The FinTech Five – 24th September 2021
24 September, 2021
Welcome to the FinTech Five, the part of the week where we take a closer look at the best articles, news, and features from over the past week from our FinTech Wales members.
1. FinTech Awards Wales Winners revealed
First this week, this Thursday saw the FinTech Awards Wales held at Tramshed, in which 42 shortlisted finalists were nominated for 11 awards in total.
Amongst the winners were FinTech Wales members who won in the following categories:
- Capital Law – Best Advisory of the Year
- Yoello – FinTech Scale-Up and New Product of the Year
- Comparison Creator – FinTech Leader of the Year
- Sonovate – FinTech Company of the Year
- Toby Kernon, Wagonex – Rising FinTech Star
- Ship Shape – Start-Up of the Year
FinTech Wales would like to wish a massive congratulations to all of the nominees and winners. Amazingly, two of the winners, Toby Kernon, Wagonex and Ship Shape were from FinTech Wales’ inaugural Foundry Accelerator Programme!
We would also like to sincerely thank Matthew Hyde for the incredible evening celebrating the talented Welsh FinTech Ecosystem!
2. Admiral Group plc recognised as one of the 2021 Best Workplaces in Europe
Next, Welsh employer, Admiral Group has been recognised as the 17th Best Workplace in Europe™ by Great Place to Work®
The Welsh headquartered financial services company appears in the list as it has been recognised as a great place to work in the UK, France, Spain and Italy.
The recognition is based on confidential survey data assessing employee experiences of trust, innovation, company values and leadership.
Admiral Group CEO, Milena Mondini de Focatiis said,
“Our placing on the Great Place to Work ® Best Workplaces in Europe list is based on feedback from our people in the UK, France, Italy and Spain.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re in our offices in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Lille, Paris, Rome, Seville or Madrid… once you get through the door you immediately realise it is Admiral, and can feel the same positive energy, passion and values.
“We are particularly proud of this result as it recognises the incredible hard work of everyone at Admiral, which over the past year, has not been short of personal challenges for everybody.
“I cannot thank my colleagues enough for everything they do to make this such a fantastic place to work”.
Read the full announcement on Admiral’s website, here.
3. Sero partners with Octopus Energy to offer smart, Zero Carbon homes for all
Next, announces a partnership with entech pioneer Octopus Energy to power its zero carbon homes. The energy supplier’s industry-leading smart tariffs has the potential to give Sero customers cheaper, greener power throughout the year.
Households will be able to reap the benefits from dynamic pricing based on half-hourly costs of wholesale energy, allowing them to use energy at off-peak times when there is less demand on the grid and energy is cheaper and cleaner.
The smart tariffs available will integrate seamlessly with Sero’s existing smart energy systems, storage and renewable technologies. It means customers can choose their daily comfort settings, such as how warm they want their home at different times of day.
Sero will manage tariffs and bills for customers through its Sero Life smart energy management app. The Sero Life system connects to smart hot water systems, electric heating and electric vehicle chargers to drive a low carbon, low-cost lifestyle: Sero Life.
Through its retrofit program, Sero will work with social landlords to ensure that smart, renewable technology is available to those who need it most. This starts with the retrofit of 700 homes in South Wales throughout 2021 and the Optimised Retrofit program supported by the Welsh Government.
James Williams, co-founder and CEO of Sero said:
“Working with Octopus moves our Sero Life comfort offer to a new level. We can automate a home so customers can make the most of cheap, green energy without them ever having to think about it. The reality of energy pricing is that it’s constantly changing; what we can do now is take care of the hard work keeping up with price changes and getting the best deal for our customers. Every penny we save on behalf of customers will go straight into their pocket – even the energy they sell back to the grid when their home produces more energy than needed.”
Click here to read the full announcement on Sero’s website.
4. Trust Payments partners with Kriptomat to facilitate ‘everyday’ cryptocurrency exchange
Next, Trust Payments, the global unified payments group, has partnered with Kriptomat to power the payments engine behind Kriptomat’s cryptocurrency exchange.
Operating from Estonia since 2018, Kriptomat describes itself as “the most user-friendly government-regulated European cryptocurrency exchange.” Targeting cryptocurrency beginners, Kriptomat empowers everyday people to purchase, store, send, and receive cryptocurrencies without mastering the technical jargon and arcane details required at conventional crypto exchanges. Kriptomat’s mission is to give everyone online tools to manage and grow their digital assets and to make these tools available wherever users are. Kriptomat services and tools are currently available to users in more than 20 languages.
Trust Payments is a key payments player in the crypto space, offering crypto merchants the opportunity to minimise risk and break new ground. TThe exclusive agreement with Trust Payments ensures that Kriptomat’s customers will have access to Trust Payments’ best-of-breed payment platform for debit and credit cards, fraud screening, and multi-currency processing – plus a recurring-payments engine that will power the launch of a new subscription model for Kriptomat.
The subscription model will allow consumers to set up recurring purchases of their chosen cryptocurrencies. Users can set up automated weekly and monthly purchases to automate savings, save time, sidestep the risks of day trading, and build their investment portfolios painlessly.
“We are excited to support Kriptomat with their expansion plans,” said Craig Brightly, Trust Payments head of sales. “Our dedicated cryptocurrency team understands the unique challenges crypto businesses face when searching for a payments partner. We believe it is critical to support crypto exchanges with simple terms, expertise in navigating new markets, fast settlement, and an easy application process.”
Click here to read the full announcement on Trust Payments’ website.
5. Applications to join the FinTech Wales panel close Monday 27th September
Last but not least, we would like to remind our network that Applications for new FinTech Wales panel members close next Monday on the 27th of September 2021
As we come to the end of another successful year at FinTech Wales, we would like to announce that our second AGM (annual general meeting) is scheduled to take place on the 12th of October, 2021 at Cardiff Castle.
Building on the fact that Wales has been recognised as an emerging FinTech Cluster in the recent UK government-sponsored FinTech review*, our mission at FinTech Wales is to ensure that this trajectory continues so that Wales is established as a globally recognised FinTech hub of excellence.
FinTech Wales is an inclusive organisation, supported by an advisory panel and governed by a board of directors. Elections of members are held annually at the AGM where we make sure to rotate our advisory panel – with one third of the panel being retired and new panel members being voted in.
Now is an exciting time for us at FinTech Wales, having solidified our company’s strategy moving forwards. We are therefore keen for people to join us on our journey and would like to give formal notice that we are searching for new panel members.
So, if you are a successful Tech or FinTech entrepreneur with a demonstrated passion for Wales and a desire to give back to the Welsh business community, please approach a current member of our panel or our CEO Sarah Williams-Gardener to learn more.
Until Next Week
And that’s it for the FinTech Five this week. Thank you for reading, and don’t forget to join us next week for more of the best content from across our FinTech Wales membership.