The research, which will be published later this year, will aim to analyse the current FinTech activity taking place within Northern Ireland to help understand where the areas of current and potential future competitive advantage lie. It is being conducted in partnership with FinTechNI and Invest Northern Ireland, with the support of a number of other participants from the local FinTech ecosystem. The results will be published in a report which will provide recommendations as to how Northern Ireland can collectively look to develop and capitalise on these areas of competitive advantage both nationally and internationally.
As part of the project, FintechNI hosted a webinar on at 10am on Wednesday 23rd September, where members of the Northern Irish FinTech community had the opportunity to find out more about the research, share their experiences and opinions with the panel. Click on the image below to watch the webinar:
The value that FinTech adds to the UK economy is now estimated at £11bn and has almost doubled in the last four years. The last two years have seen a number of significant developments in Northern Ireland, not least the creation of FinTechNI as an industry association, the appointment by HM Treasury of Andrew Jenkins as FinTech Envoy for Northern Ireland, and its recent rating by fDi Markets as one of the top three global destinations for the future for FinTech.
Alex Lee, Director of FinTech Northern Ireland, says:
“We are delighted to be working with Whitecap Consulting on this important initiative to support the future growth and prosperity of FinTech in Northern Ireland. Having conducted similar research across other regions in the UK, Whitecap have established themselves to be the industry authority on developing vibrant FinTech ecosystems that leverage unique local skills and capabilities”.
Andrew Jenkins, HM Treasury FinTech Envoy for Northern Ireland, comments:
“Northern Ireland’s fintech sector has steadily been going from strength to strength with recognition coming from fDi Intelligence, the specialist division of the Financial Times, as the region being one of the top three global destinations for the future for FinTech. The fintech sector here has a lot to be proud of, and it’s not resting on its laurels.
The research project being conducted by Whitecap Consulting, working in partnership with FinTech Northern Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland, will be critical to informing how the sector continues to grow and compete successfully on the national and international stage.
The project comes at a time when the UK Government has announced an independent review into the financial technology industry. I’m confident that the findings from the NI-based report can feed into the broader UK-wide review and help identify opportunities to support further growth in the sector”.
Innovate Finance, the independent industry body for the FinTech community in the UK, adds:
“We welcome this report from FinTech Northern Ireland and Whitecap, which clearly demonstrates that despite the current challenges, there are a number of opportunities for the UK FinTech ecosystem as we move towards a ‘new normal’, especially in Northern Ireland. Only by understanding the needs of the sector, can we boost the industry and in turn support the wider economy. The success and growth of the FinTech sector in Northern Ireland will continue to provide opportunities across a number of digital businesses there and elsewhere in the UK, and the chance to connect with international markets as a leading FinTech nation. This enables the UK to continue to set the pace for the industry on an increasingly competitive global stage.”
Richard Coates, Managing Director of Whitecap Consulting, says:
“We’re delighted to be conducting this research in Northern Ireland. There are multiple FinTech clusters and communities developing across the UK, and it is important to understand and further develop these ecosystems, which have the potential to generate considerable economic value. Northern Ireland has been raising its profile in FinTech over the last 18 months and this work will help shine a light on the progress being made and recommend future development strategies.”
You can help this research via a short multiple choice survey, which takes just 5 minutes to complete.
Take the Northern Ireland FinTech Research survey
Watch the webinar from 23rd September
The research is expected to be published in November 2020, and anyone interested in finding out more can contact [email protected] or [email protected]
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Whitecap Consulting & FinTech Northern Ireland
Established in 2012, Whitecap Consulting is a regionally focused strategy consultancy which works with clients across multiple sectors, with Financial Services and FinTech being key areas of focus. It has recently conducted regional FinTech ecosystem research in other regions including Leeds City Region, Greater Manchester, North East, Bristol & Bath, and the West Midlands, and will adopt the same approach for Northern Ireland. Whitecap is also the co-founder of FinTech North and co-organiser of FinTech West, which along with FinTech NI are both part of the FinTech National Network, an organisation which was launched in 2019 and aims to forge closer ties between the UK’s regional FinTech clusters.
Established in 2019, FinTechNI is a not-for-profit industry association made up of participants in the Northern Ireland FinTech ecosystem. It aims to be the independent voice of FinTech in Northern Ireland and to champion and empower participants in the local FinTech ecosystem to be successful on a global stage.