'We want to build AI-powered tech solutions that wow customers': London fintech appoints new CTO to lead Northern Ireland's £10million tech hub and tackle global financial crime
Located at Pearl Assurance House, Napier AI’s new Belfast hub is set to expand with a £10 million investment and aims to reach 100 staff within two years
Napier AI, a London-based fintech focused on combating global money laundering and financial crime, has named industry veteran Noel King as its new chief technology officer.
As part of his appointment, Noel will also lead Napier AI’s Belfast centre of excellence, a new high-performing tech hub in Northern Ireland dedicated to the research and development of Napier AI’s AI-powered anti-money laundering technology.
Located at Pearl Assurance House, the new hub is set to expand with a £10 million investment and aims to reach 100 staff within two years. As part of the centre’s mission, Napier AI is working closely with Belfast City Council on training and upskilling initiatives to create career paths and opportunities for people in the local area. These plans are set to expand to programming courses for young people in Northern Ireland.
Noel brings extensive experience in tech strategy, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity, having previously served as CTO at Implement Technologies and Shipyard Technology Ventures, and holding senior roles at Mastercard and Goldman Sachs.
In his new role, he will also oversee the development of Napier AI’s compliance software, including client screening, transaction monitoring, and transaction screening tools, which are designed to help financial institutions detect and prevent financial crime more effectively using API-first, AI-driven solutions.
He explained: “Technology and software are our best defence against financial crime, and Napier AI is best positioned to solve that problem globally. We understand the challenges facing financial institutions.
"They’re tasked with screening large networks of transactions, people and businesses for malicious financial criminals in a landscape that’s growing increasingly sophisticated and complex.
"We want to build AI-powered tech solutions that wow customers, addressing their future plans and biggest pain points.”
Napier AI chief executive Greg Watson said: “Our mission is to be the global leader in financial crime compliance software, and Noel is the perfect person to make that happen.
"His expertise in building and scaling technology companies will be invaluable as we continue on our exciting journey of helping financial institutions across the globe root out financial crime. Technology has a vital part to play in that and Noel’s leadership will help us double down on our tech vision and bring AI to the forefront of anti-money laundering.”
As part of his appointment, King will also lead Napier AI’s Belfast centre of excellence, a new high-performing tech hub in Northern Ireland dedicated to the research and development of Napier AI’s AI-powered anti-money laundering technology.