UK FinTech Week Regional Visit 2025  

As the gateway to the South West, many large financial organisations are based in Bristol & Bath such as Aviva, Hargreaves Lansdown, Lloyds Banking Group and AXA. The West of England has emerged as a key fintech hub in the UK, attracting London-based and international firms to locate to the region.

Bristol and Bath are home to 47% of fintech firms in the South West, contributing £398.7 million to the UK economy. Some firms have come from overseas such as Pismo (Brazil), Backbase (Netherlands) and Equisoft (Canada), whereas others are London-based such as Alpha Group, Curve and Finova.

In 2023, the University of Bristol was among four universities with FinTech West to lead a first-of-its-kind £1.8 million Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)’s research programme to accelerate innovation adoption in SMEs and mid-tier financial services firms.

This year’s regional visit to Bristol, Bath and the South West offers a unique chance to explore this dynamic region and fintech collaboration opportunities.

We invite you to join us aboard the iconic SS Great Britain, the world’s first great ocean liner, to embark on your business journey with us!

Please register your interest for the visit to Bristol, Bath and the South West

 Please find the Agenda at the bottom of the webpage.

Agenda

Keynote speech – Anita Kimber

Bristol and Bath fintech ecosystem panel

Fintech showcase (Part I)

Lunch and networking

Fintech showcase (Part II)

Regional showcase projects with regional and national initiatives

Regional support presentations
 

Speakers

Anita Kimber, Transformation and Innovation Leader for scaling businesses

Dagmar Steffens, Head of Strategic Innovation and Inward Investment, Invest Bristol & Bath, West of England Combined Authority

Stuart Harrison, Director, FinTech West

Anita has forged her career in Financial Services, having worked globally across Asia Pacific, the US and Europe. Her passion has been to inject innovation into Financial Services and she has worked at the intersection of technology and regulation as a Partner in EY. Anita is proud to have played an active role in supporting the UK's growth as a global fintech leader. Since retirement from EY, Anita contributes to fintech growth through her work with FinTech West.

Dagmar is leading the West of England Combined Authority’s plans for innovation and digital, shaping the strategic approach and leading implementation at the highest senior level across the Authority and its constituent authorities in a national and international R&D context.

Stuart helped to establish ‘Bristol FinTech’, an organisation which was founded by a group of businesses operating in the city in the region. He subsequently founded FinTech West, which has become the de facto representative body for fintech in the region. Stuart is deeply involved in fintech in the West of England, liaising with the fintechs themselves, local authorities, academia and, of course, financial and professional services.