The FinTech Scotland Festival is a one-week celebration of innovation and collaboration across Scotland’s fintech landscape, with strong links across the UK and around the world. Now in its ninth edition, the festival brings together industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and academics to explore the future of financial services, showcase the achievements of Scotland’s fintech cluster and spark new partnerships.
Programme at a Glance
This programme will be updated regularly, so check back for new sessions.
Edinburgh Decentralised Finance Summit
Tuesday 1 September
Edinburgh
Innovation and Growth
Edinburgh
Launch Reception
Edinburgh
Hosted by Lloyds Banking Group
Invitation only
Reimagining Banking for the Intelligent Age
Glasgow
Hosted by Barclays
AI in the Software Development Lifecycle
Thursday 1 October
Glasgow
Run by Encompass & Waracle
Registration opening soon
Scottish Ballet Performance & Networking
Thursday 1 October
Edinburgh
Financial Regulation & Innovation
Glasgow
Q3 Strategic Partner Gathering
Edinburgh
Hosted by Baillie Gifford
Invitation only
Women in Fintech – Evening Networking
Edinburgh
Hosted by KPMG
Invitation only
Annual Public Meeting – Financial Conduct Authority
Tuesday 6 October
Edinburgh & Online
Run by the FCA
Crypto authorisation gateway: Practical lessons from the front line
Tuesday 6 October
Edinburgh
Run by Burness Paull
Fintech Summit 2026
Edinburgh
Run by DIGIT
Scottish Financial Technology Awards
Edinburgh
Run by DIGIT
Scaling Fintechs Round Table – Financial Conduct Authority
Thursday 8 October
Edinburgh
Run by the FCA
Invitation only
Full programme
Wednesday 30 September
Wednesday 30 September
Innovation and Growth
The Lookout, Edinburgh Futures Institute | 9AM – 4.35PM
Join FinTech Scotland for a full day of insights, discussions and networking focused on growing and scaling fintech businesses in Scotland.
Keynote speakers
- Colin Payne, Head of Innovation, FCA
- Sebastian Ricketts, Deputy Head of Innovation, FCA
Launch Reception
Edinburgh
An evening that marks the launch of this festival week exploring themes that champion inclusive innovation, financial wellbeing and sustainable growth whilst highlighting the people, technologies and policy ideas which shape a fair, resilient and high‑growth financial services sector.
Hosted by Lloyds Banking Group at their prestigious Head quarters on the Mound, Edinburgh.
Invitation only
Thursday 1 October
Thursday 1 October
Main programme
Reimagining Banking for the Intelligent Age
Barclays Glasgow Campus | 09AM – 5PM
AI, quantum computing, digital assets and other emerging technologies are reshaping the future of financial services at an unprecedented pace. The day will explore how these technologies are redefining the future of banking across two strands: AI and Frontier Tech.
In partnership with Barclays and The Data Lab.
View the full agenda & speakers and register
Fringe Event
AI in the Software Development Lifecycle
Ask a room of engineers where AI is taking software delivery and you might get a wide variety of answers. The ambiguity is the challenge right now, and this event aims to clarify approaches, encourage discussion and inspire those who feel confused by the direction of travel.
The event will open with an agentic AI demo running in front of the room, agents and skills visible at every stage, followed by an account from senior leaders at the cutting edge of the operational reality. Followed by an active panel and audience discussion on everything we’ve heard,
The evening will cater to passionate advocates, considered sceptics and empowered optimists alike.
Fringe Event
Scottish Ballet Performance & Networking
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
Join us and Scottish Ballet for an evening performance of Emergence with pre-performance hospitality. The evening will bring together senior guests from a range of leading organisations. This is an opportunity for networking and relationship-building, set against the backdrop of a cultural experience highlighting innovation and world-class artistic excellence.
Monday 5 October
Monday 5 October
Financial Regulation & Innovation
University of Strathclyde, The Technology and Innovation Centre, Glasgow | 9AM – 3PM
- Colin Payne, Head of Innovation, FCA
- Prof. Mark Cummins, Professor of Financial Technology, University of Strathclyde
- Charlie Markham, Technical Specialist, FCA
View the full agenda & speakers and register
Tuesday 6 October
Tuesday 6 October
Main Programme
Q3 Strategic Partner Gathering
Baillie Gifford, Edinburgh
Each quarter, we bring our Strategic Partners together to discuss the latest developments in the fintech landscape, share insights, and hear from some of the most innovative fintechs shaping the future of financial services.
Invitation only
Main Programme
Women in Fintech – Evening Networking
KPMG, Edinburgh | 6-8PM
Join KPMG for the launch of their Women in Fintech community in Scotland aimed at bringing senior female fintech leaders together to develop supportive networks and share opportunities and challenges.
Invitation only
Fringe Event
Edinburgh & Online | 11AM – 1PM
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will hold its Annual Public Meeting (APM) in Edinburgh for the first time on 6 October 2026.
The Annual Public Meeting provides an opportunity to hear directly from FCA leadership, reflect on the regulator’s performance over the past year and ask questions about its work, priorities and impact.
This year’s event will take place at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh and will also be livestreamed, enabling people from across the UK to participate.
Attendees will have the opportunity to put questions to the FCA Chair, Chief Executive, Executive Directors and Board member.
Fringe Event
Edinburgh | 4-6:30PM
The FCA’s new crypto authorisation gateway is now open, creating a significant milestone for firms seeking to operate within the UK’s new crypto regulatory framework.
In this practical session, members of the Burness Paull financial services regulatory team and representatives from the FCA will provide a candid view of what applicants should be doing now to prepare for authorisation.
Wednesday 7 October
Wednesday 7 October
Main Programme
Fintech Summit 2026
EICC, Edinburgh | 08:30AM – 4.30PM
Run by DIGIT
The Fintech Summit is Scotland’s largest annual gathering of financial technology leaders, and has established itself as the must-attend event for stakeholders in the sector.
The conference will explore technological innovation across the industry, from developments in leading FS institutions, to the disruptive innovators within the challenger and start-up community that are reshaping the Financial Services market. The programme will consider the key shifts in regulation, investment, and technology, and discuss how they will impact the future evolution of the sector.
View the full agenda & speakers and register
Main Programme
Scottish Financial Technology Awards
EICC, Edinburgh | 6:45PM to midnight
Run by DIGIT
An evening to celebrate the development of the Scottish Financial Technology ecosystem.
As a leading benchmark for innovation and excellence for the Scottish market, the Scottish Financial Technology Awards recognise organisations and individuals who are reshaping financial services through technology. The awards have become a trusted and prestigious icon for showcasing success. With an independently accredited judging process and support from key industry stakeholders, the awards honour outstanding achievement across sectors.
Thursday 8 October
Thursday 8 October
Fringe Event
FCA Scaling Fintechs Round Table
Edinburgh | 3.30 – 5PM
The roundtable will bring together a small group of growing and scaling fintechs from the FinTech Scotland community, alongside a few of our Strategic Partners, for an open discussion with Jessica Rusu, Chief Data, Information & Innovation Officer at the FCA.
The discussion will focus on Growth barriers for scaling fintechs and, crucially, how the FCA can support fintech firms to scale, including outside of London.
Invitation only
Get involved
Host a fringe event
Alongside the main programme, Fringe events organised by external organisations take place throughout the Festival, covering topics relevant to the fintech community.
Speak at a session
Share your expertise as a speaker or panelist. We welcome proposals from industry, start-ups, investors, academia and the public sector.
The fintech community in Scotland is highly collaborative and connected. The same is true of the FinTech Scotland Festival. We would like to thank all speakers and participants and in particular key partners shown here who are hosting events during the festival. Your support of Scotland’s fintech cluster and this Festival is much appreciated.