Three Northern Irish businesses are selected for Tech Nation Fintech 3.0

Of the 143 organisations to apply, Automated Intelligence, Lightyear and Datactics, all based in Belfast, were chosen to join the group of just 31 companies from across the UK.

As the global pandemic and its effects roll on, it has become even more important for scaling companies to connect, problem solve with each other, and learn from experts within the field – it will be key to their success. By connecting and supporting emerging UK fintechs, Fintech 3.0 hopes to help to maintain the UK’s position as a fintech global leader.

The six-month programme is designed to help high potential fintechs scale-up, skill-up and grow-up, by providing access to industry experts, networking opportunities and mentorship.

David Allisterr, Chairman at FintechNI said: “Northern Ireland accounts for 10% of all firms accepted onto Tech Nation’s Fintech programme, making us the most represented region per head in the UK. That is an amazing achievement and is indicative of the talent and innovation coming out of Northern Ireland. Programmes, such as Fintech 3.0, are critical in giving scaling businesses the exposure and experience they need to become global leaders.”

Simon Cole, CEO at Automated Intelligence, continued: “The current climate, while challenging, represents a huge opportunity for Fintech. The rising pace of contactless transactions demands world class automation of data governance and compliance, and we’re delivering that at scale. That we’re joined by two other fantastic local companies, is testimony to the strength and depth of Northern Ireland’s Fintech ecosystem and its growing reputation as a global hub for fintech innovation.”

Now in its third iteration, Tech Nation reported a 20% increase in applications from last year, further indicating the continued expansion of the UK’s Fintech sector.

The final cohort of 31 was selected by a prestigious panel of mentors, experts and respected figures from the financial technology and wider tech communities. Judges included Catherine Wines, Co-founder, WorldRemit, Richard Theo, Founder & CEO, Wealthify, Tim Levene, CEO, Augmentum VC, Amir Nooriala, CCO, CallSign, Eileen Burbidge, Partner, Passion Capital and Lou Smith, CDO, Lloyd’s.

Gary Davidson, entrepreneur engagement Manager for Northern Ireland at Tech Nartion added: “It brings me so much joy to announce that 10% of Tech Nation’s new Fintech 3.0 cohort is from Northern Ireland. This truly showcases the power of NI’s scaling Fintech sector and I can’t wait for Automated Intelligence, Datactics & Lightyear to start their journey with us.”

“Lightyear are proud to have been selected as part of the prestigious TechNation Fintech program. Within two short years, we are already processing billions of pounds of payables invoices for thousands of businesses of all sizes around the world and saving hundreds of thousands of hours on manual data entry. It is even more pleasing to see two other local Northern Ireland companies join us. The Northern Ireland fintech ecosystem is booming and this is further validation of the potential for Northern Ireland to lead the world in innovative financial technology and create a new highly skilled industry segment founded upon high quality Northern Irish native companies,” concluded Chris Gregg, Founder and CEO at Lightyear.

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