37 UK firms named in Europe’s top 50 financial tech companies
The FinTech 50 list highlights Europe’s most disruptive financial technology companies
The UK has come out on top in the FinTech 50, a list of the 50 most disruptive companies in the financial technology sector.
Compiled by a panel of industry experts including head of ventures at Octopus Investments Alex Macpherson and Nick Ogden, founder of business banking start-up CashFlows, the list recognises both new and existing European firms that are “re-defining the future of finance” through innovative technologies.
FinTech 50, which consists of emerging technologies, such as mobile payments devices, currency exchanges and investment platforms, has named 37 UK-based companies.
Among the home-grown firms recognised in the list are crowdfunding platforms Crowdcube and Seedrs, which were named in the 2011 Startups 100 and the 2012 Startups Top 20 respectively.
They are joined by Startups Top 20 firm iwoca, a loan provider for sellers trading on eBay and Amazon, and international currency platform Transferwise, founded 2012 Young Guns Taavet Hinrikus and Kristo Käärmann.
UK mobile payments device firm mPowa also made the list, joined by Swedish competitor iZettle and Dublin-based SumUp.
Along with emerging businesses in the FinTech space, more established firms including payments solutions firm Aconite, mobile payment analytics company Bango and commodity software solutions firm Brady were also recognised for their continued innovation.
The full list was as follows:
1. Aconite Technology
HQ Location: London, UK
2. Ayondo
HQ Location: Frankfurt, Germany
3. Bango
HQ Location: Cambridge, UK
4. Basware
HQ Location: Espoo, Finland
5. Borro
HQ Location: London, UK
6. Brady
HQ Location: Cambridge, UK
7. Calastone
HQ Location: London, UK
8. Cashflows
HQ Location: Cambridge, UK
9. Celoxica
HQ Location: London, UK
10. Clear2Pay
HQ Location: Brussels, Belgium
11. Crowdcube
HQ Location: Exeter, UK
12. CurrencyFair
HQ Location: Dublin, Ireland
13. Dovetail Systems
HQ Location: London, UK
14. Duedil
HQ Location: London, UK
15. EToro
HQ Location: Limassol, Cyprus
16. FFastFill
HQ Location: London, UK
17. Fidessa
HQ Location: Woking, UK
18. Fidor Bank
HQ Location: Munich, Germany
19. Fixnetix
HQ Location: London, UK
20. Funding Circle
HQ Location: London, UK
21. Gocardless
HQ Location: London UK
22. Holvi
HQ Location: Helsinki, Finland
23. Interactive Investor
HQ Location: London, UK
24. IWOCA
HQ Location: London, UK
25. Ixaris Systems
HQ Location: London, UK
26. iZettle
HQ Location: Stockholm Sweden
27. Klarna
HQ Location: Stockholm, Sweden
28. Kurtosys
HQ Location: London, UK
29. MarketInvoice
HQ Location: London, UK
30. miiCard
HQ Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
31. Mi-Pay
HQ Location: Woking, UK
32. MPOWA
HQ Location: London, UK
33. Murex
HQ Location: Paris, France
34. Nutmeg
HQ Location: London, UK
35. Pensions First Analytics
HQ Location: London, UK
36. Perseus Telecom
HQ Location: Dublin, Ireland
37. Seedrs
HQ Location: London, UK
38. Semafone
HQ Location: Guildford, UK
39. SmartStream
HQ Location: London, UK
40. Sumup
HQ Location: Dublin, Ireland
41. TBricks
HQ Location: Stockholm, Sweden
42. The Currency Cloud
HQ Location: London, UK
43. Thunderhead.com
HQ Location: London, UK
44. TransferWise
HQ Location: London, UK
45. Vega-Chi
HQ Location: London, UK
46. Vizolution
HQ Location: Port Talbot, Wales
47. VocaLink
HQ Location: Rickmansworth, UK
48. Wonga
HQ Location: London, UK
49. WorldFirst
HQ Location: London, UK
50. Zopa
HQ Location: London, UK
The FinTech 50 announcement comes as Europe's largest FinTech accelerator Level39 opens its doors in Canary Wharf.
Established by the Canary Wharf Group, the programme aims to provide growing financial technology firms with the space to create, test and market their products and services.