CSFI Fintech for Breakfast - Cultural change and tough economics: can UK fintech rise to the challenges?

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We are pleased to announce the next Fintech for Breakfast event, kindly hosted by Allen & Overy.

As Warren Buffet famously noted, 'only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked'. There has been a fair bit of embarrassment on the fintech beach recently - including the series of crypto failures and the implosion of Silicon Valley Bank, the darling of the tech bros. Who is next? Where does it leave UK 's ambition to lead the world fintech? And why now? The debate will include discussion of whether:

• Fintech innovation really is a step change that is driving financial services growth in the UK and boosting productivity. And if the UK's fintech market really does lead the world, what benefits does that bring?
• What are the lessons and implications of the Silicon Valley Bank's implosion? Is this 'chumocracy' coming home to roost? What blame, if any, lies with regulators? Can a GSIB like HSBC take on the role of financier to scrappy start-ups? As cheap money dries up and business models based on hyper-scaling come unstuck, is 2023 the year of domino failures, with tech companies for sale on the cheap and opportunistic M&A by incumbents?

Why you should attend
What makes CSFI debates so special? It's the first-hand insight from members and the forthright exchanges in the room - all under the Chatham House rule. So, come and be challenged and inspired.

Who will be speaking?
Martina Garcia, CSFI Director
Giles Andrews, OBE
Helene Panzarino, Director of the Centre for Digital Banking and Finance, The London Institute of Banking & Finance
William Samengo-Turner, Partner, Allen & Overy

Martina Garcia, CSFI Director who will chair this discussion with:

Giles Andrews, OBE. has extensive experience in financial technology, lending and investment. In 2004, he co-founded Zopa, the world's first online peer-to-peer lending business (now a digital bank), where he served as CEO (2007-2015) and chairman (2015-2019) and remains an active board member. He is also a non-executive director of Bank of Ireland Group plc, of C. Hoare &Co, and he chairs carwow, Europe's leading online marketplace for buying new cars and helping consumers sell their current car.

William Samengo-Turner, partner at Allen & Overy. As Allen & Overy's co-head of technology for EMEA, he focuses on a wide range of corporate and commercial matters within the tech sector and its related industries - both in EMEA and the United States. He advises some of the world's leaders in technology on a range of issues including M&A, JVs, private fundraising, and digital transformation.

Helene Panzarino, Director of the Centre for Digital Banking and Finance at LIBF. Helene is an experienced FinTech Programme Director, part of the Vacuumlabs Community Bank team, exited entrepreneur, educator and author. Her career boasts a number of 'firsts', including the FinTech Scale Programme for Rainmaking, the Inaugural Programme of Education and Events for Innovate Finance, the FinTech Entrepreneurship Masters' for UCL. Board and advisory roles include digital identity scale up, Biid, the UK safeguarding RegTech, Kalgera, and the UK Digital Bank Pennyworth. Her book 'Reinventing Banking & Finance: Frameworks to navigate global fintech innovation' (Kogan), was the #1 banking book for 2021 by Investopedia.