FinTech Wales announces first festival as sector continues to grow
FinTech Wales announces first festival as sector continues to grow
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FinTech Wales has announced plans to stage Wales’ first dedicated Fintech Festival in 2026, marking a pivotal moment for the nation’s fast-expanding financial technology sector.
The announcement coincides with the publication of the organisation’s 2024/25 Annual Report—its most extensive assessment yet of Wales’ fintech strength, investment performance and global reach.
The festival will become the first major event in Wales focused exclusively on the fintech and financial services industries.
The festival announcement sits against a backdrop of sustained growth and resilience documented in the new annual report.
FinTech Wales highlights that more than £20 million has already been raised by Welsh fintech firms in 2025, with successful pre-seed, early-stage and growth fundraising rounds completed by companies including Driverly, Finalrentals and Unity Accountancy.
Burbank secured a £5 million seed round to launch its Card Present over Internet (CPoI) solution, believed to be a global first in payments, while Credas continued to lead compliance innovation with its reusable Compliance Wallet.
Ethical fintech Zero closed two crowdfunding rounds in 2025, raising a combined £757,000 in October and pushing its total funding to more than £3.9 million.
Meanwhile, Propel Finance completed one of the largest funding rounds ever seen in the Welsh fintech landscape: a landmark £1.5 billion raise to support thousands of SMEs across the UK.
Vacancies in fintech, particularly across risk and compliance, fraud, cyber and platform engineering, grew steadily through late 2024 and into 2025.
Creditsafe reinforced that trajectory by announcing plans for 300 new finance roles at its new Cardiff headquarters.
Sarah Jones, CEO of FinTech Wales, said: “It’s been a fantastic year for fintech in Wales, and this report shows a sector that is not only growing but leading, innovating and expanding globally.
“Launching Wales’ first Fintech Festival is the natural next step. It’s the perfect opportunity to showcase our thriving sector, create new opportunities and connections, and elevate Wales’ position on the world stage. The world is watching, and Wales is ready.”
Sarah Williams-Gardener, Chair of FinTech Wales, said: “Wales has resilience and innovation at its core, and this year’s achievements show just how powerfully those qualities are shaping our fintech future.
“The launch of the festival marks another major milestone, a signal of a sector accelerating with confidence, ambition and real economic impact.
“With so many sectors across fintech all growing at extraordinary pace, and with Welsh talent continuing to shine on the global stage, the future has never looked brighter for Wales.”
Rebecca Evans, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, said: “The Welsh Government is delighted that FinTech Wales is planning to deliver Wales’s first Fintech Festival in 2026.
“From the hugely successful Wales Investment Summit to Wales Tech Week, Wales is enjoying an extraordinary period of international recognition across a number of dynamic and forward-looking sectors.
“Our Fintech ecosystem is a magnet for inward investment and this event will help further promote it as a world-class home for financial technology.”
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