The announcement comes at a time when the UK’s FinTech sector is now said to be generating £6.6 billion in revenues per year, and is acknowledged to represent a significant regional opportunity for cities and regions outside of the thriving sector in London.
The research will aim to analyse the current FinTech activity taking place within the region to help understand where the areas of current and potential future competitive advantage lie. It is being conducted with principal support from regional organisations, and Whitecap is once again seeking sponsors to help ‘crowdfund’ the project.
Whitecap’s research will revisit the findings of its 2018 Leeds City Region FinTech ecosystem report and gauge the progress made, whilst also providing updated recommendations as to how the Leeds City region can look to develop and capitalise on its areas of competitive advantage, and will engage with the key stakeholders in the region to ensure as complete a picture as possible can be established. Whitecap is also in the process of conducting similar exercises in the Bristol region and the North East.
Richard Coates, Managing Director of Whitecap Consulting, says:
“The national FinTech market is evolving and growing beyond the start-up and investment focused activity in London. There are several regional clusters and communities developing across the UK, fuelled by tech entrepreneurs as well as corporates keen to engage with FinTechs.
“As the regional FinTech landscape continues to develop in the Leeds City Region, it is important to continue to understand and further develop the ecosystem, to support productivity and growth. We are delighted to once again have the support of Leeds City Council, and we also know from our relationships with national bodies such as Innovate Finance and HM Treasury that there is demand for this type of regional insight and acceleration.”
Eve Roodhouse, Chief Officer of Economic Development, Leeds City Council says:
“Leeds City Council is pleased to continue its support for this research and encourages organisations and individuals across the region to engage with us to provide their feedback to the team at Whitecap over the coming weeks.
“Last year’s research concluded that the Leeds City Region FinTech ecosystem has significant growth potential which is being driven by the established Financial Services sector’s increasing desire to engage with FinTech innovation. We see the Digital Economy, including FinTech, as strategically important to the future of the city and look forward to reviewing the findings of this year’s report.”
Established in 2012, Whitecap Consulting is a regional strategy consultancy headquartered in Leeds, with offices in Newcastle, Manchester, Milton Keynes, and Bristol. Whitecap works with clients across multiple sectors, with Financial Services and FinTech being key areas of focus.
Whitecap is also the co-founder of FinTech North, the not for profit event-based initiative that has hosted 40 events across the north since 2016. The most recent Leeds conference took place in May and drew over 300 delegates and featured expert FinTech speakers from the region and across the UK.
To understand more about how you can support the research please contact [email protected]
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This research is conducted on a crowdfunded basis and is currently being supported by Leeds City Council, Equiniti, CEG, and FinTech North. To find out more about getting you brand involved please contact us.
Download the 2018 report here:
