FinTech North: Newcastle 2026

Join us for our sixth annual Newcastle Conference, hosted in partnership with Mastercard, DXC & North East Combined Authority!
About this Event

We’re delighted to be returning to the North East for our sixth annual Newcastle Conference, hosted in partnership with Mastercard, DXC and the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority on the 14th of July!

This year’s conference will celebrate the remarkable growth and momentum of the North East’s FinTech sector, shining a spotlight on regional strengths across payments, banking, data & AI, purpose-driven FinTech and more. We’ll also explore the powerful opportunities for collaboration across the ecosystem - bringing together established firms, policymakers, academic thought-leaders, industry bodies and emerging innovators to spark new ideas, partnerships, and future growth.

We’re especially excited to be heading back to Wylam Brewery, one of the region’s most beloved and characterful venues, set within the historic Palace of Arts in Exhibition Park. Originally built for the 1929 North East Coast Exhibition, a celebration of the region’s industrial innovation and ambition, the venue has long been a place where people come together to share ideas and shape the future. Today, its unique blend of heritage and creativity makes it the perfect setting for a day of insight, connection, and conversation, followed by an evening of networking at the post-conference social.

With around 50 fintech firms employing close to 4,000 people and contributing £225bn in GVA, the North East has firmly established itself as one of the UK’s most exciting fintech hubs. The region is home to leading organisations such as Sage, Atom Bank, Newcastle Building Society, and Virgin Money, alongside a vibrant and growing community of startups and scaleups driving innovation across the sector.

Celebrating these strengths, key themes we’ll explore include:

• Financial services 2036: what’s next?
• The next generation of payments innovation
• Speed & Safety: Strategic Deployment of AI in FinTech
• FinTech for good: powering inclusion, sustainability, and social value

For more information and for opportunities for collaboration, please reach out to us at [email protected].

AGENDA:

*This agenda is under construction and is subject to change*

9:45 am - 10:45 am: Registration & Networking

10:45 pm - 10:55 am: Welcome from FinTech North

Delivered by Joe Roche, General Manager, FinTech North

10:55 am - 11:05 am: Welcome and Regional Updates

Featuring the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority

11:05 am - 11:15 am: The Chris Sier Keynote

Delivered by Clare Black, COO, CFIT

11:15 am - 11:25 am: North of England FinTech Report Findings & Recommendations

Delivered by Stefan Haase, Director, Whitecap Consulting

11:25 am - 12:05 pm: Northern Currents: What Will Propel Financial Services into 2036?

Panel moderated by Stephen Ingledew OBE, Chairman, FinTech Scotland
Dr Emma Black, CEO & Co-Founder, Cascade
Mark Mullen, CEO, Atom Bank
more speakers tbc

12:05 pm - 12:15 pm: NEPO Financial Services: Innovation and Opportunity

Michael Murray, Commercial & Partnerships Manager, NEPO

12:15 pm - 12:40 pm: Redefining How Money Moves: Tokenisation and Payments Innovation

• Moderator: Katharine Wooller, Chief Strategist Banking & Financial Services, Softcat
• Dai Davis, Partner, Spencer West LLP
more speakers tbc

12:40 pm - 12:50 pm: North East Star: Unlocking the Power of Payments Data

speaker tbc

12:50 pm - 1:05 pm: Fireside chat tbc - card payments innovation

1:10 pm - 2:00 pm: Lunch & Networking

2:05 pm - 2:25 pm: AI Adoption - Beyond Proof of Concept

Delivered by Hari Govindarajan, Chief AI & Transformation Officer - UK&I, DXC Technology

2:25 pm - 3:10 pm: AI at the Intersection of Trust, Data and Digital Infrastructure: A panel discussion

• Nitesh Thadani, CTO, PEXA
• Vicky Adeney, Vice President, Data Strategy, UK & Europe, Mastercard
• Luke Hope, CTO, Onteric
• Naheed Akram, Founder, Karakor Consultancy
• Paul Hands, CTO, Ark51
• Moderator: Kevin Telford, Co-founder, FinPact

3:15 pm - 3:25 pm: Break

3:30 pm - 4:15 pm: Fintech as a Force for Good: Innovation, Inclusion, and Impact

Jessa Loomis, Senior Lecturer in Economic Geography, Newcastle University
Laura Scott, COO, Dialect
Peter Cunnane, Director of International & Partnerships, Innovate Finance
Recite Me, speaker tbc
Moderator: James Brown, CEO, Leeds Credit Union

4:15 pm - 4:35 pm: Beyond the Pitch: Using Community Power to Build Digital Careers

Moderator: Catherine Riley, Project & Event Manager, DXC Technology
Gavin Ferry, Senior Manager - Learning & Skills, Newcastle United Foundation
Craig Wilson, STEM Learning Coordinator, Newcastle United Foundation

4:35 pm - 4:55 pm: Regional Start-up Stars: A Showcase

Sateesh Ramoutar, CCO, Easology

Sean Tyrer, CEO and Founder of Money Carer

Session hosted by Oliver Chesher, Managing Director, Galibier

more speakers tbc

4:55 pm - 5:00 pm: Closing remarks

5:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Evening Social

Wylam Brewery
Palace of Arts Exhibition Park
Claremont Rd
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE2 4PZ

8:00 pm: Event to close