Northern Powerhouse Virtual FinTech Mission Programme

Northern Powerhouse Virtual FinTech Mission to Canada

MISSION CLOSED - RECORDINGS AVAILABLE

The Department for International Trade (DIT) invites businesses from across the Northern Powerhouse (NPH) region to join a virtual mission to explore the opportunities for FinTechs in Canada.

The mission is ideal for businesses working in any area of the FinTech sector (including LegalTech and InsurTech). We also welcome companies from across the Financial and Professional Services sector who want to gain an understanding of the Canadian market.

Following on from our successful introductory event, we are continuing our programme of activity over the next three months offering insights into opportunities for Northern FinTechs, events to help you prepare to pitch your technology and one-to-one meetings.

We are delighted to be collaborating with FinTech North, DIT Canada, the Canada-UK Chamber of Commerce, the High Commission in Canada and the Ontario Trade and Investment Office to deliver this mission. 

The Northern Powerhouse FinTech Mission to Canada

Mission closed

We are pleased to share our full mission programme, designed to help companies in the Northern Powerhouse access the wealth of opportunities in Canada, gain introductions to potential clients and partners and gain up-to-date knowledge on key issues relating to international growth in FinTech. This is an exciting mission for companies from the industry wishing to expand their business into an important international market and be part of a key FinTech ecosystem.

Why you should join

• Meet with interested potential clients/customers and pitch your solutions in one-to-one meetings and roundtables with key players in the Canadian FinTech ecosystem
• Receive tailored guidance on delivering an effective pitch to potential Canadian clients
• Hear fresh insights from expert speakers on current issues in the FinTech landscape
• Gain cost-effective, risk-free insights into a key trading market
• Receive support from DIT UK/Canada and partners
• Find out about funding options for your business
• Be invited to join a dedicated mission LinkedIn group for sharing insights and networking with other FinTech companies

Mission Events

The virtual trade mission will give your business the opportunity to explore the Canadian marketplace and look at the possibilities. Delegates will receive support in advance of and after the mission from both DIT UK and Canada.

The trade mission is open to businesses from the Northern Powerhouse region working in the FinTech sector and we welcome multiple delegates from each company. To be eligible for the mission, delegates must be from small or medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 250 employees which do not exceed €50 million in annual turnover.

These events would usually be chargeable, but we are pleased to offer the entire programme for free to eligible companies. This covers the Pitching Workshop, One-to-one/Pitching Roundtables Series, Closing/Networking Session, the two FinTech North events and access to the dedicated LinkedIn group.

Join us for this great trade mission to explore the demand for your solutions in this key FinTech market, gain up-to-date industry knowledge and get in front of potential clients and decision makers.

Past Events

Pitching Workshop - Canada

Click here to view the recording

This event, delivered in conjunction with the Canada-United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce, is designed to prepare UK FinTechs for pitching their solutions to potential Canadian clients. 

Agenda

• Introductions and welcome: Colin Russell, Northern Powerhouse Sector Specialist – Financial and Professional Services, DIT, and Tom Taylor, Trade & Investment Officer, DIT Toronto
• Keynote: Jeff Kelisky, CEO, Seedrs
• MC: Peter Walker, Chamber VP & Co-Chair FS Forum & TD Securities
• Expert Panel:
  • Lily Shaw, Associate, OMERS Ventures
  • Robin Green, Digital Markets Initiatives, CIBC Capital Markets
  • Dan Bosman, VP & MD, TDS Cross Asset Platform, Data & Innovation, TD Securities

The Technological Revolution in Financial Services: How banks, FinTechs, and customers win together

This event has passed

Canada-United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce invites businesses to join a FinTech-focused webinar with Richard Nesbitt, Chair of The Inclusion Initiative Advisory Board at the LSE, former CEO, Global Risk Institute, COO of CIBC and CEO of TSX, and alumni of Rotman School of Management as we discuss global transformations in financial services with Richard and a panel of experts from TMX Group and CIBC.

Businesses working with DIT from across the NPH region have the opportunity to attend free of charge. Please get in touch at yorkshireevents@mobile.trade.gov.uk for further details.

Pre-mission event: Understanding the Canadian Market

Click here to view the recording

This introductory webinar will provide an overview of the market and give you an understanding of the opportunities and challenges of doing business in Canada. The event includes:

• Overview of the Canadian FinTech landscape
• Opening remarks from Jennifer Young, Consul-General and Deputy HM Trade Commissioner
• Up-to-date information on the Canadian regulatory environment
• Specialist insight into the local start-up ecosystem
• Expert in-market speakers
• Q&A session 

Speakers

• Jennifer Reynolds, President and CEO, Toronto Finance International
• Pat Forgione, Partner, McMillan
• Petia Tchouk, Director, Health and Fintech Ecosystem Development, MaRS
• Jennifer Young, Consul-General and Deputy HM Trade Commissioner

Why Canada?

The Canadian FinTech ecosystem is centred within Toronto and the Toronto-Kitchener-Waterloo Corridor, home to the second largest financial centre, second largest technology cluster and second fastest growing fintech hub in North America. The sector is also active in Montreal and Vancouver. As of 2019 there were 1,000 FinTech start-ups across the country, in segments including payments, AI and blockchain.

FinTech is a fast growing sector within Canada, with adoption rate among consumers rising from 8% to over 50% since 2015, putting Canada ahead of the US, France and Japan in consumer adoption. While still below the global average, this rapid increase indicates a growing opportunity for UK FinTechs to export to and invest in the Canadian market.

Canada’s largest banks, known as the “Big Five” (BMO, Scotiabank, RBC, CIBC, and TD), are supporting the growth of the ecosystem and increasingly finance and partner with FinTech companies, providing access to capital and an established client base to help scale operations. For example: 

• BMO and TD extending data sharing agreements and partnerships with FinTechs in the area of consumer-directed finance, laying the groundwork for open banking related products and services.
• Scotia Bank, TD and BMO announcing various partnerships and licensing agreements with FinTechs providing AI solutions. 
• Acting as incubators and accelerators, partnering with FinTechs to help stimulate new ideas and help bring innovations to market more rapidly.  

Canada is home to 29 domestic banks in total, known as “Schedule I”, as well as 20+ foreign subsidiaries, or “Schedule II”, and over 200 credit unions.  These all represent various opportunities to partner with FinTech providers. 
 

Conditions

On registering for this event, we will be collecting personal information as part of our registration process. This information will be processed and shared within the Department for International Trade (DIT) and with selected third parties for purposed connected with DIT performing a task in the public interest or to fulfil an official function and the task or function has a clear basis in law. DIT takes your privacy very seriously. Your personal data shall be processed according to the Department for International Trade's Fair Processing Notice.

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