Trailblazing Tech 2025: Post Conference Blog

Author – Dave Gardner

From AI and ethics to ransomware and humanoid robots, Trailblazing Tech 2025 didn’t disappoint!

I was pleased to participate for the sixth (!) consecutive year, welcoming a panel of experts to the stage to discuss “Fintech: The Future of Finance”.  I was pleased that lots of the topics we covered chimed and aligned with other sessions throughout the day.

So what is the “future of finance” and what does it mean for Manchester? With thanks to my panel colleagues, here are the key takeaways:

Ethics should always be a guiding principle and never an afterthought.

• As a legal advisor in the Fintech sector, I see how much pressure there is to innovate and adopt new technology and AI quickly. But the firms that succeed in this space won’t necessarily be the fastest, they’ll be the most trusted.
• Financial inclusion and access to finance are key concerns for customers and policy makers. For example, if you don’t have smart phone, you can’t benefit from many financial services.
• Bias in data and decision making remains a challenge. Fintech and generative AI offers powerful tools to address this, but also introduces risks and scaling effects that require good governance and thorough testing. AI may help to identify your target market, but is your data reliable and who may be left out?
• This can have a business impact as well as a regulatory one (for example, ensuring good outcomes under the FCA’s Consumer Duty).

Smart regulation really can make a difference…but the challenge of optimising regulations (and regulators!) shouldn’t be underestimated.

• The regulatory environment is critical for Fintech – firms and investors want and need clarity, certainty and proportionality.
• Firms currently face the challenge of complying and working with multiple regulations and regulators, with complex rules that don’t always align. Start-ups and SMEs can struggle to cope with regulations that appear to be designed with larger institutions in mind.
• There are indications that policy makers and regulators recognise this challenge, with joint regulatory initiatives becoming more common and the abolition of the Payment Services Regulator (whose functions will now be performed by the FCA).
• Digital IDs and Open Finance can power Fintech adoption and use cases, and both are now part of the Government’s strategic direction for Fintech under the National Payments Vision and the recently-enacted Data Use and Access Act 2025.

Generative AI continues to push boundaries, but successful adoption needs a clear use case, good governance, solid testing and appropriate human oversight.

• Firms need to be thoughtful about where and how to effectively deploy automation and generative AI. It’s equally important to consider where humans can and should play a role – the optimal customer journey will usually include humans and technology working together.
• For example, Gen AI can identify suspicious transactions at speed and scale, and banking apps enable customers to switch off cards in seconds, but a customer concerned about being hacked or scammed will want the assurance of a human conversation to ensure this is being dealt with properly.
• Effective deployment of Gen AI depends on the quality of data and the underlying technology platform. It’s important to pick solutions that can add the most value without introducing unacceptable technology or regulatory risk.

Manchester is the UK’s second city for Fintech

• Our panel included proud Mancunians (and Saddleworthians!) who were keen to talk about Manchester as a great place to live and work in Fintech.
• Studies have consistently shown the strengths of Manchester as Fintech hub and Manchester’s second city for Fintech outside London.
• There is a huge talent pool in Manchester, fuelled by the city region’s five universities and a strong, collaborative community, brought together by the great work done by ProManchester.
• The future of finance in the UK in general and in Manchester in particular is a bright one, with exciting times ahead.

We covered a lot in our short panel session and it’s clear that the fintech landscape is complex, with fast-paced technology, policy and regulations continuing to disrupt the market. There are significant risks for incumbents and new entrants alike, but huge opportunities for firms across the ecosystem.

Trust remains a guiding principle for success. At TLT, we advise clients on their most strategic projects in Fintech and Gen AI. Check out our short video [please link] and for more information please contact me or visit Financial horizons – TLT LLP

[email protected] / 07833483362