The UK will remain a world leader in financial services
after Brexit, the Chancellor of the Exchequer is expected
to say as he visits financial centres in Halifax and
Edinburgh today (17 May 2018), where he will also announce
the appointment of two new regional fintech envoys.
With two thirds of financial services jobs based outside of
London, the Chancellor will meet leading figures from
banking, asset management and fintech to discuss how the
expertise on offer in the UK’s regional financial centres
will help the sector to flourish after Brexit.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, , said:
Over a million people across the country are employed in
our financial services sector, and it is truly a
nationwide industry, with two thirds of the jobs based
outside London. It fuels growth across the regions and is
a vibrant part of our economy.
Across the UK, from the local high streets to the
regional financial centres, the skills and expertise of
the people working in the sector are unrivalled, and I am
determined to maintain our world-leading position at what
is a crucial period for the industry.
In Yorkshire, will visit the
flagship Halifax bank offices and meet with representatives
from financial and professional services firms to discuss
how financial services fuels economic growth in the
regions.
In Edinburgh, the Chancellor will meet with representatives
from the Scottish asset management sector. He will also
visit Nucleus Financial, one of Scotland’s biggest fintech
firms, where he will build on the success of the existing
regional fintech envoys by announcing the appointment of
two new envoys for Wales and Northern Ireland.
The new Fintech Envoy for Wales will be Richard Theo,
Co-Founder and CEO of Wealthify, and the new Fintech Envoy
for Northern Ireland will be Georgina O’Leary, Director of
Innovation, Research and Development at Allstate Northern
Ireland.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, said:
Fintech is the future of financial services, and the UK
leads the world in harnessing its power. Our two new
regional fintech envoys for Wales and Northern Ireland
will help the sector to grow and flourish across the UK,
bringing its benefits to every region.
I’d like to congratulate Richard Theo, and Georgina
O’Leary on their new roles. I am certain they will build
on the success of the existing envoys in helping the UK
to remain at the cutting edge of the digital revolution
as we create an economy fit for the future.
They join the current envoys in championing fintech in
their regions and supporting its growth:
- David Ferguson, CEO of Nucleus Financial, and Louise
Smith, Head of Current Account Design for RBS (envoys for
Scotland)
- David Duffy, CEO of CYBG (envoy for England)
- Chris Sier, Professor of Financial Technology at the
University of Leeds (envoy for the Northern Powerhouse)
