University partners with industry body to boost UK’s FinTech ecosystem

Janine Hirt

Innovate Finance, the independent industry body that represents and advances the global FinTech community in the UK, has announced its first strategic academic partnership with Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS).

As a member of Innovate Finance, AMBS will sit at the heart of the UK’s FinTech network – a community comprised of stakeholders across government, high growth companies and FinTech centres around the world – exploring how the financial services industry can be developed to ensure it stays at the forefront of innovation.

The partnership follows the Government’s independent review, led by Ron Kalifa, that sets out a strategy to keep the UK at the top of the global FinTech league table.

The Kalifa Review of UK FinTech forms part of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s plan to make the UK the most open and dynamic place in the world to operate a financial services business. AMBS also featured in the review, highlighting the business school’s development of cutting edge research to support the FinTech industry and build a pipeline of FinTech talent.

As part of the partnership, AMBS will also take a seat on the FinTech Strategy Group, which acts as a liaison between the FinTech community, working alongside leading retail and investment banks and providing input across Whitehall and Westminster.

The partnership was launched at the recent FinTech North Manchester conference, hosted at The University of Manchester. The collaboration will open up opportunities for the FinTech community to collaborate with academics from across the university.

Prof Markos Zachariadis, chair of financial technology and information systems at AMBS, said: “The Kalifa Review highlighted opportunities to create highly skilled jobs across the UK, boost trade and extend a competitive edge over other leading fintech hubs.

Prof Markos Zachariadis

“This partnership sets out to do just that. We’re in a strong position here in the North West with numerous success stories in the FinTech sphere. This partnership will enable us to promote our ground breaking research and connect with even more stakeholders to ensure we keep the region – and indeed the whole of the UK – at the forefront of the FinTech world.”

Janine Hirt, CEO at Innovate Finance, said: “We at Innovate Finance are committed to moving the FinTech agenda forward both in the UK and globally. This exciting strategic partnership with AMBS will enable us to bring industry expertise together alongside academic excellence to continue to push the boundaries and transform financial services for the better.”

Fiona Devine, head of AMBS, said: “At AMBS, we are firmly behind the FinTech agenda. The region boasts strong skills in this space, as well as ever-growing digital industries.

“Working closely with Innovate Finance will enable us to strengthen these assets further, pooling our industry expertise and academic knowledge to bring more businesses on board, not just in financial services, but further afield.”

Close