Creating Fairer Financial Futures – AGBR Innovation Showcase Day
On 15 January 2026 in Glasgow, more than 100 people gathered for a high-stakes showcase.
The purpose of the gathering?
To address one of the most important regulatory shifts in financial services today. A shift which could reshape how millions of people access financial support and create fairer financial futures for all.
The event was the final showcase day of an Innovation Call – a pioneering initiative led by the Financial Regulation Innovation Lab (FRIL) at the heart of FinTech Scotland.
But, what is an Innovation Call, what happens on showcase day and what is achieved?
Well, join us as we take you behind the scenes of the day and speak to some of the people involved.
Let’s start with Clare Reid, Strategic Innovation Director at FRIL.
Clare, explain to us what to expect on a Showcase Day of an Innovation Call?
“Nerves certainly run high on showcase day of an Innovation Call! It’s the culmination of months of work for Fintech entrepreneurs as they pitch their solutions to an audience of potential Financial Services partners. And the stakes are high – there is an award of £50,000 to successful fintechs and the opportunity to take forward some potential game changing solutions and partnerships with those partners.“
What was the challenge or opportunity today’s call addressed?
“This call focused on the FCA’s Advice Guidance Boundary Review – which is addressing a very human issue about how to make financial help clearer, fairer and available to far more people.”
“The call is all about finding new ways to help consumers make informed financial decisions, delivering more accessible and tailored support while staying within evolving regulatory expectations.”
Who was involved?
“The call brings together fintech entrepreneurs, financials services and academia, who are all tackling some of the biggest challenges in financial services today.”
Let’s hear from one of the Fintech founders pitching today to hear their side of the story. Dia Banerji, founder of Cherpa.ai:
Dia, you’ve just done your pitch – how did it go?
“I was first up, which always adds a bit of pressure, but it felt good. The presentation went well. Most importantly, I was able to clearly tell the story of why Cherpa.ai exists.”
What was your pitch addressing?
“Cherpa.ai is an AI money coach that delivers hyper-personalised financial education. The pitch focused on the huge gap before financial advice – helping people build awareness, understanding, and confidence about their money, so they’re better prepared to make decisions.”
What are your hopes for the result?
“I’m really excited to be part of this cohort and would love to work more closely with some of the sponsors. Beyond that, it’s about being part of a wider fintech community, learning from others, and helping Scotland, and ultimately people everywhere, build more confidence and connection with their money”
And on that note, let’s hear from Kate Murray who works for Scottish Widows as part of Lloyds Banking Group.
What has struck you about the pitches that you’ve heard today?
“What’s really struck me is the breadth of innovation on show – from fintechs tackling very niche, complex problems to those covering the entire end-to-end customer journey. It’s impressive what they’ve delivered in such a short time, and the quality of the user interfaces has really stood out to me. They’re slick, well thought-through, and genuinely exciting to imagine working with as we design our future journeys.”
What does AGBR mean for your firm, and why does this call matter?
“For us, AGBR is about helping more people secure their financial futures, in a way that aligns with our wider purpose of helping Britain prosper. There’s a real advice gap in the industry, and a big void in the middle where people don’t know what to do next — how to save, how to prepare for retirement, or how to make better decisions. We see innovation and new solutions as a way to bridge that gap, giving people the clarity and confidence to take the next step towards a more prosperous financial future.”
“The Innovation Call matters because we’re always reviewing how we change, innovate, and go faster. And sometimes, being part of a big organisation slows us down. Bringing in outside thinking, new technology, and completely different perspectives helps us bridge that and move quicker.”
And let’s finish with Christine Sinclair, Programme Director for FRIL at the University of Strathclyde.
Christine, that was quite a day…anything else that might surprise us about an Innovation Call?
“It doesn’t stop here. There are many layers to an Innovation Call. While the successful fintechs will go on to partner with a financial services firm and grow their businesses, the research by the academics involved in the call is captured in White Papers to support industry learning.“
“The insights also shape current and developing skills programmes hosted by the University of Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow. These are aimed at helping people develop the skills they need to adopt new technologies responsibly, whether that’s AI, data, digital transformation or ESG reporting.”
Sounds interesting? You can hear more about those courses in this interview with Christine.
So what next for the fintechs who took part?
Now, the wait begins! Next week the judges will decide which teams will be awarded grants of up to £50,000 to develop, scale and implement their ideas.
But the journey doesn’t end there. Beyond the winners, many of these ideas are likely to spark further interest, partnerships and pilots in the months ahead.
We’ll keep you posted.
In the meantime, if you’d like to find out more about the work of the Financial Regulation Innovation Lab, please contact us at FRIL@fintechscotland.com.
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