Fintech Islands Experience to grow regional fintech industry

THE Fintech Islands Experience (FiX) Summit has attracted over 300 experts from various countriesis the globe and various sectors of the financial technology industry that will converge in Barbados at the Hilton Barbados Resort from October 5 to 7, 2022.

Dubbed the first-ever global fintech conference in the Caribbean, FiX will feature renowned fintech leaders who will deliver keynote presentations and over 20 hours of “curated content”. Most notable among the speakers is Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley who will give a welcome address and host a VIP meet and greet on the first day of the conference.

According to the organizers of the FiX Summit, the goal is to create a world-class event that stimulates the growth of the fintech ecosystem in the region.

“Our speaker lineup includes 100-plus fintech leaders from around the world. More than 60 percent of speakers are founders and CEOs; more than 40 percent of speakers are from outside the Caribbean region, including fintech leaders from North America, [Latin America]Europe and Africa,” explained Andrew B Morris, senior adviser to Fintech Islands and former head of content for Money20/20.

He further outlined that the summit will cover four main themes relevant to the Caribbean context – financial inclusion, climate fintech, cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance, and embedded and open finance.

So far, the organizers of the FiX Summit have secured partnerships with major players in the global fintech area such as Mastercard, Delta Capital Group, Digicel Group, Republic Bank, Unipet and Visa.

Morris shared that platinum sponsor Mastercard and gold sponsor Digicel Group will make an announcement on the first day of the conference about a significant partnership.

The conference will also allow delegates to network and take part in immersive cultural experiences that include an opening night reception at the Barbados Museum. On day two, they will participate in networking trips.

The FiX Summit will culminate with Fintech Island’s Start-up Pitch which will highlight seven promising early-stage fintechs from the region. Presented by Draper Startup House Caricom and powered by Republic Bank, the pitch will facilitate exchange between start-ups and a panel of judges in a fast-four format consisting of two minutes of presentations and four minutes of Q&A. The top three finalists from the pitch will win prizes such as investments, cash prizes, accelerator program sponsorships, among other benefits.