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4 December 2025

FinTech Wales Launches Annual Report and Announces Wales’ First Fintech Festival


(LtR) Nick Gasbarro, Chief of Staff, QED Investors, Sarah Jones, CEO of FinTech Wales, Nigel Morris, Co-founder and Managing Partner of QED Investors, and Sarah Williams-Gardener, Chair of FinTech Wales.
(LtR) Nick Gasbarro, Chief of Staff, QED Investors, Sarah Jones, CEO of FinTech Wales, Nigel Morris, Co-founder and Managing Partner of QED Investors, and Sarah Williams-Gardener, Chair of FinTech Wales.

FinTech Wales, the independent membership association for the fintech and financial services industry in Wales, has published its Fintech in Wales Annual Report 2024/25 – the organisation’s fifth and most comprehensive report to-date.

To coincide with the annual report, it is also announcing that it will hold Wales’ first Fintech Festival next year.

Key highlights from the report include:

  • More than £20 million raised by Welsh fintechs so far in 2025: Investment activity has remained steady, with successful pre-seed, early-stage and growth rounds. Driverly, Finalrentals and Unity Accountancy have each secured six-figure raises this year.
  • Wales delivers world-first innovation: Burbank completed a £5 million seed round to launch its world-first Card Present over Internet (CPoI) payments solution. Credas continued Wales’ reputation for pioneering compliance and identity innovation through its reusable Compliance Wallet.
  • Major growth-stage capital landed in Wales: Welsh-founded ethical fintech Zero completed two successful crowdfunding rounds in 2025, raising a combined £757,000 in October alone and bringing its total funding to over £3.9 million.
  • A landmark £1.5 billion funding round for Propel Finance: In July 2025, Propel Finance, one of the UK’s fastest-growing asset finance lenders, announced a £1.5 billion funding round to support thousands more SMEs. Propel has been recognised by Asset Finance UK 50 for achieving the Fastest Sustained Growth by an Asset Finance Lender for three consecutive years.
  • Employment growth and regional expansion: Vacancies in fintech grew through late-2024 and momentum has continued into 2025, led by risk and compliance, fraud, cyber, and platform engineering. Creditsafe has also announced plans to deepen its long-term commitment to Wales by creating 300 new finance roles at its new Cardiff headquarters.
  • International and national growth continues: A growing number of Welsh fintechs, including Finalrentals, Bikmo and Delio, continue to expand, strengthening Wales’ presence on the international fintech stage.

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, added:

“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.”

Nigel Morris, co-founder of Capital One and Managing Partner at QED Investors, was in Wales for the Welsh Government’s Investment Summit. He announced his support of FinTech Wales’ Festival at a Fireside Chat with multiple company founders present.

Although the details of the festival are to be finalised, it will be Wales’ first event held solely focused on fintech and financial services industries.

Nigel Morris said:

“I am very proud to support FinTech Wales to deliver Wales’ first Fintech Festival. This festival will highlight the great work already happening here and the huge potential the sector has to shape the nation’s economic future. Welsh fintechs aren’t just thriving at home, they’re making their mark globally.”

Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning Rebecca Evans 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.”

Building on the strengths, trends, opportunities and challenges outlined in FinTech Wales’ Annual Report, the festival will cover themes such as investment, skills, financial inclusion, fintech for good, net zero, crime prevention, AI, cyber, insurtech and much more with the main objective to reach new audiences and creating fresh connections across Wales, the UK and beyond.

Read the full report here.


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