From AI To Zombie Unicorns

In the fast-paced world of fintech, staying ahead of the curve is a necessity. The plethora of global fintech conferences that have popped up over the past decade is a jungle for the experienced tech pioneer to hack through.

Little wonder many of the industry’s movers and shakers make a point of attending the most influential and enlightening global fintech conferences in the calendar, 10 of which are highlighted below to keep you busy through to next summer.

Forums of knowledge exchange and leadership network opportunities, these blue-ribbon events provide ample opportunity to network with like-minded professionals, investors, policymakers, regulators, journalists, and influencers.

The top fintech conferences also offer a chance to witness groundbreaking industry developments, announcements, and product releases firsthand. You may even find the occasional cocktail gala, karaoke box session, or Bollywood dancing popup.

Get your planning calendar out and let’s go!

Money20/20, October 22-25, 2023, Las Vegas

Money20/20’s Las Vegas showpiece promises 13,000 of fintech’s finest under one roof. Providing nuggets of wisdom (and perhaps a side order of entertainment) for the assembly is a blue chip roster of over 350 expert speakers from banks, startups, and VCs , among them, Citi COO Anand Selvakesari, FIS President Stephanie Ferris, a16z Co-founder Ben Horowitz, Navan Co-founder Ariel Cohen, and Plaid CEO Zach Perret.

You are spoiled for choice at a conference replete with the U.S. policymaker scions, including U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) crypto mom Commissioner Hester Peirce, OCC Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu, former Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Chair Jelena McWilliams, and former Federal Reserve Board of Governers Vice Chair Randal Quarles.

With live podcasts, networking opportunities and keynote speeches, the three-day agenda will cover: 1) Trust & Uncertainty 2) Creative Destruction & A Technological Renaissance 3) Age of Fundamentals, and 4) It’s Time to Build (Utility). Topics such as regulatory trends in crypto, Know Your Customer (KYC) fraud prevention, and how to solve online payments in Africa. Money20/20 will pick up where it left off with an Asia show in 2024 (April 23-25, Bangkok) and Europe (June 4-6, Amsterdam).

FinTech Festival Tanzania, November 8-9, 2023, Dar Es Salam

The Future of Fintech and Ecommerce in Africa is the big, complex topic at the heart of this year’s FinTech Festival Tanzania, which expects to attract over 4,000 attendees from 45 different countries. With three separate zones – conference, networking and exhibition – the event will be positively teeming with entrepreneurs, investors, influencers, and policymakers, particularly those whose bread-and-butter work happens on the African continent.

This year’s themes include digital banking innovation, Web3 and InsurTech, and there’ll also be a talent recognition ceremony to recognize fintech milestones achieved in East Africa. Speakers confirmed so far include Trade Lenda CEO Adeshina Adewumi, Nala Cofounder Benjamin Fernandes, and Arxia CEO Daniel Hormorodean.

Benzinga Fintech Awards, November 13, 2023, New York

Leading financial news website Benzinga will be hosting what it claims will be the biggest gathering of capital markets fintech leaders in New York City this November. With a focus on networking through one-to-one meetings, strategic speed dating sessions and roundtables, it’s the place to be for executives, investors, and decision makers operating at the cutting edge of fintech.

The Benzinga Fintech Awards has already confirmed a slew of familiar featured speakers, including eToro US CEO Lule Demmissie, MoneyLion Chief Marketing Officer Cynthia Kleinbaum, and the DTCC’s Director Carlos Vivas. Awards will also be dispensed in a series of categories including Best VC, Best API Solution, Best Crypto Exchange, and Best Financial Literacy Tool.

Singapore FinTech Week, November 15-17, 2023, Singapore

Singapore recently elected a President who advocates for a single regulatory system for both crypto and traditional finance, so it’s little wonder many fintech firms have set up shop in the country. This year’s Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) will focus heavily on the growth and adoption of AI, and how the technology can be used in financial services.

Elsewhere, there are zones for founders, regulation, ESG and talent, with estimates of over 62,000 participants and 850 speakers from 134 countries are expected to attend. Featured speakers set to hold court will include such luminaries as World Bank President Ajay Banga, CFTC Commissioner Caroline D. Pham, and Arbor Ventures Co-founder Melissa Guzy.

FinTech Connect, December 6-7, 2023, London

FinTech Connect will train its focus on four key fintech verticals when it hits London’s ExCel Arena in December, namely digital innovation and Gen AI, payments, web3, and RegTech and security. Now in its tenth year, the show attracts over 3,000 attendees and boasts 180 speakers, including Pennyworth CEO Jeremy Takle, BNY Mellon Head of EMEA Innovation Mariya Brown, and Lloyds’ Head of Fintech Investment Robin Scher.

Keynote fireside chats will examine topics such as Human vs Digital – what really matters in banking and How can you streamline your UX whilst remaining secure?

World Economic Forum (WEF), January 15-19, 2024, Davos

No annual event influences world affairs quite like the meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The 54th such meeting will primarily focus on exploring the opportunities enabled by the new technologies and their implications on decision-making and global partnership. As always, many world leaders and executives from the world of business, banking and civil society will be in town to discuss current challenges and pressing priorities for the next 12 months.

The WEF’s form launched the EDISON Alliance to accelerate digital inclusion in critical sectors last year and fintech is certain to be high on the agenda. When I was the CEO of Innovate Finance, we “disrupted” the WEF when we brought fintech CEOs and industry leaders to Davos in 2016. Nowadays, the Davos Promenade is the heart of the global tech community for the week, this is one of WEF founder Klaus Schwab’s legacies. Hobnob with world leaders, CxOs, and entrepreneurs at the Piano Bar après-ski.

Fintech World 24, March 13-14, 2024, Berlin

Berlin is the focus of the fintech world’s attention in mid-March, as Fintech World 24 gets underway in the German capital. Notable for its dialogue-oriented formats, the event, hosted in the impressive Motorwerk Berlin building, focuses on tech trends and disruptive business models currently shaping the financial services landscape throughout Europe.

Over 150 tech companies plus a slew of investors, consultants and industry service providers will be in attendance to discuss topics categorized into 13 different ‘themed worlds’, such as Investment, InsurTech, Personal Finance Management and Crypto.

New York Fintech Week, April 18 to 24, 2024, New York

A week of roundtables, conferences, and soirées with collaboration at the top of the agenda, the New York fintech ecosystem has New York Fintech Week firmly in its sights. Pay attention to the Financial Wellness Pitch Day, along with the AgeTech Collaborative Roundtable – the Investor Reverse Pitch Breakfast is a must attend, especially in this challenging funding market.

With over 4,000 entrepreneurs and investors attending from over 400 fintechs over more than 40 events, and an opening soiree and boat cruise claiming to be the largest of its kind ever for the conference, this is a must attend event for those interested in East Coast finech.

IFGS Global Summit May 14-16, 2024, London

The OG fintech conference that convened startups, institutions, venture capitalists, regulators, and policymakers and caters to market content over sponsor driven content, started in 2015 and is in its 9^th year. The Innovate Finance Global Summit is hosted in the City of London’s Guildhall – the high church of global fintech.

The conference is the face of fintech that launched 1,000 fintech conferences. You’re probably thinking I would say this as the former CEO of Innovate Finance, and you’re right. On my watch in the halcyon days of fintech, the fintech conference scene flourished globally into what you see today, and this is the conference that set the pace with the playbook many other conferences copied.

The 2024 agenda has not been published, but the summit is sure to host CxO speakers from the world’s leading fintechs joined by policymakers from the highest levels of government in the U.K. and around the world. There are also a number of fintech events sponsored by the U.K. government during the week. Beware of ending up in one of London’s Soho karaoke boxes after hours.

Dubai FinTech Summit, May 6-7, 2024, Dubai

Firmly established as one of the world’s top fintech hubs, Dubai will be the destination for the industry’s key players come early May 2024. Next year’s edition of the Dubai FinTech Summit aims to “set a global benchmark for the way enterprises and governments approach financial innovation,” and while neither the agenda nor speaker list have yet been published, the summit is sure to tackle familiar themes: digital payments, open finance, web3 and sustainability.

Don’t Forget To Pack Your Open Mind And Charger

Whether your scrutinizing your travel budget in these tough economic times to work out the one global fintech conference that will do the biz for you and your firm, or, you are a perennial fintech conferencegoer and attend many of these top global conferences, keep an open mind.

Fintech funding is at a decade’s low, the world order is changing, and there is much global political and macroeconomic uncertainty. Financial services and fintech is not immune to this change – winter is coming. The smart money is focused on building through 2024 and keeping an eye out for green shoots moving into 2025.

And don’t forget your charger. Whatever digital device you are using, your open mind will unlikely be able to absorb the volume of content delivered at you. Your notes, pictures, social, and conference apps are likely to run your batteries down pretty quickly.