Skip to main content

Bringing Cash Closer to Digital: OneBanx Integrates Cash Access into Banking Apps

Scottish fintech OneBanx is launching a strategic initiative to ensure cash access doesn’t get left behind by working with partner banks to embed cash withdrawal and deposit functionality directly into mobile banking apps.

This new integration means customers will soon be able to use their bank’s app to initiate transactions at OneBanx kiosks, without needing a physical card or third-party wallet. It’s a move designed to enhance customer experience while making in-person cash services more accessible through digital channels.

While digital wallets have simplified spending, OneBanx aims to complement this trend by boosting the utility of banks’ own apps. The company’s joint white paper with Enryo, “Cash as Payments Infrastructure,” reinforces the point: most people in the UK still use cash occasionally, even in an increasingly cashless society.

The integration also offers tangible benefits for banks:

  • A seamless customer journey within their existing app;
  • Greater engagement with less digitally-active customers;
  • And a cost-effective way to extend reach without reopening branches.

Pilots with partner banks are underway, with full deployment expected later this year.

“Our goal is to create real-world utility for digital banking while still supporting essential in-person needs,” said Javed Anjum, CEO of OneBanx. “This initiative helps banks stay connected to communities in a way that’s sustainable and scalable.”

FinTech Scotland and TSB Launch latest Innovation Labs programme to Combat Fraud and Enhance Trust in Digital Banking

FinTech Scotland unveiled today the latest innovation programme in collaboration with TSB Labs at Money20/20, Europe’s largest fintech conference.

TSB Labs, the award-winning fintech accelerator, is once again partnering with FinTech Scotland to identify, support and scale innovative solutions tackling some of the most urgent challenges in banking. This year, the focus is on preventing one of the nation’s most prevalent crimes – fraud, while delivering a seamless customer journey.  

The programme builds on the success of previous cohorts, which resulted in several pilot projects  as well as being recognised at the Scottish Financial Technology Awards for Best Financial Services Innovation..

The 2025 innovation programme is now open to fintechs from across the globe who are ready to deploy real-world solutions in a live retail banking environment. Interested parties can apply here.

Nicola Anderson, Chief Executive of FinTech Scotland, commented:

“We are delighted to be partnering once more with TSB and announce this innovation programme at Money20/20. TSB Labs is a powerful example of how established financial institutions can partner with fintechs to deliver real impact for customers. Thanks to our work on the topic of fraud as part of the Financial Regulation Innovation Lab, we’ll be bringing a significant amount of knowledge, expertise and connections to this programme from across the Scottish Fintech Cluster.”

The Lab’s three challenge statements invite creative, practical solutions in:

  • Smart Messaging and Education: improving fraud detection through timely, trusted, and effective customer communication.
  • Empowered Customer Controls: making faster decisions about authorised payments by giving customers more control and clarity.
  • Seamless Resolution: transforming fraud reporting and resolution into a streamlined, customer-centric journey.

Richard Daniels, Fraud and Financial Crime Operations Director at TSB, said:

“Fraud is constantly evolving, and so must we. The TSB Labs programme is a brilliant opportunity for us to work shoulder-to-shoulder with innovative fintechs to find smarter, faster and more effective ways to continue protecting our customers.”

The programme offers two phases of structured engagement, culminating in a final pitch to TSB decision-makers and the opportunity to progress to pilot deployment.

Full details and the short application form can be found on FinTech Scotland’s website . Applications close on 25 June 2025.

Turning the Tide: How SensFish Is Powering Better Maritime Investment and ESG Decisions

Financial institutions are sharpening their focus on climate risk, ESG disclosures, and sustainable investment. At the same time supply chains, shipping emissions and biodiversity-linked investment products, are increasingly on the balance sheet but reliable, decision-ready data has been hard to come by.

The Challenge: Ocean Impact, Low Visibility

Financial stakeholders are under pressure to assess the environmental impact and transition readiness of companies operating in ocean-related sectors. Yet data on maritime carbon emissions, biodiversity, and regulatory compliance remains fragmented, inconsistent, or inaccessible, making it difficult to price risk accurately, validate sustainability claims, or identify new opportunities.

The Solution: Ocean Intelligence for Finance

SensFish delivers a scenario-led analytics platform that turns open, maritime-specific data into actionable intelligence. The solution integrates historical, real-time, and predictive datasets such as satellite tracking, vessel surveillance, and ecosystem modelling. By doing so,  SensFish enables users to:

  • Quantify and forecast carbon impact across maritime supply chains (including sequestration potential and emissions),
  • Verify compliance with sustainability standards (e.g. reducing IUU fishing via vessel monitoring),
  • Support biodiversity-linked investments through monitoring of wild fish stocks and aquaculture patterns,
  • De-risk projects by modelling scenarios for ESG outcomes, operational constraints, and regulatory exposure.

All this is delivered in a user-friendly platform that simplifies complex data and aligns with global Net Zero and ocean disclosure frameworks, turning compliance into strategy and reporting into opportunity.

SensFish’s traction is growing. In the past year, the company has:

  • Been selected for the European Space Agency Business Incubation Programme,
  • Partnered with UNCTAD and presented at the Monaco Ocean Finance Forum, part of the UN Ocean Conference,
  • Joined the Innovate UK InvestAbility programme and Converge Net Zero cohort,
  • Secured support from Glasgow City Council and received international investor interest,
  • Onboarded a publicly listed UK client with global operations.

These milestones reflect a rising demand for deeper ocean intelligence among forward-looking financial institutions and corporates alike.

Discover more about SensFish

Supporting Scale: Addleshaw Goddard Opens Applications for 2025 AG Elevate Accelerator

Addleshaw Goddard has launched the latest edition of AG Elevate, its accelerator programme aimed at supporting ambitious tech scale-ups with legal expertise, strategic mentorship, and industry connections.

Now in its eighth year, the ten-month programme is designed for businesses with growth ambitions and existing funding in place, offering them legal insight, access to industry events, and monthly one-on-one guidance from AG’s senior legal professionals.

A Track Record of Impact

Since its inception in 2017, AG Elevate has worked with more than 60 companies across fintech, clean-tech, prop-tech, and beyond. Notable alumni include Tumelo, Amiqus, Finance Unlocked, and Fuuse. Several participants have gone on to raise significant funding or complete acquisitions, such as SymPhysis Medical and EpiCapture.

Scottish representation in the 2024 cohort included CataNiTek (specialist chemical manufacturing), Coastr (vehicle rental technology), and Frontier Robotics (autonomous underwater exploration) highlighting the programme’s commitment to fostering innovation across the UK’s regions.

What’s on Offer

Participants in AG Elevate receive:

  • A dedicated legal mentor with monthly strategy sessions
  • 25 hours of complimentary legal support
  • Access to AG seminars, insight sessions, and networking events
  • Legal publications and updates from AG’s sector experts
  • A 30% discount on any further legal work during the programme

David Anderson, Partner at Addleshaw Goddard, said:

“Early-stage and scale-up companies often face legal challenges that can delay growth or investment. AG Elevate is about addressing those challenges early with the right support. We’re particularly keen to hear from businesses in fintech and digital assets this year—areas where we’ve built deep capability.”

Eligibility and How to Apply

AG Elevate is open to tech businesses based in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, or Germany that have received seed or later-stage investment and have clear plans for rapid growth.

Applications are open now and will close at the end of July 2025.
Apply here

Applications Open for the JPMorganChase Fintech Forward Programme

Applications are now open for the JPMorganChase Fintech Forward Programme, a new 12 week in-person and virtual accelerator designed to help fintech leaders realise their business vision.

Backed by JPMorganChase’s extensive network, the programme offers tailored support to help scale high-potential fintech companies across the UK.

Selected fintech leaders will gain access to a suite of resources designed to drive sustainable business growth. These include:

  • Executive sponsorship for a senior JPMorganChase leader
  • Mentorship from an experienced advisory team
  • A customised programme focused on strengthening a founder’s network and impact
  • Opportunities to present to JPMorganChase stakeholders, external investors and partners
  • A sponsored trip to Slush, one of Europe’s leading startup events, held in Helsinki

To reduce barriers to participation, travel, accommodation and other reasonable costs for in-person events will be covered by JPMorganChase if required.

The programme begins with two days at JPMorganChase’s Glasgow Technology Centre on 10th and 11th September 2025 with full-day in-person sessions in London every two weeks.  Virtual sessions every other week for between 3-4 hours per week. The trip to Slush 2025 takes place between 18th November and 21st November 2025.

Who should apply?

We are seeking applications from businesses that:

  • Apply technology to create scalable solutions within financial services.
  • Have a live product demonstrating market traction, with annual revenues not exceeding £1 million.
  • Show a commitment to making a positive impact on individuals and/or businesses in the UK.
  • Are dedicated to active participation in the programme.

We are actively encouraging applications from founders or business leaders who have encountered obstacles to growing their business, including a lack of proximity to funding and networks, and/or those addressing the needs of underserved consumers, businesses or communities.

Applications are assessed on a rolling basis, and early submission is encouraged. The deadline for applications is 27 June 2025.

Apply here.

HAELO and RegGenome Partner to Launch Horizon Scanning Platform

The pace of regulatory change continues to intensify, with new updates emerging globally every few minutes. In response, Scottish fintech HAELO has partnered with regulatory data specialist RegGenome to introduce REGENESIS, a new platform designed to support compliance professionals in navigating complex and rapidly evolving requirements.

REGENESIS combines RegGenome’s structured and AI-powered regulatory datasets with HAELO’s automation capabilities to streamline the horizon scanning process. The solution targets mid-tier financial institutions and SMEs initially, with plans to scale toward larger firms.

The platform offers governance, risk, and compliance teams a single access point to regulatory information from hundreds of authorities across jurisdictions. It integrates into existing workflows, helping teams prioritise responses to emerging obligations while reducing reliance on manual tracking.

Key features include automated rule detection, curated insights, and contextual tagging to assist users in identifying regulatory developments relevant to their operations. This shift toward automation is expected to allow compliance professionals to reallocate time toward higher-value tasks such as risk analysis and controls assessment.

The collaboration between HAELO and RegGenome has already attracted attention from a broad cross-section of the industry. The platform was recently introduced to representatives from organisations including HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, Citi, Baillie Gifford, Virgin Money, and FinTech Scotland.

Commenting on the partnership, Mick O’Connor, Founder and Managing Director of HAELO, said:


“I was looking for a partner who could deliver validated, explainable regulatory data. RegGenome demonstrated both the technical expertise and openness to collaborate in bringing effective GRC solutions to market.”

Mark Johnston, CEO of RegGenome, added:


“HAELO brings a practical approach to regulatory automation. This partnership complements our existing ecosystem and strengthens our efforts to help firms adapt to ongoing regulatory change.”

Mind the Gap: Bridging the UK’s pension divide with digital solutions

The UK pensions landscape is at a crossroads: with 38% of the working-age population under-saving for retirement and 52% of people accessing their pensions without adequate advice, the risk of poor financial outcomes are at an all-time high. Yet, the market is set for huge growth, with defined contribution pension assets projected to explode to £800 billion by 2030. 

This is not a new problem, and despite well-intentioned efforts like auto-enrollment from policy-makers and new digital products from providers, there is still a fundamental disconnect; customers lack engagement and understanding in later life planning and financial outcomes.

Solving this challenge presents a significant growth opportunity for providers, but to do so needs a design-led approach focused on deeply understanding your customers through three core elements: Empathy, Engagement and Empowerment. Technology – and particularly AI – of course plays a crucial role, but doesn’t replace the need for empowered advisers. The future will be hybrid: a combination of traditional digital interfaces, agentic AI, and human touchpoints to create hyper-personalised experiences based on an individual’s aspirations, circumstances and preferences. 

This whitepaper, drawing on digital partner CreateFuture‘s decades-long experience in the Wealth & Pensions sector, provides a compelling vision for the future of pensions engagement, outlining how a hybrid approach leveraging digital innovation, AI, and empowered advisors can create truly customer-centric experiences and unlock a more secure future for savers.

Forging the Future of Financial Services: TSB Spotlight Innovation in Open Banking

Three fintech innovators, Sikoia, Credit Canary and Aperidata, have been named winners of the 2024 TSB Innovation Labs programme, a partnership between TSB and FinTech Scotland. This is a collaborative effort to shape the future of financial services through responsible use of data and technology.

Now in its fourth year, the Innovation Labs programme offers early-stage fintech firms a platform to explore real-world applications of their technology. With access to expert mentorship at TSB’s Technology Hub in Edinburgh, the cohort has worked over the last year to develop propositions that aim to improve customer experiences across banking.

The focus of this year’s winners is very much Open Banking technology to simplifies and accelerates customer support.

Sikoia is working to streamline finance applications, potentially reducing barriers for new customers. Meanwhile, Credit Canary and Aperidata are exploring solutions to improve credit scoring and accelerate lending decisions. All three firms will now develop proof of concepts in partnership with TSB, testing how their solutions might translate into practical improvements for customers.

The TSB Labs programme has previously seen success with fintechs such as Lightning Reach, which helps users access benefits and financial support through a single portal. Since its implementation, TSB customers have accessed over £160,000 (£500 per customer) in grants. Another alumnus, ApTap, has supported customers in saving more than £65,000 (£150 per customer) on broadband bills by helping them switch to better deals.

Speaking on the latest announcement, Nicola Anderson, CEO at FinTech Scotland, said:

“We are delighted to witness the success of Sikoia, Credit Canary and Aperidata through the TSB Labs programme. These innovative fintech companies show how data and AI can be harnessed to deliver real impact for people and communities. At FinTech Scotland, we believe meaningful collaborations are the key to unlocking innovation and this partnership with TSB demonstrates the powerful outcomes that can be achieved when new innovative firms and progressive established companies work together to shape the future of financial services.”

Adam Betteridge, FinTech & Open Banking Lead at TSB said:

“We are incredibly proud of the progress made by these three innovative fintechs during the TSB Labs programme. Over the last 12 months, Sikoia, Credit Canary and Aperidata have demonstrated exceptional potential to help TSB customers get support more quickly. Their innovative solutions use data and technology in new creative ways to help provide an even better experience for TSB customers. We’re looking forward to what comes next.”

The programme reflects wider themes highlighted in the FinTech Research & Innovation Roadmap 2022–2031, developed by FinTech Scotland. Central to that vision is the role of Open Finance and collaborative innovation in addressing societal, economic and environmental needs. The roadmap points to a future where fintech drives financial inclusion, better consumer outcomes and a more sustainable economy.

Come meet FinTech Scotland at Money20/20 Europe

We recently announced that FinTech Scotland will be attending Money20/20 Europe between the 2nd and 5th of June in Amsterdam alongside Scottish Development International at the Scottish Pavilion – Stand 1F10. This will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase the dynamism of Scotland’s fintech cluster and connect with innovators, investors and partners from across the world.

Here are the events we’re organising or attending:

Monday 2nd June

7.00pm – 9.00pm | Elevator Pitches & Kick-off Night | Money Beach Club, Strandzuid
An informal start to the week with drinks, networking and a chance to hear from innovators. We’re looking forward to meet other exhibitors and sponsors at this exclusive event.

Tuesday 3rd June

3.30pm – 4.00pm | Elevator Pitch Session | Scottish Pavilion
Join us as a 10 brilliant Scottish fintechs share quickfire 3-minute pitches. No slides, just a great opportunity to meet potential partners.

4.00pm – 5.00pm | Drinks Reception | Scottish Pavilion
Meet the Scottish delegation for informal networking over Scottish drinks and conversation.

5.00pm – 6.00pm | Barclays Drink a Money20/20
Thank you to our Strategic Partners Barclays for inviting us to meet their guests at this invite only event. We’re looking forward to meet new fintech enthusiast and learn from the work they do.

6.00pm – 9.00pm | European Fintech Night | TNW City
We’ll be mingling with 200+ fintech leaders from across Europe including entrepreneurs, investors and financial institutions.

Wednesday 4th June

4.00pm – 5.00pm | Whisky & Gin Tasting | Scottish Pavilion
A true taste of Scotland! Sample some of our finest while connecting with fintech peers, investors and buyers.

Let’s Connect

If you’re interested in collaboration opportunities, want to learn more about or are simply curious about Scotland’s thriving fintech cluster, we’d love to meet you. You’ll find us throughout the event at Stand 1F10.

You can also connect with us directly by looking us up in the Money20/20 app or by contacting us at contact@fintechscotland.com to arrange a conversation.

Aveni Unveils FinLLM: A Tailored AI Model for UK Financial Services

AI fintech firm Aveni is bringing generative AI to the UK financial sector with the launch of FinLLM, a large language model purpose-built for regulated financial services environments.

FinLLM was developed over the last six months at Aveni Labs, drawing on both advanced natural language processing expertise and a deep understanding of compliance and risk frameworks in financial services. Designed specifically for the UK market, the model aligns with emerging FCA guidelines and the EU AI Act, and is built with transparency, safety, and regulatory standards at its core.

What sets FinLLM apart is its financial specialism. Unlike general-purpose language models, FinLLM is tuned using financial data (both structured and unstructured) to support use cases that demand precision and trust. From regulatory compliance to customer service automation, the model is designed to enhance performance and to keep institutions within strict governance boundaries.

The project has been strongly supported by two of the UK’s major financial institutions, Lloyds Banking Group and Nationwide, both of whom invested in Aveni last year. Their involvement helped shape the direction of the model, ensuring it remains grounded in practical industry needs. Aveni’s collaborative approach brought together in-house AI experts and partner data teams to test and refine FinLLM on real-world applications.

Performance benchmarking shows FinLLM consistently outperforms more generic models on financial tasks and retains robust results on broader evaluation sets. This performance is enabled by a data strategy and evaluation process focused on continual pre-training and fine-tuning to ensure accuracy, explainability, and resilience.

Lloyds Banking Group’s Group Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Ranil Boteju, described FinLLM as a “game changer” for the sector, highlighting its potential to support a range of AI use cases across the bank. Nationwide’s Chief Data Officer, Sri Kanisapakkam, echoed that sentiment, highlighting the potential for the model to improve customer service through responsible innovation.

According to Aveni CEO Joseph Twigg, FinLLM reflects the growing importance of AI sovereignty and the UK’s ability to build its own technology infrastructure.

“As adoption accelerates, it’s critical that we retain the capability to develop and scale high-performance models within the UK,”.

Dr Lexi Birch, Head of Aveni Labs, spoke about the collaboration between academic researchers and financial professionals in shaping FinLLM’s roadmap.

“This model is built for a sector where accuracy and trust are non-negotiable. We’ve created something that reflects those priorities from the ground up”.

With its core model now released, Aveni will begin integrating FinLLM into its product suite, including Aveni Detect and Aveni Assist, supporting a wider shift toward domain-specific AI agents. Future development will focus on scaling the model across industry environments, enhancing its capabilities with proprietary datasets, and fine-tuning alignment strategies to meet the demands of live deployment.