When we think of innovation in buy now, pay later products, you should look no further than Zilch. But how has this fintech scaled so quickly? And what innovation are they delivering to maintain their enviable trajectory? In this exclusive fireside chat, you’ll get to hear first-hand the story behind the rise of Zilch, how they built a modern card programme to transform the buy now pay later experience and what their future innovation plans are.

• Vidya Peters, Chief Operating Officer, Marqeta
• Philip Belamant, CEO & Co-Founder, Zilch

Lenders need to act fast to hit regulatory and government climate targets and have an important role to play in supporting ESG goals. This session explores the key ideas for revamping lending strategies to increase sustainability, incentivising customers in the drive to net zero and the role that digital can play in building a more sustainable financial services industry.  

• Susie Aliker, CEO, Tandem Bank 
• Emma Harvey, Director, Green Finance Institute
• Amyas Phillips, Co-Founder & CTO, Offgrid.Finance
• Daniel Gibbs, Climate Consultant, Enterprise & Climate Propositions, NatWest Group
• Chinyelu Oranefo, Director, Sustainability & ESG Finance, Lloyds Banking Group
• Steve Round, Chair, Ecology Building Society (moderator) 

Modern SMEs come in all shapes and sizes, creating a huge opportunity for lenders to create products for a range of segments, verticals and regions. Challenger banks in the UK have spotted this opportunity to provide services at a very local level, improving financial inclusion, reducing regional inequalities and building economic resilience.

• Michael Harriman, Chief Information and Technology Officer, AlbaCo Limited
• Francesco Filia, CEO & CIO, Fasanara Capital Ltd
• Ross Breadmore, Chief Product Officer, 4g Capital
• Ravi Anand, Managing Director, ThinCats
• Joanna Scott, Managing Director, Boost&Co
• Paul Loberman, Chief Product Officer, Untied

Lending regulations have recently been dominated by the nature and speed of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and managing the impact of Brexit. The session will explore how the regulatory landscape has changed in areas such as SME loans, identity, financial crime, climate change and sustainable finance, loan monitoring, credit assessment, open banking and more. 

• Mac Mahalingam, Head of Architecture – Global Risk Analytics & Retail Credit Risk, HSBC
• Anna Roughley, Head of Insight, Lending Standards Board
• Kwasi Affum, Sustainability & ESG Regulation, Analysis & Strategy, Barclays
• Natasha de Terán, Member of the CBDC Engagement Forum, Bank of England (moderator)

With globalisation and liberalisation breaking down boundaries around the world, at an individual level people have never felt so strongly about their communities. We hear from the financial innovators who are developing personalised lending services for specific segments or “tribes” and encouraging inclusive lending. Exploring LGBTQ+ communities, religious groups, provincial populations and minority-owned business borrowing to name but a few. 

• Rishi Zaveri, Co-Founder & CEO, Lendwise
• Sarah Kocianski, Strategic Insights, Founders Factory
• Simon Dukes, Chief Executive, Fair for You Enterprise CIC
• Daniel George, Founder & CEO, StepEx
• Robert Pasco, CEO and Co-Founder, Plend
• Emily Trant, Head of Impact & Inclusion, Wagestream (moderator)

Having come of age during a global pandemic, buy now, pay later is now a firm fixture of the lending landscape. Stereotypically seen as a young person’s product, questions remain over whether it will replace or complement credit cards. If today’s innovators are anything to go by, buy now, pay later will evolve and reach other parts of the financial ecosystem in the coming years. The panel will explore where the buy now, pay later journey is heading next and what it might look like come the 2030s. 

• Jakob Pethick, Chief Commercial Officer, YouLend
• Jan Lytje-Hansen, CEO, ViaBill A/S
• Madhusudan Kejriwal, MD & Group Head of Cards, Loans and Partnerships, HSBC
• Akita Somani, SVP, BNPL/POS Lending, U.S. Bank
• Richard Felton, Head of Sales, Europe, Marqeta (moderator)

Although they provide vital credit to the masses, it could be argued that traditional lending services still overlook many borrowers’ financial wellbeing and needs, meaning that many individuals are being excluded. Thanks to new sources of data and innovations for better lending decisions, things are starting to change. This panel explores how credit cards and consumer lending must go beyond transactions and traditional lending services, to provide personalised experiences, rewards and repayment schemes to make everyday spending or life milestone purchases quicker and easier.

• Callan Carvey, Head of Business Operations & Partnerships, Cleo
• Anna Maxim, Chief Compliance Officer, The Credit Thing
• Tim Waterman, Chief Commercial Officer, Zopa
• Petr Bulka, Managing Director, Cool Credit
• Veronica Glab, Head of Engagement, Innovate Finance (moderator)

Lending has arrived at a crossroads. For some years, it’s been the preserve of specialist businesses, which have focussed on optimising the borrower experience and serving new segments. Now other financial services providers are getting in on the act, with the likes of challenger banks in particular expanding product portfolios to offer loans alongside current accounts and insurance products. The question is, should lenders adopt a similar approach and re–bundle, or stay focussed on what they know best?  

• Liz Lumley, Deputy Editor, The Banker (moderator)
• Richard Davies, Chief Executive Officer, Allica Bank
• Elizabeth Rossiello, CEO & Founder, AZA Finance
• Michael Hurup Andersen, Founder & co-CEO, kompasbank
• Matt Cumbers, Head of Compliance, Habito
• Mike Davies, Head of Business Development, YBS Commercial Mortgages