大象传媒

In today's programme Ed Butler visits the Innovate Finance Conference in the heart of the City in Central London, where we're marking the coming of age of a new industry.

Fintech as it's known has expanded from things like simple mobile payment systems to big financial players; around 8000 firms worldwide with $85billion in funding. Lawrence Wintermeyer, CEO of Innovate Finance, the group that runs the annual conference, says there's a new confidence in the sector.

So what about the fintech companies themselves? Blockchain creates a digital record that is inherently resistant to outside tampering. Basically, aficionadoes say, it's virtually hack-proof. Peter Randall, CEO of start-up Setl, is hoping to cash in.

Cities are competing for these new start-ups' attention and although London remains perhaps the world's leading fintech hub, a close rival is Singapore; we hear from Sopnendu Mohanty, a fintech regulator with the City of Singapore and Maria Gotsch, President and CEO at the Partnership Fund for New York City.

Photo Credit: Getty Images