To establish strong links, one must use the strongest materials.

Technological evolution has been a testament to our desire to build strong links and foundation.

Through these solid links not only can we travel, but we can connect with people with a shared vision, interest, and values. Lakes, canyons, and rivers that were once dividing brotherly people into estranged islands are now united by a bridge. Far from just infrastructure, these bridges are a rope of friendship.

But what do these bridges look like today? In a world where everything is connected through waves and satellites, we still need human connection, entrepreneurs networking and business cooperation.

It is for this reason that Innovate UK AI for Services in partnership with Scale X, is hosting an exclusive Fintech Matchmaking event on Friday 14 June as part of London Tech Week, to facilitate connections between leading financial institutions, service providers, banks, asset managers, and talented digital innovators, offering them opportunities to engage and explore collaboration opportunities.

Partners in Cash

This year’s Fintech Matchmaking opportunity is a chance to meet some of the largest financial corporations in a morning of facilitated speed networking. While fintech startups can move fast to deliver innovative solutions, established financial institutions have extensive experience to respond to evolving regulation and to develop complex infrastructure. Through collaboration, they can help each other succeed.

Now home to 3,200 fintech firms, the UK is Europe’s largest fintech ecosystem. A significant barrier for fintech startups and SMEs in partnering with major financial institutions has been the initial contact barrier; identifying the right person within a large organisation to engage with, present their solutions, and receive prompt feedback.

In partnership with Scale X, Innovate UK AI for Services will host this event to solve this challenge.

This session will offer innovative tech start-ups the opportunity to meet leading financial institutions to help them solve R&D challenges.

The event will take place from 9:30 – 12:30 on Friday 14 June at Level 39 in London. Up to 20 of the most innovative companies who submit applications will be invited to meet with established financial institutions for a morning of facilitated networking.

Plethora of Powerful Partners

  • HSBC is continually looking at new technology to support more of our business customers to trade internationally, it is a core pillar of our strategy and ingrained in our history. As a leading International Bank, we are interested in exploring how we could use data sources to be proactive and identify early characteristics of businesses that will trade internationally. This data could enable HSBC to provide personalised insights and products to support our customers on their journey. Furthermore, exploring how HSBC can help our business customers to leverage HSBC’s extensive global network, connecting clients within sectors, supply chains and different geographies.
  • Deutsche Bank is a global financial service provider, including investment banking and global markets solutions. The bank seeks novel AI /Machine Learning tools that can be used on large datasets such as business performance and trade data. They are particularly interested in solutions that can forecast individual customer behaviour and new ways of unlocking untapped data that could improve performance measurement for better customer outcomes.
  • BNP Paribas CIB is the corporate and institutional banking arm of the BNP Paribas Group. In today’s fast changing world, adapting and integrating new technologies is a priority for our organisation and for our clients. We are looking for efficient AI-based solutions that could help us improve our processes and workflows, and further strengthen our operational resilience and risk management. Are you one of them?
  • Deloitte UK is a leading professional services firm – one of the largest in the UK and part of a global network spanning 150 countries and territories. The attending Ventures team have a focus on emerging technologies which can bolster our existing client propositions or allows us to create entirely new ones. A particular focus is the role of Generative AI in bringing new ways of working for our financial services clients.
  • Lloyds Banking Group wants to be the best bank for FinTechs and InsurTechs to partner with and the best bank for customers now and in the future. Their Launch Innovation Programme 2024 focussed on five strategic business challenges: helping customers through their life moments and with their everyday lives, optimising customer experience across channels, leveraging technology to enhance internal risk controls and increasing customer understanding of their finances through gamification. For this event, they are particularly interested in novel complementary/ecosystem financial products (e.g. Home, Travel, Health) and innovative solutions for the ‘Future You’ – helping customers making the best financial decisions for their family now and in the future.
  • London Stock Exchange – The London Stock Exchange is committed to helping businesses access the right capital at all stages of growth and is building innovative funding solutions in private markets. Their partnership with Floww, a global end-to-end private markets platform, facilitates flexible, seamless access to private capital and helps to streamline fundraising.  To provide additional choice to their clients, LSEG are currently developing a new market with a bespoke regulatory framework that offers private companies access to periodic liquidity. This additional liquidity could support a range of private businesses access public market liquidity infrastructure for their shareholders while remaining private – helping to develop a vibrant ecosystem and capital markets. LSEG is interested in discussing these offering with startups and private businesses at all stages of their growth.
  • Citi – The Citi Innovation Labs explores, evaluates, and delivers cutting-edge technologies, pioneering business concepts and creative solutions, that transform Citi’s business, making Citi more competitive,  innovative, and maximising the company’s value to our clients. With a focus on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), the Citi Innovation Labs is continually looking for solutions that will reduce time-to-market, minimise costs and enable cautious and controlled use of the most advanced GenAI technologies.
  • JP Morgan – challenge coming soon.

How to get involved

If you are a startup or SME interested in attending please submit your contact details here

An application form will be sent to your email address. Before submitting your application, please read carefully the above partner’s challenge statements and ensure you answer the questions in full. Applicants will be selected based on their level of innovation and ability to solve the partners’ challenges.

The deadline for submitting your application is Wednesday 29th May - apply now.