The University of Edinburgh - Using AI for ethical innovation in Financial Services & Fintech collaborations
Join the University of Edinburgh’s Learning Lab on Tuesday, 10 June, for a session exploring the future of fintech and the value of collaboration across sectors.
Hosted by Nicola Anderson, CEO of Fintech Scotland, this event brings together progressive voices from academia and industry experts to discuss how cross-sector partnerships can shape the next phase of fintech innovation in the UK.
Discussion themes will include:
-
The ethical and responsible use of data and AI in financial technologies
-
How universities contribute research expertise, talent, and independent insight to collaborative innovation
-
The long-term potential of fintech to support inclusive, sustainable economic growth
As one of the UK’s most dynamic and fast-growing sectors, fintech continues to evolve through close engagement between financial institutions, startups, researchers, and policymakers. Universities play a critical role in this ecosystem—contributing to workforce development, applied research, and the creation of new technologies.
For the past decade, the University of Edinburgh has been at the forefront of a thriving innovation ecosystem, engaging with diverse companies to foster cutting-edge advancements. This session offers a rare opportunity to gain invaluable insights in fintech innovation and presents a chance to reflect on where the industry is heading and how shared efforts can support fintech for the long term.
📅 Tuesday 10 June 2025
🕐 10:30am-11:30am
📍 London Olympia, Room: Henley 4
Speakers
Nicola Anderson, Chief Executive Officer, FinTech Scotland
Nicola Anderson is the Chief Executive Officer of FinTech Scotland, where she leads one of Europe’s most dynamic and collaborative fintech clusters. With over a decade of senior regulatory experience at the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority, Nicola brings a unique blend of regulatory expertise, commercial acumen, and strategic foresight to financial innovation. Since becoming CEO, she has worked to scale Scotland’s fintech sector—from 26 to over 250 fintech SMEs—attracting more than £1.8billion in investment and achieving formal recognition for FinTech Scotland as a European Cluster of Excellence.
Nicola is the founder partner of the Financial Regulation Innovation Lab and leads initiatives that fuse emerging technologies with regulation to simplify compliance, enable growth, and support financial inclusion. Her leadership spans cross-sector collaboration, with over 30 strategic partnerships across industry, government, academia, and regulators. She has also contributed to UK wide innovation strategy, advising on innovation policy and contributing to the UK Government’s Fintech Review, Scotland’s Financial Services Growth and Advisory Board, and Innovation Strategy.
With a strong commitment to economic and societal impact, Nicola champions the role of innovation in driving inclusive, sustainable growth.
