2025 Conference Agenda​

24th September 2025, EICC Edinburgh

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SESSION 1

The morning session will focus on collaborative innovation in the age of AI. We will consider the role of partnerships for enabling transformation and progress; examine how we can mitigate some of the challenges that AI poses for internal teams, and then discuss how we can ensure we retain the human touch and keep the customer at the centre of innovation. 

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09:15     Welcome from the Conference Chair

Mark Stephen, Journalist & Broadcaster, BBC Scotland

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09:20    Introduction to the 2025 Festival

Nicola Anderson, CEO, FinTech Scotland

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09:25    The Power of Partnership​​​

Emma Hagan, UK CEO, ClearBank
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09:40    Overcoming the Barriers to Innovation​​

Elaine McLaughlan, Open Banking & Fintech Product Owner, TSB

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09:55    Rethinking Growing People in the Age of AI​​

Meri Williams, CTO, Pleo

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10:10     The Impact of AI on Customer Experience

Sapna Maheswari, VP: CX Product & Design, Thoughtworks

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10:25     Combined Q&A

10:55     Networking & Refreshments

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SESSION 2 

Session two will hone-in on a variety of key topics in longer individual slots. Presentations will be run across four parallel streams, providing delegates the opportunity to attend two of the breakout options.

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11:30    First Breakout Option (A-D)​​

12:05   Transition

12:15    Second Breakout Option (E-H)

​12:45    Lunch & Networking

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Breakout Options Include: 

 

Panel: The Challenges & Opportunities of Scaling a Fintech in Scotland 

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Thomas Gillan, CEO, BR-DGE 

Rachel Curtis, CEO, InicioAI  

Andrew Duncan, CEO, Soar 

Christine Bamford, CEO, Women’s Coin 

Gillian Boston, Director: Financial Services, Johnston Carmichael  

The Evolution & Application of Agentic AI 

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• What is agentic AI and why is it attracting renewed attention?  

• Early efforts and why agentic AI is experiencing a renaissance  

• How it is being used to reshape business outcomes - grounded in real-world experience  

• The future: the next frontier isn’t just about greater efficiency, it’s unlocking entirely new possibilities

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Jamie Stark, Sr Director: AI Automation, Moody’s  

The Monetization Playbook for Fintech AI Agents​

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• Why AI Agents Matter for Fintech: how agents are changing build, delivery, monetisation. 

• What an AI Agent Actually Is: defining what separates agents with real-world examples. 

• The Agent Stack Under the Hood: interface, memory, reasoning, action 

• Five Ways to Monetise AI Agents: An overview of the key models  

• Examples in the Wild: consumer and business use cases  

• Challenges and Questions to Solve: considerations on trust, UX, regulation, attribution  

• Closing: The Opportunity Ahead: why now is the time to rethink how value is created

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Abiodun Olowode, CTO, Metrifox 

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The Modern Identity Challenge: overcoming complexity, and addressing the three pillars of trust, security, and scale

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• Hippo and Ping: A platform for trust

• Case Study 1: The NHS – scaling security and trust in the public sector

• Case Study 2: Virgin – unifying customer journeys at scale

• The Future Roadmap: continuous innovation & a future-proof IAM roadmap that can adapt to evolving threats and business needs

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Jim Small, Managing Consultant – Head of Identity, Hippo Digital
Samudra Gupta, Senior Solutions Architect, Ping Identity
 

Closing the action gap: Innovating CX by using behavioural science and AI to get closer to your customers

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• Financial innovation is shifting towards personalised experiences, but behavioural change won’t be achieved through a “build and hope” approach

• Regulations like AGBR and Targeted Support are pushing for better customer support, but will this solve the barriers to trust, engagement and action?

• Open Finance data and AI offer huge potential to personalise experiences if applied with an understanding of people’s deep-seated motivation and hang-ups about money

• This talk outlines a vision for personalised finance, how to grow trust and loyalty and improve outcomes through customer-centric innovation within evolving regulatory boundaries, using technology and behavioural science principles to close the action gap

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Simon Hull, Director of Financial Services, CreateFuture  

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Why AI is forcing a rethink of financial services cyber security?

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• Customer experience of AI in Fintech

• The growing digital interdependency of financial organisations

• The security implications of AI within the sector 

 

Drawing on real world experience Dr Colin Williams of Computacenter and Mark Mitchell of Check Point will present on practical approaches to this multi-facetted discipline including the deployment of security architectures for Fintech organisations, individuals and end users and how we can collectively deliver enhanced secure services

Dr Colin Williams, CTO, Computacenter
Mark Mitchell, Security Engineer, Check Point

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SESSION 3

Building on the themes from the morning session, the afternoon will focus on shaping the future of financial services. We will look at the work of the BoE and FCA to ensure that innovation is positively leveraged to the benefit of consumers and the market, and then explore how FS companies are using financial technology to improve outcomes for their customers in practice.

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13:35     Innovation & the Bank of England’s Fintech Hub

Amy Lee, Head of Fintech Hub, Bank of England​

 

13:50    The FCA’s Vision for Innovation in Financial Services

Ian Phoenix, Head of Intelligence and Digital, FCA

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14:05    Strategising for Change and Customer Impact​

Karen Kerrigan, COO, Moneybox

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14:20    Delivering Practical GenAI Innovation​

Stephen Johnston, Head of Solutions Architecture, Barclays

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​14:35   Combined Q&A

15:05   Closing Remarks

15:10    End of Session

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Virtual Keynote

 

On Demand: Insights from the Evident AI Index

 

Alexandra Mousavizadeh, CEO, Evident Insights

*The conference agenda is provisional, and speakers and content are subject to change.