bump into include LendInvest co-founder and chief executive Christian Faes,Pollen Street Capital partner James Scott,BNP Paribas Asset Management head of SME alternative financing Stéphane Blanchoz, or Blossom Capital partner Louise Samet.
Make sure you don’t miss out, book your ticket today to Europe’s top fintech and alternative finance conference.
