FINANCIAL FIRMS, TELECOMS AND TECHNOLOGY LEADERS LAUNCH A COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMME IN INTERNATIONAL FRAUD AWARENESS WEEK TO TACKLE FINANCIAL CRIME ACROSS THE UK
As part of International Fraud Awareness week, 11 industry partners including BT, HSBC, Morgan Stanley, Abrdn, TSB, Virgin Money, Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, Fujitsu, Equifax and Dudley Building Society are collaborating to launch an innovation programme focused on addressing financial crime. As part of the Financial Regulation Innovation Lab, FinTech Scotland, SuperTech West Midlands, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority will lead the UK wide innovation call aiming to create an environment for collaborative innovation in order to tackle financial crime challenges.
Innovators worldwide are invited to apply to join the programme by 13 January 2025. Successful applicants will benefit from direct support from industry leaders, an unparalleled opportunity to refine and test their propositions within a robust framework. Participants will also gain insights through exclusive roundtables, masterclasses, and workshops led by leading academics from the University of Glasgow, University of Strathclyde, Aston University, and Birmingham City University.
This initiative builds on the momentum of three previous innovation calls launched this year by FinTech Scotland through its Financial Regulation Innovation Lab (FRIL). By publishing industry-led challenge statements, FRIL invites innovators to develop new solutions to address real world challenges. By focussing on non-competitive challenges, FRIL encourages collaboration across established institutions, delivering meaningful change in financial services and other sectors.
In addition, this fourth call further expands the geographical reach of FRIL. Having expanded recently on the call relating to Consumer Duty, launched in September, with the partnership with SuperTech West Midlands, the financial crime programme welcomes the addition of Greater Manchester Combined Authority to cement the development of FRIL as an asset for the whole of the UK. As the three geographies with Innovation Accelerator pilots, part of the government’s commitment to place-based innovation investment through Innovate UK, part of UKRI, the partnership is working to demonstrate the power of this approach and that of cluster-led innovation activity relevant to advancing the UK’s position in a priority sector
This collaboration will deepen FRIL’s impact in tackling financial crime, with a specific focus on five use cases provided by industry.
The call will conclude on 20 March 2025 with a showcase event, offering innovators the chance to present their solutions to a broad range of senior stakeholders.
Applications close on 13 January 2025. For more information and to view the programme’s use cases, please follow this link.
Nicola Anderson, CEO at FinTech Scotland said:
“FRIL is all about the power of collaboration, bringing together diverse expertise to deliver better outcomes for all. By partnering with other UK regions, we are strengthening the UK’s position as a leader in financial innovation, connecting the best minds and resources to address some of the industry’s toughest challenges.”
Hilary Smyth-Allen, Executive Director SuperTech:
“Joining this latest thematic call with FRIL, we are building on the strong base of cross-regional collaboration of innovation endeavour. As the partnership expands, the undoubted winner is the UK; this time in tackling some of the biggest challenges facing industry and citizens as result of financial crime.”
Innovate UK - Led by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation, the pilot Innovation Accelerators programme invested £100m in 26 transformative R&D projects to accelerate the growth of three high-potential innovation clusters – Glasgow City Region, Greater Manchester and West Midlands. This is a new model of R&D decision making that empowers local leaders to harness innovation to drive regional economic growth, help attract private investment and develop future technologies.
Editor Notes
About FinTech Scotland
www.FinTechscotland.com
@FinTechScotland
FinTech Scotland is an independent not for profit cluster body jointly established with the financial services sector, universities and Scottish Enterprise to ensure that Scotland seizes the FinTech opportunities and achieves positive economic and social outcomes by encouraging financial innovation, collaboration and inclusion as part of the broader digital economy objectives.
The organisation acts as a strategic enabler and cluster management body focused on leveraging the potential economic (i.e. productivity, innovation, business creation, employment) and social (i.e. financial inclusion, well-being and accessibility) benefits arising from becoming a leading global centre focused on Fintech innovation.
FinTech Scotland’s objectives are to develop an innovative community of FinTech firms, generate impactful collaborations between firms of all sizes and foster an inclusive cluster which is UK and globally recognised and connected.
FinTech Scotland was founded in January 2018 as a joint initiative by University of Edinburgh, Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC and Scottish Enterprise. The organisation is now supported by a broad range of global financial services, technology and professional services firms as well as major universities, the Financial Conduct Authority and Scottish Enterprise.
In August 2022, FinTech Scotland was formally recognised for the development of the Fintech cluster and accredited with the silver label for Cluster Management Excellence by the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis (ESCA).
In 2019, FinTech Scotland was one the founding bodies along with FinTech North and Innovate Finance of the UK FinTech National Network which drives collaborative fintech innovation and development across all UK regions. SuperTech WM was formed and joined the UK FinTech National Network in 2021.
This project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus