Fintech Meetup has quickly become one of the most talked about conference events in the fintech space. They blew expectations out of the water with their first event last year, with over 3,000 attendees who participated in over 30,000 meetings held every 15 minutes in the coolest “fintech speed dating” setting we’ve ever seen. For its second year, the event has already outgrown last year’s Las Vegas venue and has moved to the Venetian, a convention center that is synonymous with the largest-scale conferences in the world.
We attended last year and are thrilled to be going again so we can see the growth for ourselves and bring back, then put to use, all the insights from meetings, panels, side events, and more. This year, the show is boasting over 4,000 attendees, 45,000 meetings, and 175 speakers, including none other than the co-owner & chairman of Beanstox, TV-famed Shark Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful. Joining him will be executives and leaders from top names in the fintech, financial services, and high-tech industries such as Experian, Google Cloud, JP Morgan and Chase, Upstart, Bain Capital Ventures, Synctera, Discover Financial Services, Silicon Valley Bank, Wells Fargo, Marqeta, Mastercard, Plaid, Western Union, Accenture, IBM, Citi Ventures and more.
Hot Topics
At @FintechMeetup, everyone will be talking about:
-Capital One/Discover acquisition
-Hindenburg’s report on Temenos
-The latest BaaS consent order
-Something else
— Jason Mikula (@mikulaja) February 20, 2024
Last year, the Silicon Valley Bank collapse loomed over the event and took up a lot of the air in the convention center, as the news broke less than two weeks before the conference. While certainly not as dark, but definitely just as juicy, this year, the potential Discover and Capital One merger will definitely come out as the hottest topic on the conference floor. In our partnership with the Fintech Meetup team, our Media Communications Specialists have been putting Fintech Meetup head of industry Sanjib Kalita front and center to talk about this news, how it affects the competitive landscape for fintech and financial services, and what type of conversations may take place about the potential merger at the event.
Outside of hard news, one larger topic that we are sure will take center stage is fraud & risk, especially following a frightening year for consumer fraud trends. After seeing how prevalent fraud was in 2023, fintechs need to be sure that they are taking advantage of every new innovation to protect their customers and themselves, and make sure users feel that they, and their information, are secure. Attending companies such as Alloy, Unit21, and Persona will have their solutions on display, and all have subject matter experts speaking on stage to discuss the importance of fraud protection and prevention.
Making the Most of the Conference
The number one draw for this event is the meeting setup. These meetings are able to be booked by all attendees, and can be used for nearly any reason: general meet and greet with a representative from a company you want to learn more about, funding pitches, meeting potential customers, media interviews or meet and greets, and even simply catching up with an old friend or colleague. Scheduling meeting times at conferences can be a nightmare, but this setup gives one place for attendees to meet up, look at calendars, and communicate. No more trying to find a seat at the most popular Starbucks on the strip!
Conferences are also a perfect time for companies in attendance to make announcements. Expect to see news of mergers, acquisitions, IPOs, partnerships, fundraising rounds, milestones, and more coming out of the show. With all the key players in the space in one venue, making an announcement during a conference like this one is one of the best ways for an attending company to amplify their news, meet with individuals and companies they want to discuss it with, and get the best ROI out of their presence.
Even if you can’t attend, you can still keep up with what’s happening on the floor. Follow your favorite influencers, companies you are interested in, us, and the conference itself on socials- and don’t miss the sign-up window for next year!
