Aaron Holmes, CEO of Kani Payments, was invited to speak at “Fintech 2.0: The Next Wave of Fintech Innovation Driving UK Economic Growth”, a high-profile event co-hosted by Mastercard and Fintech Alliance as part of UK Fintech Week 2025.
Held at Mastercard’s London headquarters, the invite-only conference brought together senior policymakers, investors and fintech leaders to discuss the future of financial innovation in the UK—including the role of regional hubs in driving economic growth.
Aaron joined Monavate CEO Michael Rolph for a fireside chat titled “Fintech in the Regions,” where the two founders shared their experiences of building successful fintechs outside of London. They explored key topics including investment access, talent pipelines, regulatory engagement and the infrastructure challenges that regional fintechs continue to face.
“The North East has been a fantastic place to build Kani,” said Holmes. “We have access to world-class tech talent thanks to three top universities within a 10-minute radius. But access to capital remains a challenge. Investors tend to have a proximity bias—so while we’re scaling globally from Newcastle, we’re still travelling 9 hours round-trip to attend events like this in London.”
The session addressed a pressing question in the UK fintech landscape: how to shift the ecosystem from being “London-centric” to truly national. Holmes urged policymakers and investors to view fintech as a UK asset, not just a London one—citing the UK’s global leadership in fintech investment and calling for more dedicated regional support structures.
He pointed to examples like:
- The need for fintech-specific investment funds beyond the capital
- Long-term government backing for regional innovation hubs
- Support for improved transport infrastructure and visibility for founders outside London
Despite challenges, Holmes said client perception hasn’t been a barrier, especially internationally.
“Our clients assume we’re based in London anyway. What matters most is that we’re solving real problems. But travel infrastructure does limit how often we can be present in the room, and that’s where support could make a big difference.”
The session concluded with a rallying call: that fintech innovation is already happening across the UK, but to unlock its full potential, regions need more than applause—they need investment, infrastructure and visibility.
“I’m proud to be building Kani in Newcastle,” Holmes said. “The question isn’t whether regional fintech can succeed—it’s how much more we could achieve with meaningful support.”
The invitation follows a landmark year for Kani Payments. Fresh off a multi-million Series A investment led by Maven Capital Partners, Kani continues to scale its award-winning automated reconciliation and reporting software across the global payments industry. From automating Visa GOC reports to delivering real-time transaction reporting, Kani is transforming how businesses approach their finance ops.
