Finance and Health Lab National Conference to convene cross-sector leaders at The Edinburgh Futures Institute
FinTech Scotland today announced the Finance and Health Lab National Conference, on 19 March 2026, an invite-only national event bringing together leaders from financial services, health, academia, government and the innovation ecosystem to explore how Scotland can lead the next wave of progress at the intersection of health and financial wellbeing.
Hosted at the University of Edinburgh’s Futures Institute, the conference will showcase practical insights, emerging innovation, and opportunities for collaboration focused on challenges that matter in later life and beyond — including inclusive service design, strengthening financial resilience, and building trusted approaches to data.
The Finance and Health Lab is designed to accelerate collaboration across sectors, connecting partners to test ideas, generate evidence, and support innovations to move from insight to impact. The conference will share what’s been learned so far and set out the next steps for continued ecosystem action.
What to expect on the day
The one-day programme (10:00–16:00, arrival from 09:30) includes:
- A keynote and guided discussion on the future of financial health in an ageing society
- A research insight showcase on health–wealth dynamics in later life
- An industry panel on designing future-ready, inclusive financial services
- A startup showcase and demonstrator session featuring ventures from the innovation call
- A data proposition session exploring trusted, ethical pathways for financial-health data use
- A closing conversation on scaling innovation through collaboration and national impact
Registration is invite-only, with a register interest option available via the event page.
Aleks Tomczyk, Chief Executive, FinTech Scotland, said: “Scotland has a unique opportunity to lead in innovation that connects financial resilience with healthier outcomes. The Finance and Health Lab National Conference brings partners together to share evidence, spotlight innovation, and build practical routes to collaboration and scale.”
Dr Andrea Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of Edinburgh Innovations, said: “This is an opportunity to align research, practice and policy and focus collective effort on innovations that can make a measurable difference for people as they age.”
Register interest
This event is by invitation only. Register your interest on the Finance and Health Lab National Conference page to receive further details.
Finance and Health Lab launches Innovation Open Call for later life financial wellbeing solutions
FinTech Scotland today announced the launch of the Finance and Health Lab Innovation Open Call, inviting fintechs, startups, and innovators to develop and test ideas that address defined challenges affecting financial resilience, financial confidence, and quality of life as people age.
The Finance and Health Lab is a national programme led by FinTech Scotland, bringing together financial services organisations, fintech innovators, academics and public sector partners to explore how financial wellbeing and health interact and intersect in later life. The open call is designed to move beyond general discussion, creating space for evidence-led innovation, collaboration and practical experimentation that can inform future services, models and policy.
As the population grows older, changes in health, income, care needs and financial complexity increasingly shape people’s wellbeing. Through this open call, applicants are invited to propose solutions aligned to priority challenge areas focused on improving outcomes in later life.
Industry partners
Innovators selected through the open call will have the opportunity to engage with participating industry partners:
Priority challenge areas
The Innovation Stimulation programme is structured around a set of priority use cases reflecting pressing later life financial health challenges. Applicants should align their ideas to one or more of the following:
1. Predictive Financial Vulnerability Insights for Later Life
Using health, behavioural and financial data to generate early warning insights that help identify when individuals may be entering periods of financial vulnerability due to health changes.
2. Healthy Ageing Scenario Simulation for Financial Planning
Creating dynamic, personalised scenario planning tools that model the financial impact of later life health events — including longevity, income change and care transitions.
3. Data Quality and Ethical Data Sharing for Health and Wealth Insights
Strengthening permissioned, ethically governed data flows between health, financial and public sector systems to support better later life services — improving trust, transparency and data quality.
4. Cross-System Care and Financial Navigation for Ageing Populations
Helping people navigate fragmented ecosystems spanning health services, social care, pensions, insurance and benefits as needs evolve — reducing complexity and stress.
5. Empowering Later Life Financial Decision Confidence
Strengthening confidence and decision-making, reducing anxiety and supporting long-term wellbeing through complex or high-stakes decisions.
6. Age-Friendly FinTech and Inclusive Digital Service Design
Making digital financial services more accessible, trustworthy and supportive for older adults and those with health-related barriers.
Aleks Tomczyk, Chief Executive, FinTech Scotland, said:
“The Finance and Health Lab open call is about practical progress — bringing innovators and partners together to explore solutions that can strengthen financial resilience and support better outcomes as people age. We’re looking for bold ideas grounded in real needs, with the potential to be tested and learned from quickly.”
How to Apply
Applications open 4 February and close 12 February.
Learn more and apply on the Finance & Health Lab Open Call page.
Financial Regulation Innovation Lab (FRIL) launches Skills Academy to Develop Future FinTech and Financial Regulation Talent
Financial services is undergoing one of the most significant periods of change in decades. Technology is advancing at pace, new regulations are emerging, and organisations of every size are wrestling with how to build the skills needed to keep up.
In response to this, the Financial Regulation Innovation Lab (FRIL) – created as a catalyst to help the sector respond to these challenges – has launched the FRIL Skills Academy, a pioneering skills and education platform designed to address skills gaps and support career development across the financial and professional services sector and fintech ecosystem.
Supported and delivered by FRIL’s academic partners, the University of Strathclyde and University of Glasgow, the Skills Academy will go live on 30 January 2026, offering a transformative learning environment for professionals and industry partners.
The FRIL Skills Academy responds directly to the rapidly accelerating pace of technological change, especially in areas such as AI, data quality, and regulatory compliance, where talent shortages continue to hinder innovation and increase recruitment costs. Research conducted by FRIL identified skills gaps across the sector which supports the need for strategic investment in workforce development to maintain the UK’s global competitiveness.
Professor Stephen McArthur, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, said:
“The FRIL Skills Academy strengthens Strathclyde’s role in delivering executive education and its launch is extremely encouraging and a significant step forward.
“Informed by Scotland’s expertise in financial services and shaped by industry demands, the Academy will provide challenge-led skills and leadership development aligned to productivity, innovation and growth. This is an ambitious project that is unique in the higher education sector in the UK, and I have no doubt that it will support the wider economic ambitions of the city, Scotland and beyond.”
Professor Graeme Roy, Head of University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School said:
“The FRIL Skills Academy demonstrates our commitment to working closely with industry, co-creating engaging and practical learning, and fulfilling our ambition as a civic institution to contribute positively to economic resilience, innovation and societal good.
“Universities have a vital role to play in supporting lifelong learning – providing opportunities for upskilling and reskilling that enable people and organisations to thrive in a rapidly changing world. I would like to thank colleagues at our University and our partner institutions, as well as our industry collaborators, whose commitment, expertise and shared vision have made this possible.
“It is enormously gratifying to see this initiative evolve from an ambitious idea into a fully realised Skills Academy with the potential to make a lasting impact across the financial and professional services sector.”
Professor Eleanor Shaw, Associate Principal (External Engagement & Partnerships) of the University of Strathclyde, said:
“I am delighted that the FRIL Academy is now launching. This is an important milestone for FRIL, marking one important outcome of the project which is to launch a Skills Academy informed by the needs of Scotland’s vibrant FinTech community and Glasgow’s internationally recognised financial services district. Strathclyde is committed to providing useful learning and the Skills Academy promises to deliver just that. This is an important development in our commitment to executive education focused on what matters to our entrepreneurial and industrial partners: fresh skills, leadership development, and a commitment to making Scotland and the UK a more productive, innovative and flourishing environment in which founders want to start, grow and scale their businesses and towards which talent is attracted. This is an exciting development, and the Skills Academy is likely to grow to become an important learning asset for not only Glasgow but across Scotland.”
Aleks Tomczyk, Chief Executive of FinTech Scotland, said:
“As Scotland continues to lead in fintech and digital innovation, the FRIL Skills Academy sets a new benchmark for how academia and industry partner at pace. As the first initiative of its kind in UK higher education, it will provide professionals with practical, employer driven skills across AI, data and regulation, strengthening our talent pipeline and competitiveness.”
A Demand‑Led Approach
The FRIL Skills Academy is the first of its kind in UK Higher Education, will be delivered through a virtual platform that provides 24/7 global access and supports both blended and traditional learning formats.
The FRIL Skills Academy offers an extensive portfolio of microcredentials, short courses, and executive education opportunities, tailored to different stages of a learner’s career journey.
Industry partners will gain access to courses which develop a pipeline of skilled professionals trained on real regulatory and technological challenges as well as opportunities to co‑create content, deliver guest lectures, and engage in knowledge‑exchange events.
Learners will benefit from employer‑driven microcredentials and practical learning experiences; career pathways spanning early career to senior executive; and a supportive environment that fosters lifelong learning and professional advancement.
Click the following link to access the FRIL Skills Academy: FRIL Skills Academy
Contact
Christine Sinclair
Programme Director
christine.sinclair@strath.ac.uk
Xiang Li
FRIL Skills Development Lead, Senior Lecturer in Management and Professional Development
About FRIL
Financial Regulation Innovation Lab awards £50,000 each to four fintechs to accelerate consumer wealth support
The Financial Regulation Innovation Lab (FRIL) today announced the four fintechs selected to receive grants through its latest Future of Wealth Innovation Call, delivered by FinTech Scotland in partnership with SuperTech WM.
The six‑week programme concluded on 15 January with a Showcase Day, where 21 fintechs presented solutions to the challenge: helping consumers make informed financial decisions and access more tailored wealth support, while keeping pace with evolving regulation.
Throughout the programme, and against the backdrop of the joint HM Treasury-Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Advice Guidance Boundary Review (AGBR) which seeks to help close the UK’s advice gap by clarifying how firms can provide more meaningful support under the Consumer Duty, participants took part in workshops and deep dive sessions to develop, refine and tailor their propositions to real world industry needs and potential pilots with partners. The FCA was involved throughout and provided both valuable clarity and guidance.
The Innovation Call was delivered with the support of 10 strategic partners: PwC, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, Sopra Steria Financial Services, NatWest Group, M&G, BNP Paribas Personal Finance. , Dudley Building Society, Wesleyan and Standard Life; alongside academic partners at the University of Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow, and Growth Builders, which supported delivery.
Following the Showcase Day, four fintechs were selected to receive £50,000 each to further develop their solutions. Over the grant period, the awardees will continue to collaborate with industry and academic partners to test, validate and accelerate their innovations towards adoption and scale.
The winners are:
Finspector is an AI-powered compliance platform that automates the review and monitoring of financial promotions across text, images, video, and social media. It helps regulated firms reduce risk, evidence compliance, and scale marketing activity with confidence across jurisdictions.
Planda is a behavioural AI platform that helps financial services firms move beyond outdated segmentation to deliver hyper-personalised customer engagement. By connecting data across enterprise workflows, Planda builds dynamic customer segments that evolve in real-time, enabling institutions to personalise at scale and deepen relationships.
Amplified Global uses AI and Machine Learning to help firms assess, simplify, and demonstrate consumer understanding at scale, ensuring they meet compliance obligations with confidence. Its technology analyses and enhances intelligibility, helping organisations turn complexity into clarity. Through a guided digital journey, it makes content more engaging, measurable, and human – redefining how people connect with information.
Afternoon’s the new data + AI first operating model for advice firms. Data collection is automated with a focus on completeness and quality. AI modules automate work, allowing a doubling of clients with the same team and with less risk from meeting to report in under 2 minutes.
Aleks Tomczyk, Chief Executive, FinTech Scotland, commented:
“The Advice Guidance Boundary Review is pivotal to widening access to meaningful financial support across the UK. Too few people are saving adequately for retirement, and historically advice has skewed towards higher earners. Government, regulators and industry are aligned on helping the wider population make better‑informed financial decisions. By funding these four winning projects and opening real‑world pilots with partners, we’re accelerating practical solutions that improve consumer decision‑making and access to support, while helping firms operate confidently within the advice–guidance boundary.”
Kate Murray, Strategic Projects Lead, Scottish Widows & Lloyds Banking Group, said:
“We want to fill the advice gap that currently exists in Britain and ultimately, enable people to have a much more prosperous financial future. The Innovation Calls present such a massive opportunity. We at Lloyds Banking Group are changing the way we do change and innovate to go faster. Bringing in outside thinking, technology, and just a completely different perspective can help us achieve that.”
Hilary Smyth Allen, Chief Executive, SuperTech WM, added:
“Partnership matters because that’s how you really get things done with impact. Through the partnership with FRIL, we’ve been able to work across a broader spectrum of the ecosystem. Consumers come in all shapes and sizes, and so does the industry that services them. Innovation for us means we are maximising outcomes for those consumers.”
Crawford Taylor, CEO & co-founder, Afternoon Finance, stated:
“The advice gap is real, and firms are under growing pressure to support more people, with better outcomes, under tighter regulation. Afternoon exists to make that possible, using data and AI to remove friction, reduce risk and radically improve how advice is delivered.
This funding allows us to continue to accelerate our mission: helping advice firms support more clients, more effectively, without compromising quality, compliance or trust. Being selected as one of just four winners from over twenty fintechs is a huge validation of the approach we’re taking.”
About FRIL
FinTech Scotland marks its eighth anniversary reinforcing its position as one of Europe’s leading fintech clusters
Marking its eighth anniversary, FinTech Scotland reports that the nation’s fintech cluster has more than doubled in size in the past five years – from just over 120 firms in 2020 to more than 260 – confirming Scotland’s position as one of Europe’s most dynamic and collaborative fintech clusters.
This growth has been driven by higher levels of investment, deeper partnerships across industry, academia and the public sector, and more businesses scaling up and trading internationally.
Innovation in practice has also taken a major step forward, with the 10-year FinTech Research and Innovation Roadmap now embedded and over 40% of recommended actions under way. Central to this has been the 2025 award-winning Financial Regulation Innovation Lab (FRIL), which plays a key role in creating the right conditions for collaboration and product development. A recent example is the partnership between Amiqus and Virgin Money: through the FRIL programme, Amiqus moved from an initial pilot to live production with Virgin Money, using AI to transform business banking onboarding – demonstrating the capability and scalability of its platform.
In 2025, the cluster also launched two major new initiatives: the Centre of Excellence in Distributed Ledger Technology, focusing on digital assets, payments and tokenisation, with digital trust at its core, and the Finance and Health Lab a pilot cross-sector research and innovation programme dedicated to improving financial wellbeing, resilience and long-term financial health in Scotland.
Looking ahead to 2026, FinTech Scotland will focus on translating innovation into economic and social value, in line with UK industrial policy priorities, and enabling all participating in the cluster to thrive.
Aleks Tomczyk, Chief Executive of FinTech Scotland, said:
“The doubling of Scotland’s fintech density is a clear signal that our collaborative and cluster-based approach is working. The Research and Innovation Roadmap provided a national framework to accelerate purposeful innovation, and it’s been inspiring to see how fintech entrepreneurs, financial institutions, and universities have got behind that shared vision.
As I begin 2026 as FinTech Scotland’s new Chief Executive, I look forward to leading our plans to support the next stages of cluster growth and thereby accelerate successful business growth and innovation in financial technology.”
Jane Martin, Managing Director of Innovation and Investment at Scottish Enterprise, added:
“A major strength for Scotland is its connected fintech cluster, an inclusive network of entrepreneurs, researchers, and industry leaders working together to solve real world challenges. This growth shows that Scotland can have a global impact by focusing on purposeful and collaborative innovation.”
Callum Murray, CEO of leading fintech firm Amiqus, said:
“FinTech Scotland has provided practical ongoing support to Amiqus and many other fintech scale ups across the country for many years. Our involvement in their FRIL innovation programme dramatically accelerated relationships with large scale banks, built trust in our capability to deliver at scale and directly led to us securing a new ongoing client partnership. We look forward to the collaborative opportunities working with the Fintech Scotland team over the years ahead.”
Hiring optimism in Scotland dips as Hays encourages employers to aim for long-term staff retention
- Optimism for the economic environment among employers in Scotland has dipped from 31% in 2025 to 26% for 2026, although hiring continues
- Significant workforce mobility expected in Scotland as 57% of professionals report they expect to move jobs next year
- 58% of Scotland employers cite recruiting the right talent as their key external challenge
- Talent retention (57%), skills shortages within current teams (51%) and managing change (46%) are other key concerns
- Hiring should be based on potential, not just skills, says Hays
Long-term optimism for the economic environment has dropped among Scotland employers in the last 12 months to 26%, compared to 31% in 2025. This is higher than the rest of the UK where only 15% of employers are optimistic, compared to 34% UK-wide in 2025.
The research, from Hays recent Salary & Recruiting Trends guide for 2026, reports cautious optimism in the short-term as employers continue to hire, but pessimism in the long-term as employers respond to cost pressures, revisions to workforce strategy and the uncertain economic outlook.
Current priorities for organisations are operational efficiency (73%), revenue growth (62%) and customer experience (42%), with recruiting the right talent at 53% being the top recruitment challenge. Regardless of short and long-term challenges, Keith Mason, director at Hays Scotland, believes that employers are still not majoring enough on the employee proposition when attracting talent.
“There’s been quite a culture shift since the pandemic, and employers need to focus much more on their employee value proposition than they did before to differentiate their organisation,” he says.
“Yes, salary is important, especially as the cost of living is rising. But professionals are looking more closely at what they need from a role. Our research found that 57% of professionals in Scotland are planning to move jobs next year – this is a striking figure that signals a period of significant workforce mobility. This level of intent suggests that employees are increasingly reassessing their career paths, driven by factors such as better pay, improved work-life balance, and opportunities for growth.”
The research also shows that 74% of employers in Scotland are planning to hire in the next 12 months which is the same as in 2025. 70% plan to hire permanent staff, with 27% planning to hire contract, freelance, interim or temporary workers. And as the debate continues on the benefits or otherwise of hybrid working, Mason believes that this issue needs to be managed carefully.
“This discussion has to be based on productivity – not time,” he says. “The research shows that profit growth is a key priority for organisations, but this only comes with efficiency and productivity which shouldn’t be based on the time someone spends in an office or working from home. And an effective workplace culture can’t thrive if too many people are absent. Hybrid working therefore needs to be managed with care, striking a balance between organisational priorities and employee expectations.”
Skills shortages within current teams are also a challenge according to 51% of respondents, highlighting a need for employers to identify future managers and leaders.
“It’s important to remember that the notions of ‘talent’ and ‘skills’ are very different. You can teach people skills, but you can’t teach talent as this is a natural attribute in a person. Be mindful of hiring for potential, for example, identify today the people who will be able to lead tomorrow. Only 16% of employers said that applicants need a university degree – it’s the talent to go further that often matters more.”
Other expected challenges for employers in Scotland are the rising costs for businesses (48%), managing risk and cyber security (32%), keeping up with technology innovation (27%) and keeping up with, and implementing, new legislation (15%).
To request access to the Hays Salary & Recruiting Trends guide, click here.
About the research: The survey on which these findings are based was conducted between 19th August 2025 and 9th September 2025 and received 5,136 responses from employers and employees working in a range of organisations and sectors across the UK, including 360 in Scotland.
The Delivery and Impact of the FinTech Scotland Cluster in 2025
This report highlights the progress made across the FinTech Scotland Cluster in 2025, a year marked by continued growth and increasing global influence. The cluster has welcomed new firms, attracted higher levels of investment, and seen more businesses scale confidently and trade internationally. Scotland’s fintech SME community has matured significantly, supported by deeper partnerships across industry, academia, and the public sector — reflecting a shared commitment to collaboration as a driver of meaningful progress.
Innovation in practice has also taken a major step forward. The 10-year FinTech Research and Innovation Roadmap is now firmly embedded, with over 40% of recommended actions underway. Central to this has been the award-winning Financial Regulation Innovation Lab, which expanded its scale and earned national recognition for its collaborative, industry-led approach. In 2025, the cluster also launched its second priority innovation environment, The Centre of Excellence in Distributed Ledger Technology, focusing on digital assets, payments, and tokenisation, with digital trust at its core.
These successes reflect the collective effort and commitment across the ecosystem to drive responsible innovation and sustainable economic growth. They provide a powerful platform for the next phase. Thank you to all who have contributed — 2026 promises new opportunities, new collaborations, and continued progress for Scotland’s fintech community.
Together, these environments are enabling pioneering work and helping firms explore and commercialise technologies shaping the future of financial services. National and international engagement has matched this momentum. From strong representation at Money20/20 Europe to productive activity and engagement across North America, Canada, Hong Kong, and wider Asia, Scotland’s international presence has grown, supporting an increasing number of fintech SMEs entering global markets.
Nicola Anderson, Chief Executive at FinTech Scotland, said:
“These successes reflect the collective effort and commitment across the ecosystem to drive responsible innovation and sustainable economic growth. They provide a powerful platform for the next phase. Thank you to all who have contributed—2026 promises new opportunities, new collaborations, and continued progress for Scotland’s fintech community.”
Aleks Tomczyk, Chief Executive at FinTech Scotland, said:
“As I step into the role of Chief Executive in January, I do so with genuine excitement for what lies ahead. The foundations built over the past seven years including in 2025 create a strong foundation for the next phase of growth. Scotland’s fintech community is rich with talent, ambition, creativity, and a collaborative spirit that is widely admired – including internationally. I am energised by the opportunity to contribute further to this vibrant cluster, including its innovators, current and future strategic partners, and supporters in the ecosystem. Together, we will build on the momentum already achieved and shape a successful future in which Scotland continues to lead, influence, and inspire across the rapidly evolving fintech landscape.”
New fintech programme aims to help Scotland’s ageing population financially prepare for later life
FinTech Scotland is aiming to help address the growing link between people’s financial situation and their health in later life with the launch of a new initiative that will accelerate innovation through the development of new research, technologies, and services.
The Finance and Health Lab will bring together financial services firms, fintechs, academia, government, health specialists and policy leaders to enhance understanding of the drivers of later life financial vulnerability and to co-design solutions that could improve the financial wellbeing and resilience of people across Scotland. The programme is being enabled by funding from the Scottish Government and delivered in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Innovations, its commercialisation service, leveraging their innovation and research networks.
By fostering collaboration amongst partner organisations, the lab will support the ideation of new ventures, prototypes, and pilot projects, strengthening Scotland’s innovation pipeline and competitiveness in the global fintech market. It will also generate research that will shape future service models, product development, and policy that support good financial and health outcomes.
Participating organisations will collaborate on solving a number of challenge areas, with end outcomes potentially including making digital financial services more accessible and supportive for older people, creating personalised tools that help individuals plan for health events in later life, and strengthening financial confidence and decision-making.
The four-month programme will include a National Conference on innovation in finance and health and calls for projects targeting high-priority issues related to later life and financial wellbeing. In addition, participants will have opportunities to showcase new prototypes, understand data, undertake research, produce policy papers, and exchange knowledge through a series of webinars, roundtables, and other platforms.
A range of studies have drawn a direct link between household wealth and the likelihood of poor health in older age. For example, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)(2023–24), 54% of women aged 55–64 in the lowest third of the UK’s wealth distribution reported at least one mobility issue, compared to just 20% in the wealthiest third.
The UK has a longstanding retirement savings gap. Office for National Statistics figures suggest the average pension wealth in the UK for people between the ages of 65 and 74 stands at just under £146,000, equivalent to just over 4.5 years of ‘comfortable’ retirement income by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Associations’ standards.
Aleks Tomczyk, Chief Executive at FinTech Scotland, said:
“The retirement savings gap is a longstanding challenge in Scotland and across the UK – and it is only going to grow in importance as more people live longer and, therefore, need more money to fund themselves in later life. The Finance and Health Lab will bring together the best minds from across different sectors to find different types of solutions – whether that is policy, research, or technology – and set out a way forward for ensuring people can have a good retirement, minimising the adverse impact that poor health or limited finances can have.”
Dr Andrea Taylor, chief executive officer at Edinburgh Innovations, added:
“Scotland is the ideal test bed for an initiative like the Finance and Health Lab, with a strong fintech ecosystem, globally recognised universities, and a thriving financial services sector. The solutions that emerge from the programme could make a significant difference to people’s lives and further cement our position as a world leader in collaboration and innovation between the public, private, and education sectors.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said:
“Scottish Government committed £5 million this financial year to support the growth of our key innovation clusters as drivers of economic development in areas with huge value potential, including fintech and life sciences. This project, as an important element of a broader suite of cluster development projects, will strengthen cross-cluster collaboration and contribute to the enhancement of innovation and economic growth of these key clusters.”
Read more about the Finance and Health Lab.
Five Fintechs Awarded £50,000 Grants to Strengthen Operational Resilience Across the UK Financial Sector
The Financial Regulation Innovation Lab (FRIL) is pleased to announce the five organisations selected to receive grants following its latest Innovation Call. These grants will support the development and deployment of solutions that strengthen industry resilience, operational capability, and regulatory responsiveness.
The Innovation Call, developed in collaboration with FinTech Scotland, Supertech WM, the University of Glasgow and the University of Strathclyde concluded on the 2nd of October at a Showcase Day.
Over a 6 week programme, innovators worked with industry leaders Sword Group, NatWest, Morgan Stanley, M&G, Pinsent Masons, Tesco Bank, Aberdeen, KPMG, EY, Dudley Building Society, Tipton & Coseley Building Society and Unity Trust Bank, to develop, refine and adapt their solutions to real industry needs.
Following the showcase Day, 5 Scottish companies were selected to receive £50,000 each to develop their solutions further. These firms will continue to work with industry partners throughout the grant period to support their development. Those firms are:
Profylr
Profylr builds intelligent, AI-powered solutions that connect the minutiae of regulation with firms’ data, transforming compliance from reactive oversight into predictive intelligence. Powered by their Information Genetics® proprietary technology, Profylr makes compliance live, linked, and undeniable giving firms the clarity, confidence, and control regulators can trust.
An intuitive, easy to use solution that secures data across Cloud and updates its security classification on demand, protecting it from threats like ransomware even when out of sight or control of its owner. Acclaimed by cybersecurity leaders as the “next essential building block in secure Cloud,” Ionburst delivers what no Cloud provider can, a unified secure Cloud.
HAELO
HAELO delivers automated global regulatory horizon scanning. It tracks changes across hundreds of regulators and millions of documents, distilling actionable insights, reducing manual burden, and helping firms stay ahead of regulatory changes.
Continuity2
Continuity2 Ltd is a provider of a multi disciplined software platform for operational resilience. The platform includes business continuity, ITDR, enterprise risk and incident management.
Lupovis
Lupovis delivers real-time contextual cyber security threat intelligence enabled by a deception environment, providing early identification of advanced attacks and insider threats while reducing false positives.
Nicola Anderson, Chief Executive of FinTech Scotland, said:
“Operational resilience is essential for a trusted financial services industry. Through the Financial Regulation Innovation Lab, we’re seeing fintech innovation directly address these priorities, shaping practical solutions that strengthen the UK’s financial infrastructure. The quality of collaboration between innovators, industry partners and regulators in this programme demonstrates the power of purposeful innovation.”
Rob Mossop, COO, Financial Services and International, Sword Group said:
“Sword is proud to have supported this innovation call and are looking forward to seeing how the successful grant recipients will develop their ideas into practical solutions. Operational resilience is a critical concern for customers across Financial Services, and it has been exciting to work with Fintech Scotland and fellow partners – both industry and academic – to see how the participating organisations have addressed critical use cases with innovative solutions and a passion for building more resilient financial infrastructure.”
Building on the success of this operational resilience programme, FRIL has now launched its next UK-wide Innovation Call focused on the future of Wealth support and advice.
Innovating firms across the UK are encouraged to apply and collaborate with industry partners to shape the future of inclusive, data-driven financial advice and guidance.
Anne Lanc – Co-Founder, Ionburst said:
“We’re delighted and honoured to be selected to receive the grant to develop our solution further. FRIL was a great opportunity for us to connect with a wide range of Financial Institutions and advisors to both understand their specific challenges, and showcase Ionburst’s cutting edge innovation in addressing a problem plaguing digital economies globally – how to secure, protect & recover data in any Cloud. FRIL was a great experience, very well run and one I’d recommend to other Fintechs with relevant solutions”
Rhona Kennedy, Head of Business Development, C2:
“FinTech Scotland’s FRIL initiative is an amazing opportunity to build solid relationships, gain feedback on products and insight into the incredible talent and ambition in the Scottish FinTech community. The funding is amazing, but it is the partnerships and support which really make this programme worthwhile.”
Mick O’Connor, Founder, HAELO:
“FRIL was a gamechanger for HAELO. To be able to attend deep dive sessions with customers and directly hear their candid experiences is commercial gold dust”
Caroline Steel, COO, Profylr:
“The FRIL challenges are instrumental to fintech growth in Scotland. The opportunity to gain further industry insight and collaborate with a strategic partner is invaluable.”
Ivan Andonovic, CSO, Lupovis:
“FRIL provides evolving companies wishing to secure market traction in the financial sector such as Lupovis with a co-development environment with end users that allows the creation of fit-for-purpose solutions that reduce the barrier to adoption.”
The Financial Regulation Innovation Lab is part of the Glasgow City Region Innovation Accelerator programme, funded through Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation. The Innovation Accelerator programme is investing £130 million in 26 transformative R&D projects to accelerate the growth of three high-potential innovation clusters, including the Glasgow City Region.
FinTech Scotland Announces Leadership Change
FinTech Scotland announces today that Nicola Anderson will be stepping down as Chief Executive at the end of 2025 to take up new senior director position with Scottish Enterprise.
Aleks Tomczyk is the new incoming Chief Executive for the cluster management body and will join with immediate effect as designate CEO, to work with Nicola over the remainder of 2025.
After five years as Chief Executive, Nicola is stepping down having made a significant impact on the growth and success of FinTech Scotland. During her tenure, she has been instrumental in leading the development of the fintech cluster, delivering substantial progress through ground-breaking research, innovation, and collaboration.
Under Nicola’s leadership, FinTech Scotland has launched and led a series of nationally and internationally recognised initiatives, including the Financial Regulation Innovation Lab and the UK’s first FinTech Research and Innovation Strategic Roadmap. These initiatives have served to strengthen the fintech opportunity in Scotland and continue to enhance its position as a leader in financial innovation.
Aleks Tomczyk takes the helm at FinTech Scotland to build on the excellent foundations now in place including a broad range of over thirty industrial and academic strategic partners, and a highly engaged fintech community of 250 plus strong entrepreneurial SMEs.
Stephen Ingledew, Chairman of Fintech Scotland, said:
“My deep heartfelt thanks to Nicola for her inspiring leadership as that has resulted in FinTech Scotland being recognised nationally and internationally as a leading cluster management organisation.
It has been a privilege to see Nicola’s visionary leadership achieve so much and Nicola will be a huge success in her new exciting role with Scottish Enterprise making a broader contribution to economic development.
As FinTech Scotland prepares for the next stage of its journey in driving economic growth through financial innovation, I am absolutely delighted that we have secured Aleks as our new Chief Executive. Aleks’ appointment comes after a detailed search process focused on what is needed for the next stage of our journey.”
Nicola Anderson said:
“It’s been a privilege to lead Fintech Scotland for the past five years and to work with so many committed and collaborative partners. We can all be proud of the fintech cluster we have collectively built and the positive impact of businesses and people in shaping the economy.
I know Aleks will be a huge success in this role and look forward to continuing to work with him.
Looking to the future I am excited by my new role which will focus on extending my experience and impact through fintech further, helping businesses across all sectors to succeed, thrive and grow.
Aleks Tomczyk said:
“I am delighted to be taking on the CEO role and building on the great work of Nicola and the team.
I am energised by the opportunity to deliver yet further for all our stakeholders. With a great academic base, an important financial services sector and ambitious growing fintechs there is much to build on and more potential that through continued collaboration can result in a positive impact on the economy.”
Catherine Martin said on behalf of University of Edinburgh:
“As a founding strategic partner, we have been delighted to be involved in the work and achievements of FinTech Scotland, and the growth in fintech over the past five years working with Nicola. We look forward to working with Aleks over the coming years.”
Jane Martin said on behalf of Scottish Enterprise:
“Nicola will bring fantastic experience of building partnerships in a key industry across industry, academia and the public sector to her new role at Scottish Enterprise to support scaling companies across further high growth sectors in Scotland. I look forward to working closely with her throughout her transition to lead our brilliant scaling team and with Aleks Tomczyk the incoming Chief Executive of FinTech Scotland as we continue to work together to benefit our economy.”
Jackie Leiper said on behalf of LBG and all Strategic Partners:
“Having been a Board Member of FinTech Scotland over the past few years and sponsoring LBG’s
partnership with FinTech Scotland, I would like to thank Nicola for her efforts and achievements on behalf of all Strategic Partners.
I have also got to know Aleks through his simultaneous presence on the FinTech Scotland Board. His experience as a fintech founder, committed cluster participant and business leader will help take FinTech Scotland forward to the benefit of all strategic partners.”
Myles Stephenson, Founder & CEO of Modulr, on behalf of the FinTech Scotland community:
“During Nicola’s tenure as CEO FinTech Scotland has gone from strength to strength with activities and initiatives that are enabling businesses to grow, partnerships to develop and deeper connectivity across the sector. I wish Nicola every success in her next role.
I have known Aleks since we became part of the FinTech community, a community that Aleks has been part of and I know he has a deep-seated drive to help all participants in the cluster succeed.”