Welcome and agenda for the day.

What are the forces driving innovation today? How is the growth of the API economy impacting our lives and businesses? What is the essential relationship between the digital builder and the visionary architects of tech products? What are some of the obstacles facing today’s Digital Builders? 

• Jason Gardner, CEO, Marqeta
• Ian Johnson, MD (Europe), Marqeta

Whatever the customer journey – embedded finance or platform banking – personalisation is key. Customers and businesses want services that are tailored for them, and available when they need them in the most seamless way possible.  

Does the quality of our toolkits and APIs meet the demand for these types of services?  Are we using the right tools for the right jobs? What do Digital Builders need to create the modern world? 

How to create a start up that is focused on sustainability, smart growth and an empowered workforce.  

• Jeppe Rindom, Co-founder & CEO, Pleo

Rocket ship growth has long been the goal for startups - often at the expense of profitability, regulatory concerns and even employee culture. A new generation of FinTech start ups is emerging – one that is focused on sustainability, an empowered workforce as well as making money.   

Could this be the most disruptive trend of all? 

• Clare Reilly, Chief Engagement Officer, PensionBee
• Jens Hartwig, Co-founder & Chief Product Officer, Laka
• Josh Hart, Co-founder & Chief Product & Technology Officer, Yulife
• Bradley Leimer, Co-founder, Unconventional Ventures (moderator)

Global innovation leader, Neal Cross (Former MD & CIO DBS Bank), tells the story of building Hotel Orangutan in Indonesia with a handful of villagers from the local jungle and the philosophies he learned and applied to DBS and other projects. 

• Neal Cross, Co-founder & Chairman, PictureWealth

For almost the past decade no self-respecting global bank would have failed to allocate a portion of their innovation and digital budgets to the establishment of an innovation hub. Why were they developed? Who did they benefit? And how have they evolved in 2021? 

• Kate Bohn, Innovation – Incubator & Accelerator Lead, Lloyds Banking Group
• Laura Camplisson, Content Manager, VC Innovations (moderator)

The push to enable a traditional, incumbent bank to work with a digital-first FinTech entrant has been the stuff of many a keynote address and innovation workshop. Outside of the hype, where are the real stories with lessons learned, mistakes to avoid and maturity achieved? Are FinTech companies and banks doomed to be chalk and cheese, or are they awkward parties in need of a better dance teacher?   

• Rita Martins, FinTech Partnerships Lead – Innovation Finance & Risk, HSBC

Many traditional financial services firms have realised that the vast amount of legacy technology, infrastructure and even culture make it near impossible to develop new innovative digital products and companies. The answer for many is to create a start up, in house – maintaining access to capital and resources but effectively developed as a separate entity.   

Have attempts by financial institutions been an exercise in FinTech innovation or are they guilty of being vainglorious?  

Business provides. Technology enables. To make that process work seamlessly those two groups need to work together. But they are often dealing with very different cultures, metrics and even language. What are the frameworks to building a successful bridge between the two vital departments? Who are your firm’s diplomats, translators and even hostage negotiators?   

• Jamie Broadbent, Head of Digital & Innovation, RBS International