FinTech Wales

Welcome to FinTech Wales membership, iVendi! ✨🚗 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 We’re thrilled to announce that iVendi, a market leader in connected motor retail technology, has joined the FinTech Wales community! 🎉 iVendi creates innovative digital products that make it easier for customers to buy vehicles and for dealers to sell them—whether online or in showrooms. With technology that reaches five million consumers every month and is trusted by thousands of retailers, manufacturers, and finance providers, iVendi is truly driving innovation in the automotive finance sector. By joining FinTech Wales, iVendi gains access to a network of like-minded innovators, opportunities for collaboration, and fresh insights to help shape the future of financial technology. Learn More - https://lnkd.in/gFEe2Zdf #FinTechWales #NewMember #AutomotiveFinance #Innovation #ConnectedTechnology Daniel Glenn

🚀 We are thrilled to announce that the Fintech in Wales Annual Report 2023/24 is now live! Published annually since 2021, the report provides an in-depth overview of the fintech sector in Wales. In particular, looking at investment, skills, industry trends and the growth of the ecosystem, as well as making recommendations for the future. 🔗 Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/e65qdp2W  Here are some of the key highlights from the report: 📈 Investment Growth: Welsh fintech investment rose from £13 million in 2022 to £70 million in 2023. 🌎 Global Trends Reflected: While larger deals remain rare globally post-pandemic, seed and early-stage deals in Wales have shown a slight recovery. 👭 Employment Growth: The financial and professional services sector in Wales grew from 64,000 to 73,000 employees in the past year, with fintech employment specifically increasing by 15% since 2021 to reach around 13,000. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Insurance Hub: Cardiff remains the UK’s second-largest insurance cluster after London, with employment in the sector increasing from 6,000 in 2022 to 8,550 in 2023. 💷 Economic Impact: The fintech industry contributes approximately £1.6 billion in GVA to Wales. 🤝 Scaling Through Partnerships: Acquisitions and collaborations continue to drive growth, enabling Welsh fintechs to innovate, scale, and expand into new markets. ❤️ We would like to thank the following FinTech Wales partners, members and supporters for contributing their thoughts and insights to this year’s report: Sarah Williams-Gardener, Sarah Kocianski, Lucy Cohen, Sophie Hughes, kellie beirne, Anthony Hunt, Charlotte Richards, Mark Brereton, Carl Sizer, Kate Davey, Ian Heard-Jones, IBRAHIM MUHAMMED (CAMS) (PCIP), James S., Rowena O., Dominic Chalmers, Ammar Akhtar, Toby Kernon, Radharamanan Hariharan, James Fell, Rob Saunders Glenn Thomas, Stephen Ashworth, Nigel Lombard, Clare Barclay, Jane Mudd Timothy Barnett, Shaun Middleton, Rebecca Evans - Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning - Welsh Gov, Jo Stevens of State for Wales, UK Gov , Ikki Morris, Daniel Hughes, Colin Arnold, Edoka Idoko Finally, we would like to thank the team at Karolo Design who supported the design of the report this year.

We look forward to working together to create more opportunities for fintechs in Utah and Wales!

Welsh Government Unveils Draft Budget 2025-26 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The Welsh Government has revealed its £26 billion Draft Budget for 2025-26, with a £1.5 billion boost for public services and a strong focus on economic growth, infrastructure, and business support. Key highlights include: ✅ £600M+ for health and social care. ✅ £335M in business rate support, including a 1% cap on the rates multiplier. ✅ £181.6M to transform rail services, including the South Wales Metro. ✅ Investments in housing, education, planning reforms, and green initiatives. With these measures, the government aims to rebuild and reinvigorate Wales for a brighter future. 🔗 Read the full story here - https://lnkd.in/eyj37sdq #WalesBudget #EconomicGrowth #Infrastructure #FintechWales #BusinessSupport

Unrwap 139 Different Ways to Join Welsh Fintech This December 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🎁 🎄 Looking for a new fintech role this festive season? We’ve got you covered with 139 live job openings from leading companies across the Welsh fintech ecosystem, including: 👉 Admiral Group Plc 👉 Confused.com 👉 Creditsafe 👉 Finalrentals 👉 Go.Compare 👉 Hodge 👉 LDMS 👉 Mazuma Accountants 👉 Monmouthshire Building Society 👉 PwC 👉 Principality Building Society 👉 Starling Bank 👉 Zero | Certified B-Corp™ 👉 Veeqo Whether you’re a data scientist, software engineer, marketing pro, or just starting your career journey, there’s something for everyone. 🌟 Explore the full list of roles and start your journey in Welsh fintech today! 🔗 - https://lnkd.in/e_nGKBFB #FintechWales #WelshJobs #FintechCareers #JoinUs #NowHiring

Great collaboration between our members yesterday, playing a part in the development of future talent. This time, QRLA and Finalrentals set business challenges for Cardiff and Vale College international students to solve. The cohort from #Indonesia was brilliantly creative in the ways they approached the problems. They certainly gave Ammar Akhtar and Ewan Deeley, plenty to think about. Thank you, Alun Rees and Leanne Waring, for the opportunity to be involved.

The The Open University Launches Elevate Mentoring Programme: Volunteers Needed! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The Open University, is launching the Elevate Mentoring Programme for 2025 to support students from under-represented groups in achieving their career goals. 🔹 Elevate Career Mentoring: Four meetings over four months to guide a student on their professional journey. 🔹 Elevate Career Insights: A flexible, one-off meeting to share your expertise. 💡 As a volunteer, you’ll inspire, motivate, and make a lasting impact. Full training provided! 👉 The Open University is looking for 80 volunteers. Ready to get involved? Express your interest by 18th December 2024: https://lnkd.in/eA-Qy3U2 #FintechWales #MentoringMatters #CareerDevelopment #GivingBack

✨ Wrapping up 2024 with the final event of the year! Yesterday, we hosted our panel event: Strengthening Fraud Prevention for Fintechs, featuring panelists: Sarah Kocianski, CEO, FinTech Wales Tony Neate, CEO, GET SAFE ONLINE, Kate Lloyd, Cyber Security Advisor, Tarian Ross Williams, Senior Behavioural Intelligence Manager, Future (Go.Compare) Nigel Bridges, CEO, Veracity Trust Network. A huge thank you to Future Finance and HSBC UK for supporting the event, and to our incredible panellists for sharing their expertise and insights on vital topics, including: 🔍 Emerging threats in the fintech sector and how to stay ahead. 🤖 How cutting-edge tools like AI and machine learning are revolutionising fraud prevention. ⚖️ The unintended impact of fraud prevention measures on underserved communities. 🤝 The value of collaboration across the fintech ecosystem to combat fraud. 📚 Empowering customers to spot and avoid scams with confidence. Sign up to our event newsletter:  https://lnkd.in/efxzaEgp #FinTechWales #FraudPrevention #FinTechCommunity #AI #Collaboration

A brilliant opportunity to make an impact on talented students from The Open University in Wales in 2025. Sign up before the 18th December to be involved. #futuretalent #mentoring #professionaldevelopment

Principality Building Society Appoints Maria Timon Samra to its Board as Non-Executive Director 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Principality has announced the appointment of Maria Timon Samra as a Non-Executive Director. With over 30 years’ experience across the private, public, and third sectors, Maria brings extensive expertise in governance, strategic transformation, and cultural change. Previously the CEO of Tŷ Hafan, Maria successfully led one of Wales’s leading children’s hospice charities through the pandemic, ensuring vital care for families in need. Her experience will strengthen Principality’s Board as it continues to deliver for its Members and communities. 📖 Read more about this announcement here: https://lnkd.in/ezJE8sYp #Leadership #CorporateGovernance #WelshFintech #FintechWales