Tech Nation names Akoni as one of 20 UK Fintech companies to watch

• Landmark Tech Nation Fintech programme is delivered as part of HM Treasury’s Fintech Strategy
• Coaching sessions will be held in London, Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh to foster dialogue and relationships between regional fintech ecosystems
• UK fintech firms attracted $19.0 billion in investment in 2018 up to 31 August *

Tech Nation is the new organisation to help accelerate the growth of the digital tech sector across the UK. Launched in April 2018, it builds on the past work of Tech City.

We are excited to be part of a Tech Nation’s inaugural accelerator programme starting this month. 
The cohort includes some of the UK’s most promising fintech startups and reflects major trends in the fast maturing fintech sector where the UK is an acknowledged global leader. The companies selected offer innovation right across the financial services sector from consumer solutions to business to business ventures, demonstrating how fintech has the potential to dramatically improve the provision of essential services like payment solutions and banking.

Over five months, the cohort will get the chance to work with and learn from some of the most talented fintech entrepreneurs in the UK on key topics such as scaling challenges, partnerships with incumbents, regulations and international expansion. These insight sessions will take place in London, Edinburgh, Manchester and Leeds to encourage cross-country networking.

John Glen MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury said: “Our vibrant fintech sector continues to go from strength to strength, and it’s no wonder that UK fintech has received more investment so far this year than US fintech. I’m thrilled to see Tech Nation’s fintech programme launch with such a strong cohort of dynamic young companies – I have no doubt they’re destined for amazing things.”

Full list of Fintech 2018 companies:

Airtime Rewards – Manchester
A mobile technology business in the consumer loyalty and rewards sector. Retailers use Airtime Rewards to incentivise, reward and digitally connect to 89m consumers via their smartphone.

Akoni – London
Akoni provides cash management solutions for businesses, working both with banks and companies – leveraging Open banking to deliver personalised products.

AltFi Data – London
Collates data to provide reliable like-for-like metrics for lenders.

Coinfirm – London
Coinfirm develops a verification and compliance platform for blockchain. It provides valuable insight into entities and transactions, allowing for the institutional adoption of blockchain and digital currencies.

CoInvestor – Canterbury
CoInvestor provides technology solutions for wealth managers, independent financial advisers and fund managers to manage alternative asset investments, from EIS and VCTs through to private equity and yield products.

CreditLadder – London

Payments platform that utilises open banking APIs to revolutionise and optimise direct debit payment tracking. CreditLadder’s technology allows renters to have their rent payment tracked, giving them the opportunity to improve their credit score while they rent.

Delio – Cardiff
Delio provides white labelled technology to financial institutions to enable them to securely connect their clients with private market investments.

Enforcd – London
A real-time register of compliance that enables users to check company and employee compliance against updated regulatory standards. Enforcd covers multiple jurisdictions.

Fiskl – London
A mobile-first, automated SaaS solution for small businesses of 1 – 10 employees that allows them to manage their daily finances from anywhere (iOS, Android and web). It offers a mix of daily financial management, productivity and staff management tools as well as relevant integrations.

Float – Edinburgh
Provides cash flow forecasts to businesses using Xero, Quickbooks Online or FreeAgent. Float can give a ‘real’ picture of where a business is going in the short to medium term.

Funding Options – London
A one-stop-shop for SME finance solutions, Funding Options is a comparative marketplace giving information and access to known and alternative finance lenders.

LOQBOX Savings – Bristol
LOQBOX is a credit history tool that allows users to repair their credit history while saving. Users commit to save between £20 – £500 per month for a year. After that period the cash is converted into a new savings account with a partner bank.

Maxatta – London
Maxatta is automating trading desks, through Artificial Intelligence and robot process automation, so that traders can focus on risk management and trading opportunities.

MishiPay – London
MishiPay is an app that allows retailers to let shoppers scan, pay and leave with their goods without having to queue.

SteelEye – London
SteelEye is a regulatory compliance technology and data analytics firm that offers transaction reporting, record keeping, trade reconstruction, best execution and data insight in one comprehensive solution.

Sustainably – Edinburgh
Micro-payments platform for charity donations. Sustainably rounds up customer’s cashless transactions and donates their spare change to causes they care about automatically every time they shop.

Tail Offers – London
Tail uses open banking data to improve and inform consumer choices. As soon as a customer uses the Tail app to claim a discount, their bank informs Tail of the transaction in order to seamlessly provide instant cashback.

TAINA Technology – London
Automating regulatory compliance for financial institutions, Taina’s software removes the need for manual effort and multiple systems, leading to lower costs.

Thyngs – Norwich
Thyngs is creating software solutions to connect the physical and digital world, such as cashless donations through mobile apps, connected payments and customer loyalty solutions.

TransFICC – London
TransFICC is an etrading technology company providing solutions for the fixed income and derivatives markets.

* Source: Dealroom.co data as of 31 August 2018. $19.0 billion includes $1.4 billion in venture capital investment (including investments in Greensill, Revolut, Atom Bank, Zopa) which is more double the amount of any other European country, plus $17.6 billion in acquisitions including the $12.9 billion acquisition of WorldPay by Vantiv.