Wales FinTech Festival 2026

Join fintech leaders, founders, innovators, investors, partners and guests for a full day of insight, networking, showcases and entertainment.

📍 Swansea Building Society Arena
📅 Wednesday 3 June 2026

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Agenda

9:30am – Arrival, Tea & Coffee

Networking with exhibitors and fellow attendees.

10:30am – Welcome

Opening remarks from FinTech Wales, Welsh Government and Vodafone.

11:00am – Fireside Chat: Nigel Morris & Justin Basini

Speakers:
Nigel Morris, Managing Partner, QED Investors
Justin Basini, Founder & CEO, ClearScore

Hosted by: Sarah Williams-Gardener OBE

12:00pm – Fireside Chat: Anne Boden

Speaker:
Anne Boden, Founder, Starling Bank

Hosted by: Sarah Williams-Gardener OBE

12:30pm – Lunch & Networking

Lunch and networking for all attendees.

12:30pm – Innovate Finance Pitch 360 at Investor Lounge (Invite Only)

Six fintech founders pitch live to a panel of investors, founders and industry leaders.

Host:
Peter Cunnane, Director of International & Partnerships, Innovate Finance

Finalists:
Hope Macy
Finproxy
Pendra
Verinity
Chest

Judges:
Henry Engelhardt, Entrepreneur and Founder, Admiral Group
Kevin Smith, Entrepreneur and Founder, Venture Comet
Yan Manka, Mastercard
Siwan Rees, Accelerator Community Manager, NatWest
Rachel Hillier, Partner, Capital Law
Jerry Main, Tax Advisor, Philip Hare & Associates

1:30pm – Future Talent Showcase

Hosted by HP, the Future Talent Showcase highlights emerging talent from Welsh universities, giving students the opportunity to pitch innovative fintech ideas with the potential to support the growth of the Welsh fintech ecosystem.

Host:
Luke Routley, Personal Systems Lead for Wales Public Sector, HP

Presenters:
Gideon Ehigimetor, Founder, Steady
Jain Shreyansh & Mahi Dixit, FreelanceIQ Wales

Featured Ideas:
Steady – An AI-powered behavioural insights platform helping people build healthier financial habits and improve financial wellbeing.
FreelanceIQ Wales – An AI-powered financial co-pilot for the self-employed, combining Open Banking, tax tracking and financial benchmarking.

2:00pm – Cross Sector Challenge

Real-world solutions to challenges across property, AI, sustainability, risk intelligence and payments.

Host:
Cate Wright, Founder, Porthouse Consulting

Presenters:
Cai Gwinnutt, Co-Founder, Open Moove
Steve Williams, Partnership Director, Cavefish
Leo Attwood, Senior Director Global Data Licensing, LexisNexis Risk Solutions
Josh Selway, Founder, Silver Lining Automation
Kris Richens, Co-Owner and Systems Architect, AffixIO

2:45pm – Panel Discussions

AI Efficiencies Across Multiple Sectors

Exploring how AI is driving operational value across industries.

Host: Tim Kimball, Chief Technology Officer, Confused.com

Panelists:
Jen Lothian, Onteric
Nick Carlton, Menna
Mike Beck, tiQtoQ
Esso-Dong, Lideflow
Michael Groves, Welsh Government
Alex Murphy, Balance

Fintech for Good

Technology tackling real-world social challenges.

Host: Yan Manka, Mastercard

Panelists:
Gareth Genner, Trust Stamp
Adrian Defta, ProveIT
Madelaine Thomas, Image Angel
Gareth Llewellyn, IE Hub

Built in Wales, Leading Worldwide

Welsh businesses scaling globally from Wales.

Host: Sally-Anne Skinner, CEO, Ogi

Panelists:
Mike Donovan, Burbank
David Walters, Creditsafe
Ammar Akhtar, Final Rentals
Mark Sweeny, de Novo Solutions
Elliot Riley-Walsh, Valart Ltd

4:45pm – Drinks Reception & Networking

Networking with attendees, exhibitors and speakers.

5:15pm – Prosper: Enough Live Podcast Recording

A live recording of Prosper’s podcast exploring entrepreneurship, fintech and innovation.

Hosts:
Nick Perrett, CEO & Founder, Prosper
Hattie Moll, CMO, Prosper

Guests:
Damon Chapple, Co-CEO, Sonovate
Dafydd Jones, Founder & CEO, Flamingo

6:15pm – Drinks, Nibbles & Networking

With live DJ entertainment.

6:15pm – Close

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Throughout the Day

• Exhibition area open
• Networking opportunities
• Refreshments available
• Festival photography and videography
• Meet the FinTech Wales team