How can Atlanta maintain bragging rights like the world’s Fintech Capital ‘? – WABE

Leaders in the financial technology industry meet in Atlanta this week at the Fintech South conference.

For decades, the city has been a leading hub for financial transactions. But how did it come to be? And how can the city maintain that status?

Atlanta has been described as the “Fintech Capital of the World.” Other times it has been called a “transactional smuggler.”

Larry Williams, president and CEO of the Technology Association of Georgia, says it is a reputation that has been built up over decades.

“We did not get there overnight, we did not just put an effort on the ground yesterday and declare it,” Williams said. “We helped build the apparatus and build the ingenuity that got us here today and got the world where it is today, quite frankly.”

The Technology Association of Georgia manufactures Fintech South.

According to some estimates, more than two-thirds of financial transactions worldwide go through Atlanta. Williams says as technology has changed, the fintech scene here continues to evolve.

“To have a great business climate, to have the infrastructure in the big pipes and the broadband to be able to facilitate it,” Williams said. “But it also goes back to checks. Remember checks? And how we were the big check processing center. And as the checks evolved and there are more ACH payments and more digitization of our financial transactions, we were really ahead.”

But in an age of smartphone payments, fierce technical talent competition and the rise of cryptocurrency, can Atlanta continue to be a leader?

Williams says it begins with collaboration between technology companies and schools.

“There are so many good examples of things happening. Apple really does a lot of this with the HBCUs along with Microsoft and many others, “said Williams. «What’s happening at Georgia Tech with CREATE-X. You know, the most student-run companies in the country come out of Georgia Tech. “

Technical executives often cite Georgia’s skilled and diverse workforce as one of the main reasons why companies choose to locate in the state. They also mention lower cost of living than other alternatives.

But as more companies and technology workers move to Georgia, does Williams fear losing that competitive advantage when it comes to reasonableness?

“I think for the horizon we can see, we are going to continue to maintain it,” Williams said. “One thing about Georgia is that people have choices. You can have a great urban lifestyle if you want to be in Midtown or Buckhead or downtown. But if you want to spread out, you can do that too.”