FinTech North marks 10 years with Leeds conference

KAREN JOY BACUDO

Finance Editor

FinTech North is returning to Leeds for a 10th anniversary conference, marking a decade since the organisation launched in the city.

The event will be held at Salem Chapel, aql’s HQ and the venue where FinTech North began. It will bring together founders, industry executives and public sector representatives to discuss how the sector has changed across Leeds and the wider Yorkshire region.

Participants include West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin, the National Wealth Fund, Leeds Digital Festival, the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority, Mastercard, GoCardless and FIS.

The agenda will focus on how financial technology has developed over the past decade, along with the regulatory challenges and commercial opportunities facing the market. Topics include mortgages, banking, lending, payments and regtech.

Regional growth

The event comes as new figures highlight the scale of the sector in West Yorkshire and the wider North of England. According to Whitecap Consulting, West Yorkshire is home to 94 fintech firms, while the Leeds City Region fintech ecosystem contributes £700 million a year to the regional economy.

About 60 national and international firms have chosen the Leeds City Region as a base for their UK operations. Across the North, there are around 400 fintech firms employing 20,000 people directly, with a further 70,000 in fintech-related roles.

The sector has also contributed about £2 billion in Gross Value Added to the UK economy. These figures point to the growing strength of regional fintech clusters outside London, particularly in areas with established expertise in financial and professional services.

Leeds has long been one of the UK’s main centres for banking, insurance and data-driven business services, giving fintech companies access to both talent and large customer markets. The city has also worked to raise its profile in digital industries through networks, accelerator programmes and events that connect start-ups with investors, regulators and established financial institutions.

Origins

FinTech North traces its beginnings to a decade ago, when Whitecap Consulting and White Label Crowdfunding launched the initiative as part of the first Leeds Digital Festival programme. Organisers say that early conference helped establish what became the UK’s first regional fintech hub.

Since then, the group has expanded its activity across the North through events that bring together start-ups, larger technology companies, policymakers and academics. Its aim has been to strengthen the Northern fintech ecosystem and create links between regional firms and national decision-makers.

The anniversary conference also coincides with the 10th year of Leeds Digital Festival, underlining how closely the city’s fintech and wider technology communities have developed alongside one another. That overlap has become increasingly important as fintech businesses move beyond payments and consumer apps into more specialised areas of financial infrastructure and compliance.

Joe Roche, General Manager at FinTech North, highlighted the sector’s economic footprint across the region.

“With around 400 fintech firms across the North employing 20,000 people directly, and 70,000 employees working in fintech-related roles, the region has contributed approximately £2bn in Gross Value Added to the UK and become a powerhouse for innovation and opportunity. The Leeds City Region has played a significant role in the growth of the fintech ecosystem, with approximately 60 national and international firms choosing the region as a base for their UK operations,” Roche said.

Roche also reflected on the organisation’s role in the market over the past decade.

“Over these 10 years, FinTech North has played a central role in both advocating for and actively helping to shape the ecosystem. As the country’s first regional fintech hub, we have witnessed and contributed to the development of a thriving national community,” he said