Fintech B2B Marketing Conference – a review

In late April I left Babel Towers and headed to the City for a meeting of fintech marketers, PR professionals, influencers and regulators at the FinTech B2B Marketing Conference, organised by the FinTech B2B Marketing group.

The packed programme was kicked off by Lord Chris Holmes, the former Paralympic swimmer who is now a passionate advocate of the role of digital technology for public good. Lord Holmes provided a detailed overview of the current fintech landscape, reminding delegates about the importance of regulatory innovation in unlocking financial inclusion in the UK.

The keynote was followed by a day of insightful discussion covering topics including demand generation and growth strategies, account-based marketing, martech and, of course, the impact of AI on the marketing sector. I spoke with delegates to find out about their main takeaways from the day… 

Attendee Reviews of the Fintech B2B Marketing Conference

Raf De Kimpe, CEO, Fintech Week London

“I was thoroughly impressed by the line-up of speakers at the FinTech B2B Marketing Conference 2024, consisting of CMOs of all the major players in the fintech industry. They shared great insights on marketing trends that are shaping the future of fintech and financial services, as well as how to address the rise of AI and ChatGPT. There was ample time to network with fellow attendees and, being a conference by marketeers, the organisation and production was on-point. 

“I personally really enjoyed the “Marketing to Human” panel very much, raising the question “if not to humans, then who are we marketing to?”. I moderated the closing panel of the conference, discussing all the “secrets for driving the most successful B2B marketing campaigns” together with Mariette Ferreira (PPRO), Karen Mae Ching (AWS), Glenn P Burgess (FINTECH Circle and Pow New Media) and Georgie Taylor (Silver Agency). 

“I won’t spill all the secrets, but making sure you understand who your buyer is and their journey, as well as bringing creative and educational content, were some of the tips shared by the panel. We concluded that B2B might not always be so different from B2C marketing and, apart from always making sure your foundations and basics are covered, the build – market – sell approach from AWS was highlighted as the road to success in the fintech industry for them.”

Elena Georgieva, Fractional Analyst Relations Director & Founder of Women in Analyst Relations

“This was my first time at the FinTech B2B Conference and I found the event very valuable. As a new community member, meeting established industry leaders and hearing their perspectives on its future was great.

“The sessions were insightful and they confirmed what I have been hearing from industry analysts in this space, especially when it comes to the deployment of generative AI within financial technology. Banks are still nervous about deploying the technology in any customer-facing operations. However, as things progress, we will see the use of generative AI increase.

“Marketing teams are already using data analytics to personalise and optimise their campaigns. During the conference, marketing leaders confirmed that leveraging data and insights will only increase to provide an even more granular targeted customer experience and drive better decision-making for marketing campaigns.”

Michael Charles Borrelli, COO, Ai & Partners

“We found the FinTech B2B Marketing Conference to be exceptionally impactful in addressing key themes pertinent to the evolving landscape of B2B marketing within the Financial Services and Technology sectors. The event provided a comprehensive platform for senior marketers to converge, exchange insights, and gain valuable perspectives on navigating the dynamic marketing landscape.

“One particularly noteworthy aspect was the thorough coverage of the EU AI Act, which is pivotal in shaping the regulatory framework surrounding AI deployment in the FinTech industry. The conference not only addressed the Act but delved into its implications for marketers, shedding light on compliance requirements, ethical considerations, and strategic adjustments necessitated by the regulatory landscape.

“By explaining the intricacies of the EU AI Act, the conference played a crucial role in raising awareness among marketers regarding the impact of AI regulation on their strategies and operations. Marketers gained a deeper understanding of the compliance landscape, enabling them to adapt their approaches to ensure alignment with regulatory mandates while leveraging AI technologies effectively.

“Overall, the event served as a catalyst for fostering greater awareness and preparedness among marketers, equipping them with the knowledge and insights needed to navigate the complex intersection of AI, regulation, and marketing in the FinTech industry.”

Helene Sordeau, senior marketing manager, Trintech

“Great energy and marketing magic were in the air at the Fintech B2B Marketing Conference 2024. Over 50 Marketing leaders shared insights and real examples of campaigns and strategies they have implemented. From utilising AI, to connecting your data across platforms, and content hyper personalisation to event orchestration. 

“Creativity and passion were in the room. It was a great booster to keep challenging the status quo and make our marketing function stronger.”

Simon Small, founder, Kegai

“Unpacking the EU AI Act was the first panel of the day, moderated by Jasmine Baker of London & Partners. Fellow panellist and AI regulatory guru Michael Charles Borrelli of AI & Partners spelt out the importance of this new era of KYAI (Know Your AI) and trustworthy AI. Kate Shcheglova-Goldfinch shared her insightful perspective on the use of sandboxes for facilitating innovation and managing risk.

“One of the distinctions I made was how this era of regulation shifts the onus for AI onto the business owner/enterprise purchasing and using the AI System. It’s like organics – when you see some produce that is organic, you know that there is a process that sits behind that to ensure authenticity. Those using an AI System need to understand the provenance of any internal/external AI System.

“Whereas the last 18 months have been a “pop ai” boom (meaning there is hit after hit and it is largely a free-for-all for the public worldwide), this year (that I’ve dubbed the ‘Year of Enterprise Generative AI’) is more about “orchestral ai” because many more considerations need to be taken into account. It’s a different approach with many more players involved in an enterprise needing to organise and coordinate Enterprise Generative AI into deployments.

“It’s also the rise of the AI Governance profession; these are the conductors who make the “orchestral AI” run smoothly within the enterprise. Unusual to have a morning of immersion in UK and EU AI Regulation, with such quality conversations. Great to feel all the attendees leaning into the conversation around #AIGovernance and #AIRegulation when we were onstage and people were very engaging about the topic afterwards. That’s a great sign. It means the job was accomplished.

“Kegai is about providing leadership in AI Governance for FTSE100 companies and their boards.  Speaking at events such as the FinTech B2B Marketing Conference helps raise awareness of the importance of AI Governance.”

Arianne Rosmolen-Dickinson, senior growth marketing manager, 10x Banking

“This unique event is immensely valuable to the FinTech Marketing community. It’s not only a day to learn about how peers tackle relatable challenges but also a great opportunity to meet and network with like-minded marketeers. 

“I learned from the many panel discussions, including the secrets behind successful campaigns, the latest on using events as a channel and tips on optimising demand generation. On the other side, I also gained insights from the audience through interactive polls, for example 43% use AI for content creation and 37% are piloting ABM.”

It was great to meet with clients and contacts, and a big ‘thank you’ to FinTech B2B Marketing group founder Payal Raina and her team.  

At Babel, we have extensive experience helping fintechs meet their growth objectives. To find out how we can support you, get in touch.