Canary Wharf innovation centre Level39 is playing host to 24 fintech startups from across the Mediterranean for a two-day programme organised by UK Trade and Investment, with the aim of raising the profile of London's vibrant financial scene as a strategic partner for growing early-stage businesses.
The range of companies from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Israel and Greece cover all the usual fintech bases, with new business ideas in areas such as blockchain, robo-advising, and peer-to-peer lending.
Over the course of the next two days they will have the chance to pitch their business to investors such as Google Ventures, Santander Innoventures and Firestartr.
The companies are spending their first day at the Canary Wharf based Technology Accelerator, Level39, in partnership with global innovation outfit Entiq. Alongside the pitches, they will also have one-to-one mentoring meetings with established experts in their particular sphere of interest and engage with key sector contacts at a networking reception sponsored by Banco Santander.
The following day will see them find out more around opportunities to set up in the UK through talks held by UKTI Sector Specialists, London and Partners, Mazars and Bloomberg.
Elena Williams, COO of UKTI’s financial services organisation, says: “With London now the biggest global centre for fintech firms, and with over £300m worth of investment made in London fintech in the first six months of this year alone, we are confident that the whole delegation will find this visit very productive.”