The Fintech South speaker roster will be 250 strong once all is said and done- and streamed. The initial batch of over 100 announced names already offers a strong indication of the lineup’s powerful combination of global and regional flavor.
The following is a personally biased list of the industry experts I’m most excited to hear from so far at Fintech South the week of October 5-9. Your mileage may vary (and it probably will- that’s the beauty of the format!), and I’m certain many more highlights will emerge from the speakers still to be announced.
One of 2020’s biggest fintech stories has been the acquisition of Atlanta unicorn Kabbage by American Express. Kabbage co-founders Rob Frohwein and Kathryn Petralia were confirmed to speak even before the deal was announced- their perspectives are always interesting, and will now be more topical than ever.
Growth company stories are always popular, and Fintech South will feature plenty. Founders of two more high-profile fintech firms- Greenlight’s Johnson Cook and Adam Roseman of Steady– are also on the agenda. Venturing westward, Irvine California micro-investing firm Acorns has over 4.5 million users and more than $1 billion in assets under management through it app. Acorns COO Manning Field will be interviewed by CNBC Technology Reporter Kate Rooney on Fintech South’s Main Stage.
Moving to the World Stage and a full day of “follow-the-sun” content spanning multiple continents and time zones, Tala is a provider of microloans to emerging market small business that has made CNBC’s Disruptor 50 list. Tala’s founder and CEO Shivani Siroya will join us on Tuesday- as will GB Agboola, the co-founder and CEO of Flutterwave, the Lagos, Nigeria B2B payments firm targeting the Africa market in partnership with FIS Worldpay. Additionally Pat Patel and Rebecca Martin, leaders from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, will be on hand to discuss recent developments in this highly innovative fintech market.
Investors from venture capital’s front lines are an excellent source of insight, and Fintech South has assembled a particularly strong group in this regard. Bain Capital Partner Matt Harris and Flourish Ventures Managing Partner Emmalyn Shaw are familiar names among a deep lineup scheduled to share their thoughts. A pair of co-founders, Acorns’ Jeff Cruttenden and Betterment’s Eli Broverman, will be on hand to discuss their recently launched platform called Treasury through which they plan to invest in and support some of the most ambitious founders in financial technology.
Regulation is a critical factor in fintech, and we are pleased to have both FDIC Chairman Jelena McWilliams and Acting OCC Comptroller Brian Brooks lined up to speak. Brooks’ past tenure as Chief Legal Officer at digital currency exchange Coinbase is unique in the regulatory world and should make for a fascinating discussion.
Add to the mix senior leaders from Georgia fintech pillars like Invesco, NCR, Truist, Aflac, Fiserv, Equifax, FIS, Global Payments and others, and there will be no shortage of provocative ideas across five days in early October. Be sure to check out more details and register for this unique event here.