Finovate Europe: A snapshot of industry hot buttons

Four hot topics of note are a window into the coming wave of fintech breakthroughs.

The Finovate series of conferences—which now literally spans the globe with the new Africa and Middle East editions—remains among my favorite windows into the coming wave of financial technology breakthroughs.

For those unfamiliar with the event, Finovate originated the high-wire, seven-minute live demo format with no slideware or videos allowed. The handful of resulting technical glitches add an aura of suspense and assure the 1,000-strong audience that the process is legit.

Glitches aren’t necessarily fatal flaws, either, as the underlying concept often still shines through and even generates a bit of sympathy—as it did this month when Alexa went haywire on one hapless presenter.

This March, 13 American and Canadian firms ventured across the pond to showcase their wares while 20 British companies claimed home-pitch advantage at the London locale.

 

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