Anne Boden MBE, founder and former CEO of Starling Bank, is set to be a headline speaker at the Wales Fintech Festival.
The festival, created by and for the FinTech Wales community, will take place at the Swansea Building Society Arena on 3 June. The day will include keynote speakers, an Innovative Finance Pitch360 event, a cross-sector challenge and opportunities to showcase the strength and diversity of fintech in Wales.
Designed to highlight the power of collaboration across the ecosystem, the festival aims to celebrate how far the sector has come while inspiring its next phase of growth and innovation.
A Swansea University graduate, Anne holds a joint honours degree in Chemistry and Computer Science and went on to build a distinguished 30-year career in financial services, holding senior roles at organisations including Lloyds Bank, Standard Chartered, UBS, ABN Amro and RBS before founding Starling Bank in 2014 and transforming it into one of the UK’s most successful challenger banks, serving millions of customers and earning multiple industry awards. She also chaired the government-sponsored Taskforce on High Growth Women-Led Businesses, championing female entrepreneurship across the UK, and is the bestselling author of Banking On It.
Anne Boden MBE said:
“I’m excited to join the celebration of the Wales Fintech Festival and to be part of such a dynamic and fast-growing community. Wales is producing some brilliant businesses and entrepreneurs, and it’s inspiring to see the level of innovation and ambition across the sector. Building Starling Bank showed me what’s possible when you challenge the status quo, and I hope sharing my experiences can encourage others to think differently, take risks and shape the future of financial services.”
Sarah Jones, CEO of FinTech Wales, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Anne Boden as a keynote speaker for the Wales Fintech Festival. As a Welsh entrepreneur and Swansea native, it’s especially meaningful to host her at the city’s Arena, where she can share her journey and insights with those building exceptional businesses and growing their careers in the sector.
“Anne’s involvement reflects the calibre of speakers and content we’re bringing to the festival. With a strong line-up of contributors, exhibitors and attendees already confirmed, alongside early sponsor support from businesses including de Novo Solutions, Voltric, Critical Cloud, Capital Law and Philip Hare & Associates, we’re shaping what promises to be a standout event for the Welsh fintech, finance and tech communities. We look forward to announcing many more speakers and contributors over the coming weeks.”
Sarah Williams-Gardener, Chair of FinTech Wales, said:
“Having worked with Anne Boden, I’ve seen first-hand her approach to challenging convention and building at scale. As the founder of Starling Bank, she brings a highly informed perspective on fintech disruption today, as well as how AI will shape the future of financial innovation. Returning to Swansea, her hometown, adds a strong connection to the local ecosystem and will be both inspiring and highly valuable for those building the next generation of fintech in Wales.”
For more information about the Wales Fintech Festival and to buy tickets visit: https://fintechwales.org/wales-fintech-festival-2026/
