Future Finance Innovation Leadership Programme Demo Day: Showcasing the future of financial services

The Future Finance Innovation Leadership Programme Demo Day brought together financial services professionals, fintech and software providers, alongside academic and subject-matter experts, for an insightful day of ideas, new connections and impactful change projects.

Held in Bristol, the event was a celebration of the transformative work happening across the financial services sector, driven by the pioneering participants of our Innovation Leadership Programme. It marked the culmination of collaboration, experimentation and bold thinking aimed at reshaping how the industry responds to change.

Attendees had the opportunity to explore a wide range of innovation projects, each designed to address real-world challenges in areas like lending, insurance, and financial advice. These projects were not just concepts - they demonstrated solutions with clear potential for commercial adoption and sector-wide impact.

Karen Wallace, CEO at Right Way Credit Union, said:

Participating in the programme really helped us focus on what we wanted to achieve. The design thinking workshop and ‘how might we?’ theories helped us drill down into where the real problems and bottlenecks were. I was out of my depth with technology, but the programme gave me the confidence to harness it and bring in experts. Stepping outside my comfort zone and meeting innovative people - it’s been fantastic. If there were another programme running, I’d take part myself and highly recommend it to others.

A standout moment of the day was the keynote speech by Megan Caywood Cooper, a recognised fintech expert and Founder/CEO of Caywood - an AI-driven WealthTech platform offering personalised financial guidance. Megan, named one of Forbes’ “30 Under 30,” shared her vision for the future of fintech and underscored the importance of leadership, creativity and customer focus in driving meaningful transformation.

Her distinguished career spans leadership roles at Starling Bank and Barclays, where she helped shape digital banking strategies, as well as a formative start at Intuit in Silicon Valley. She is also a recipient of the Exceptional Talent Visa for her contributions to financial technology and has chaired the Digital, Tech, and Cyber Board at UK Finance. Her keynote brought a valuable and inspiring perspective to the day’s discussions.

The Demo Day also featured dynamic panel discussions that tackled pressing industry topics, from regulation driving innovation across the sector to financial inclusion through fintech. These conversations, led by industry leaders and subject-matter experts, offered attendees practical insights into the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Beyond the content, the event was a celebration of progress, highlighting how financial services professionals are not just adapting to change but actively shaping it. The atmosphere throughout the day was one of energy, optimism and shared ambition, with strong engagement from programme partners, fintech and software providers, and the wider innovation community.

Amy Armstrong, Founder, Director and Leadership Coach at Executive Alchemist, said:

Coaching was included in the programme design to help members navigate their leadership journey, their innovation journey, and lead change. The key benefit of the programme was giving participants space to think outside of their busy day-to-day lives and find the time for their innovation. When you're leading change, there's going to be resistance - your coach is an impartial advisor, a cheerleader, someone who helps you remember why you're doing it and sustain your confidence and energy. At Demo Day, the culmination of over six months, it’s been exciting to hear their results. They’ve all faced resistance and challenges, and all of them have pushed through.

The event showcased the programme's purpose, its impact, and how it aligns with Future Finance’s broader mission to support innovation, collaboration and a more equitable financial future.

Future Finance’s Innovation Leadership Programme has shown that when the right people, tools and mindsets come together, real transformation is not just possible - it’s already happening.

We’re proud to support the next wave of innovators building a more resilient, inclusive and tech-forward financial services sector.

Want to dive deeper into the world of financial innovation? Visit our website.