Top Fintech Conferences in 2022 & 2023 that are Worth Visiting
Fintech is one of the most dynamic industries in Europe, America, Asia, and other parts of the world. There is a rapid introduction of many new financial technology products and services here and there. Hence, no freelancer or business owner can boast about knowing everything in this field. Therefore, we cannot overemphasise the need to share knowledge.
One of the secrets of many successful business owners and managers is their ability to build professional relationships and network with the right people. Aside from strategies like reading quality blog posts to stay informed, they attend online, in-person, and hybrid (mixed) conferences to boost their industrial knowledge through discussions with others. In this article, we will show you the top fintech conferences in 2022 and 2023 and why attending a conference can benefit your personal or company brand.
Why Should You Attend Fintech Conferences?
Attending fintech conferences and events provides a lot of opportunities and benefits. They range from learning from other experts in the financial technology industry to being able to build your brand.
Opportunity to learn from fresh perspectives
Fintech conferences bring together many experts and practitioners from diverse backgrounds. They share expertise directly from their businesses and talk about their perspectives on many current issues in the industry, such as regulations, employment, payroll, safety, security, technology, team building, recruitment, and various best practices. Conferences make it possible for you to connect with business titans and acquire insider knowledge, which you can use to think innovatively and grow your business.
Personal or company brand building
You can easily position your personal or company brand as a thought leader when you participate in discussions, make suggestions, and ask questions at fintech conferences. The experience can also help you to develop your own brand and open doors for new collaborations.
Network expansion
You can expand your network of fintech professionals by attending top events, summits, and conferences. Imagine the incredible number of opportunities for sharing, learning, socialising, interacting, and benchmarking that you will have when you attend them. A single encounter could spark a conversation that develops into a long-lasting connection for the success of your business.
How to Establish Business Contacts at Conferences
In case you are concerned about how you are going to establish business contacts when you attend a fintech event or submit, below is a simple and effective guide you can follow.
- Set your networking goals
Set clear goals for the kinds of contacts you wish to make before attending a conference. Remember that even if someone is not the best contact for you, they may know another person who is. Besides, it could take repeated discussions or interactions with someone before you can find your shared potential and interests.
- Ask questions to know more
Ask follow-up questions while paying careful attention to what your new connection has to say. Nobody likes it when one person wants to dominate a dialogue by not giving the other a chance to speak. A more interesting conversation will result from asking each other questions and getting answers.
- Stay focused on learning and connecting
Avoid the urge to look at other people while you are meeting someone new. This could give anyone a bad initial impression of you. Instead, throughout your initial discussion, pay attention to the person you are conversing with. People seem to feel cherished when you give them your undivided attention. When they feel heard, they are more likely to speak openly about their interests and businesses.
Focus on connecting with the new acquaintance to build trust. By paying close attention to what your contacts are thinking and feeling, you have a high chance of getting to know more about them. They could discuss their preferred sports team or movie, as well as useful business ideas in the process.
- Go for quality contacts, not quantity
If you leave a conference with hundreds of new contacts, you will not be crowned the winner. Your success will depend on your capacity to network with relevant people. Engage with people you can follow up with later as much as you can. Your strategy should be to find those who are most suited to work directly with you or who could help establish another profitable relationship to prevent an unpleasant encounter.
- Exchange business cards and create a follow-up schedule
It is important to exchange business cards or contact details before you end a conversation during a networking session at a conference. They will help you get in touch with the person later.
Include chances to reconnect with new associates at a later time when planning to attend a conference. In other words, you need to create a follow-up plan. Remember those lasting relationships do not develop over the course of minutes or days. It takes some time to effectively keep in contact with business people.
Top 10 Fintech Conferences to Attend in 2022 and 2023
In 2022 and 2023, as financial technology continues to advance at a rapid rate, there will be many fantastic fintech events taking place in the best countries for fintech startups and other parts of the world. The locations include the United States, Singapore, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates.
The expected attendees at these conferences include a wide variety of players in the payments and financial services industry. Examples are early-stage startups, growth-stage startups, government and public sector employees, retailers, professional journalists, editorial staff, bloggers, entrepreneurs, leaders in financial services, executives in government agencies and regulatory authorities, AI and blockchain pioneers, investors, and digital banks.
Fintech events provide limitless opportunities to learn, collaborate, create, share the most innovative fintech ideas, and expand your network. Below are the top 10 fintech conferences to attend. You do not need to be present at all of them. Remember that what matters the most is not the quantity but the quality of the events you have attended.
1. Money20/20 USA
Location: Las Vegas, United States.
Date: October 23-26, 2022.
About: Money20/20 is a conference that brings global leaders, new challengers, tech giants, and startups in the fintech industry together. It allows them to engage in quality conversations and establish lasting connections that shape the future of fintech. Attend it if you want to inspire and challenge your mind.
Some notable speakers:
- Serena Williams – 23-time Grand Slam Champion & Entrepreneur, Serena Ventures.
- Ibrahim AlHusseini – Founder & Managing Partner, FullCycle.
- Takis Georgakopoulos – Global Head of Payments, J.P. Morgan.
- Bill Harris – Former CEO, PayPal.
To attend: Register here.
2. Hong Kong FinTech Week
Location: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), Wan Chai, Hong Kong; and online.
Date: October 31-November 4, 2022.
About: Hong Kong FinTech Week is a big event where you can share ideas with like-minded people and iconic global leaders in the global fintech industry. Expect to meet thinkers, creators, executives, regulators, and disruptors driving changes in fintech and digital transformation in banking and payments.
Some notable speakers:
- Mu Changchun – Director General of the Digital Currency Institute, People’s Bank of China (Mainland China).
- Nicolas Aguzin – Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (Hong Kong).
- Eric Jing – Executive Chairman & CEO, Ant Group (Mainland China).
- Jenny Lee – Managing Partner, GGV Capital (United States).
- Daniel Pinto – President & COO, JPMorgan Chase (United States).
- Luanne Lim – Chief Executive, HSBC (Hong Kong).
- Shu-Pui Li – Advisor to the Governor of the Central Bank of UAE (United Arab Emirates).
- Albert Lo – Forensic Partner, Deloitte China (Hong Kong).
- Lapman Lee – Professor of Practice in FinTech, ESG, Digital Banking, and Sustainable Finance at Polytechnic University (Hong Kong).
- Bill Winters – Group Chief Executive, Standard Chartered (United Kingdom).
To attend: Register here.
3. Singapore Fintech Festival
Location: Singapore Expo, Singapore.
Date: November 2-4, 2022.
About: Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF) is believed to be the most impactful annual fintech event in the world. More than 300 expert teachers and over 60,000 participants from more than 7,500 organisations will gather together at this conference. Seize this opportunity to interact with regulators and policymakers and contribute to the transformation of the fintech industry.
Some notable speakers:
- Adrienne Harris – Superintendent, New York Department of Financial Services.
- Brian Armstrong – Co-founder & CEO, Coinbase.
- Changpeng Zhao – Founder & CEO, Binance.
- Kristo Käärmann – Co-founder & CEO, Wise.
- Melinda French Gates – Co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation & Founder, Pivotal Ventures.
- Mary Ellen Iskenderian – President & CEO, Women’s World Banking.
To attend: Register here.
4. AI in Finance Summit
Location: Toronto, Canada.
Date: November 9-10, 2022.
About: The AI in Finance Summit is your opportunity to learn about advances in machine learning and Artificial Intelligence tools and techniques worldwide. You will meet with global innovators and researchers in the fintech industry.
Some notable speakers:
- Eric Charton – Senior AI Director, National Bank of Canada.
- Olga Tsubiks – Director, Strategic Analytics and Data Science, RBC.
- Chetan Phull – Associate, Data Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Digital Law, Deloitte Legal.
- Wafiq Syed – Analytical Lead, Finance, Google.
- Miguel Zegarra – Senior Manager, Global Compliance Governance, Scotiabank.
To attend: Register here.
5. Fintech Talents
Location: The Brewery, London, United Kingdom.
Date: November 14-15, 2022.
About: Fintech Talents (FTT) is a festival of practical innovation and visionary ideas in the fintech industry. It allows over 2000 people, including merchants and technology enablers, to interact and provide solutions to problems in the industry.
Some notable speakers:
- Michael Anyfantakis – Chief Architect & Head of Product, Capital One.
- Adnan Ahmed – Head of Strategy, Starling Bank.
- Sonal Lakhani – Global Head of Programmes and Strategic Initiatives, Barclays.
- Felipe Martinez – CIO, Revolut.
- Diana Carrasco – Managing Director, Merchant Services, Wirex.
- Lawrence Bennett – Head of Financial Services, eBay.
- Jeremy Balkin – Global Head of Innovation and Corporate Development, J.P. Morgan.
- Paul Trotter – Deputy Chief Technology Officer, Atom Bank.
- Hetal Popat – Director, Open Banking, HSBC.
- Vicky Wang – Senior Manager for FS Partnerships, Xero.
To attend: Register here.
6. Fintech Junction
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Date: November 24, 2022.
About: Fintech Junction is a conference where banks, financial institutions, fintech startups, and investors from different parts of the world meet to find ways for businesses to stay relevant through the creation of sustainable solutions.
Some notable speakers:
- Oran Aish – Public Cloud Country Leader, IBM (Israel).
- Orly Grinfeld – EVP, Head of Clearing.
- Asaf Erez – Digital Assets and Open Finance Lead, Israel Securities Authority.
- Meirav Harel – Founder & CEO, MHfintechs.
- Sidney Gottesman – CEO, FinSec Innovation Lab.
To attend: Register here.
7. TRUSTECH
Location: Paris Expo – Porte de Versailles, Paris, France.
Date: November 29-December 1, 2022.
About: TRUSTECH is the global event for identification solutions and innovative payments. It brings together opinion leaders and corporate executives in the fintech industry that have a special interest in payment and identification technologies.
Some notable speakers:
- Eric Ducoulombier – Head of Unit, European Commission DG FISMA (France).
- Vlad Manoil – Deputy Director, E-Governance Agency (Moldavia).
- Marianne Henriksen – Domain Director, Skatteeetaten (Norway).
- Herbert Leitold – Executive Director, Secure Information Technology Centre (Austria).
- John-Erik Setsaas – VP of Identity and Innovation, Signicat (Sweden).
- Ansoumane Camara – Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, Economic, Financial & Fiscal Affairs (Guinea).
To attend: Register here.
8. DeFi Retreat Europe
Location: Lisbon, Portugal.
Date: February 24, 2023
About: DeFi Retreat Europe is an event that will allow an intimate gathering together of fintech professionals and leaders in DeFi, Cryptocurrency, and Web3 technologies. It is an inaugural DeFi Retreat in Europe, where participants will network and interact with executives, investors, entrepreneurs, regulators, and experts in finance and business technology. All discussions will be about the latest challenges, opportunities, and innovations in fintech.
Some notable speakers:
- Dr. Lisa Cameron – Member of Parliament, United Kingdom.
- Ian Taylor – Executive Director, CryptoUK.
To attend: Register here.
9. FiNext Conference & Expo
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Date: February 26-27, 2023.
About: FiNext Conference & Expo is a conference where very smart, inventive, and ambitious people build meaningful alliances through interactions and networking. It is ideal for fintech companies, investors, payment service providers, blockchain enthusiasts, and media practitioners.
Some notable speakers:
- Haysam Fahmy – Vice President, Mastercard.
- Sonia Wedrychowicz – Partner, McKinsey & Company.
- Peter Vickery – Executive Vice President, First ABU Dhabi Bank.
To attend: Register here.
10. MoneyLIVE Submit
Location: QEII Centre, London, United Kingdom.
Date: March 8-9, 2023.
About: The MoneyLIVE Submit is where experts come together to forge the future of banking and digital payments. It will host over 850 attendees and more than 150 speakers who will discuss a wide range of topics, including payments innovation and infrastructure, open banking, lending and mortgages, digital currencies, fighting fraud, digital IDs, and ESG action.
Some notable speakers:
- Matt Hammerstein – Chief Executive Officer, Barclays UK.
- Evelien Witlox – Program Director, Digital Euro, European Central Bank.
- Claire Tracey – Chief Strategy Officer, Nationwide Building Society.
- Ashley Hart – Director, Fraud & Financial Crime, Monzo.
- Kristina Persson – Analytical Lead, Google.
To attend: Register here.
How to Promote Yourself or Your Business at Conferences
A fintech conference, event, forum, or summit can be a good opportunity to inform others in your industry about your personal brand. You can also use it to promote your EMI, neobank, digital wallet, wire transfer service, or any other fintech company. So how can you go about this?
The following are some things you can do to promote yourself or your business successfully:
Show adequate self-confidence
You will stand out and leave a lasting, favourable impression if you are confident (but not overconfident) at every conference. Do not say that it is easier said than done; otherwise, ask yourself how you came this far in life if you were not intelligent and capable.
Many people experience some degree of anxiety at such events. Be bold when introducing yourself to anyone, because the person might be nervous but also want to talk to someone. Starting the conversation could make things easy for you both. Besides, you never know who you could run into.
Have a straightforward story (elevator pitch)
Have you heard of the "elevator pitch"? It is about successfully selling your personal or corporate brand to someone you met in an elevator. Think about this: how many minutes will it take you to present a straightforward and persuasive story before either of you leaves the elevator? Probably 30 seconds. Yes, that is how serious it can get! Not everyone at a conference will have the time to listen to your long and "interesting" story. So, it is better to rehearse what you must say and keep it short and precise ahead of the event. If it happens that your audience has more time to spend with you, then you can elaborate on your story.
Share your updated business information and end well
Finally, you should not make the mistake of sharing outdated information about your business, especially when it has to do with your contact details or address. Instead, before the conference, make sure that you have all the correct and up-to-date details to share with others. Also, remember to exchange business cards and agree on a convenient time for further discussion later if you find someone very interested in what you have to offer or your ongoing project.
The Bottom Line
Great minds are known for acquiring information and discussing ideas. Today’s smart entrepreneurs and business managers avoid using outdated tools and failure-prone systems by reading informative articles and building professional relationships at conferences. That is why they are able to successfully launch their fintech startups and start making significant profits. You too can do the same if you use the information we have provided in this article.
