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A completed entry will include:
1. Payment Form
2. Entry Form
3. 1000 Word Submission
4. Company Logo
5. UK contact details
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ENTRY FORM
2022 WINNERS & SHORTLISTED
1. Best Use of Data & Analytics
Financial services companies have never had so much data at their fingertips, providing a vast pool of customer and business information that can be used to generate insights, tailor products, drive efficiencies or develop new financial platforms and processes. This award will recognise a company, solution or project that can demonstrate the innovative and large scale use of data and analytics to the benefit of a business, their customers or the financial industry’s infrastructure. The winning entry will demonstrate successful data management aligned to commercial strategy and underpinned by cutting-edge technology. Enter here
2. Best Use of IT in Consumer Finance
This award will recognise the most effective use of IT in bringing business benefits to a financial services provider, regardless of size, in a consumer-focused retail banking, insurance or wealth management environment. Nominations may be for a single project or for an overall strategy. The winning entry will demonstrate how the strategic use of technology has brought their company cost benefits, improved internal processes, enhanced customer service (where applicable) and helped further opportunities for future business success. Enter here
3. Best Use of IT in Investment Banking
This award will highlight the most effective use of IT in improving business processes within wholesale banks, investment banks and other similar companies. Nominations may be for a single project or an overall strategy. The winning entry will demonstrate to the judges how the strategic use of technology has brought their company cost benefits, improved internal processes, or enhanced external service to clients (where applicable), in order to further opportunities for future business success. Enter here
4. Best Use of IT Trading Platforms
This will recognise the most impressive trading system innovation, whether the tech is installed internally at a bank or generally into the financial markets for wide-scale use. Systems that specialise in non-displayed trades, public order books, digital assets or data delivery are all acceptable. The winning entry will demonstrate how the use of technology has improved processes, speeded up response times, enhanced capacity and helped further the chances of future business success. Enter here
5. Best Use of IT in Commercial Banking
This award will highlight the most effective use of IT in improving business processes within business-to-business commercial banks and other similar companies. Nominations may be for a single project or an overall strategy. The winning entry will demonstrate to the judges how the strategic use of technology has brought their company cost benefits, improved internal processes, or enhanced external service to clients (where applicable), in order to further opportunities for future business success. Enter here
6. Best Financial Services IT Team
This category will be awarded to the best IT team within a financial services firm, be it bank, insurer or investment business. The team will have to have proven their excellence in the delivery and/or support of IT services over the course of the last year and to have demonstrated good collaboration skills and a clear vision of how technology can be applied to ensure business benefits. The team can be nominated from within the financial institution itself or by partners and suppliers. Enter here
7. Best Customer Service and Experience Technology
This category is looking for technological innovation within both traditional customer service centres, and in terms of more proactive customer engagement strategies. Applicants must demonstrate new systems or processes giving demonstrably improved rates of customer satisfaction and user experience – with evidence of how technology has allowed their organisation to anticipate people’s needs, respond quickly and accurately, tailor business processes accordingly and ultimately improve the efficiency of their business. Enter here
8. Best Use of Artificial Intelligence in Financial Services
Artificial intelligence means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but in this category judges will be looking for practical applications of algorithms and automation to save time or money, improve customer service, security or compliance. This could be everything from natural language processing improving chatbots to machine learning giving better insurance quotes. We’d like to see detail on how the AI really works, how it has been implemented, and preferably some case studies and quantifiable success stories. Enter here
9. Best Use of Mobile
This award acknowledges the rise of mobile banking and payments and the fact that mobile has become a game changer in the financial services sector. The winning entry will be a financial services institution who has truly embraced the mobile channel. It could be an app, a mobile-optimised website or an overall mobile strategy - the aim is to celebrate the drive to allow the customer to interact with the financial services institution where and when they want by providing a seamless, secure experience. Enter here
10. Open Banking Product or Service of the Year
The second Payment Service Directive’s Open Banking initiative has given rise to a whole new ecosystem of companies, services and products in the last few years. Embedded Payments and Variable Recurring Payments (VRP) have also emerged as the future of API-enabled services in the past year,with a plethora of innovative solutions entering the market. This award recognises the best of them, with judges looking for details of the development, launch and take-up of new products and services that make best use of the financial data banks hold about their customers as well as clever use of API integrations for the next generation of payments. Enter here
11. Anti-fraud Solution of the Year
This award will recognise the best internal or external anti-fraud strategy implemented by a financial services company, or the best anti-fraud solution offered by a technology provider. The solution will protect customers from APP scams, phishing, ID theft or similar scams, or defend financial institutions against service attacks, chargebacks, money laundering or employee fraud. The winning entry will demonstrate how anti-fraud technology, such as biometrics, two-factor authentication or secure internal processes, have helped protect the end user and comply with financial regulations. The judges will regard the application of technology to create business benefits as being of equal importance to the degree of protection and innovation present in the IT solution. Enter here
12. Cyber Security Solution of the Year
This award will recognise the best internal or external cyber security strategy implemented by a financial services company, or the best cyber security solution offered by a technology provider. The system must be constantly evolving to deal with the online threat landscape, employing cutting edge technology to keep up with hackers. The winning entry will demonstrate how its approach has specifically helped the end user stay safe, or the company protect its data and comply with financial regulations. The judges will regard the application of technology to create business benefits as being of equal importance to the degree of protection and innovation present in the IT solution. Enter here
13. Compliance or RegTech Project of the Year
This will reward the most effective compliance project by a financial services provider. Nominations may be for a single project or for an overall strategy. The winning entry will be able to demonstrate how the strategic use of technology has enabled compliance with governmental regulations, such as MiFID, SEPA, Basel III, the anti-money laundering protocols and sanctions, or the raft of new rules introduced post-crunch (e.g. liquidity requirements). Submissions should show how the compliance strategy adds business benefits and furthers the organisation’s opportunities for future success. Enter here
14. Digital Transformation Project of the Year
This award recognises the most effective project to integrate disparate systems or update legacy technology by a financial services provider. Projects involving moves into the cloud, integrations after a merger or acquisition, or partnerships and collaborations, are all eligible. The project can be of any size. Nominations may be for a single project or an overall strategy. The winning entry will be able to demonstrate how the strategic use of technology has brought their company cost benefits, improved internal processes, enhanced customer service (where applicable) and helped further the organisation’s opportunities for future business success. Enter here
15. Blockchain Project of the Year
Blockchain has been one of the most significant emerging technologies of recent years, with use cases now being explored across the financial services sector. This award will recognise an initiative or project (which may still be in pilot stage) that is utilising distributed ledger technology to increase the speed, efficiency, accuracy, security or cost-effectiveness of processes in any area of the financial services industry. Enter here
16. Digital Asset Innovation of the Year
This category recognises the rapid growth in crypto and digital assets based on the blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLT), as well as Decentralised Finance (DeFi), Web 3.0 and tokenization. The judges want to see evidence of genuine innovation within the space, rather than the latest novelty coin offering. Winners will be doing something unique with digital asset technology, applying the technology to new areas and being able to prove a practical application with successful outcomes. Enter here
17. Partnership or Collaboration of the Year
This category will recognise either a specific technology partnership between two companies, or a collaboration between a group of companies working towards a common technological goal. Examples include: work between a ‘traditional’ financial institution and a FinTech startup; two FinTechs partnering to build out their customer proposition; a significant outsourcing deal between a financial services company and technology provider that is helping deliver digital strategy; or, the collaboration of a group of companies through an alliance or consortium to drive the development of financial technology and industry innovation. Enter here
18. Payments Innovation of the Year
Judges will look at evidence of new technology and innovation in the payments sector, from embedded payments, digital wallets and contactless payments to PoS solutions and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL). Applicants must demonstrate genuine innovation in the space with detailed demonstrations of the issues leading to development, how the solution meets the sector’s needs, and how the end consumer has benefited from implementation. Enter here
19. Financial Sector Innovation of the Year
Open to financial services organisations which have created an innovative and successful new line of business, promotion, product, customer service or branch/mobile/online feature that has really set them apart from the competition. The judges will be looking for evidence that this innovation has actually created revenue and is sustainable. The category is open to both traditional firms and newer entrants. Enter here
20. Cloud Computing Innovation of the Year
This category recognises excellence in the ever-growing area of cloud computing. Judges will look at new strategies, with evidence of proper due diligence and demonstrable success by utilising the cloud, with statistics and case studies where applicable. The winning entry will demonstrate how the cloud computing innovation has brought the business and its customers cost and efficiency benefits. Enter here
21. Risk Management Software of the Year
This award recognises success in the development, implementation and running of risk management software in the financial sector. Applicants must demonstrate how their software solution has been developed, with evidence of ongoing performance and genuine business or customer benefit. Enter here
22. Most Innovative Product of the Year
This award recognises a technology supplier or financial services firm that has delivered innovation in the sector, through a particular product, service or overall business approach. Judges are looking for those that have responded to market pressures with originality and creativity, and might be using traction-gaining new technologies to their advantage. Details of product development should be provided as far as possible, and applicants should demonstrate the implementation and performance levels of the product. Enter here
23. Technology Provider of the Year
This category will reward the tech vendor deemed to have had the most successful year in serving the financial sector. Judges will look at examples of new products and strategies, evidence of how they have been received by the industry, and performance over the last 12 months. Case studies should be included alongside details of development over the year, along with response to market pressures and future plans where possible. Enter here
24. Most Disruptive Financial Sector Technology
This award will go to a company which the judges feel has come up with the most disruptive financial sector technology during the past 12 months, one that has the potential to disrupt the way the sector operates, displacing an earlier technology. The aim is to champion FinTech startups with strong solutions or services that identify a gap in the market, improving current ways of working. These companies could well become game-changers by helping to redefine financial services in the coming years. We welcome entries from every area of the financial services technology sector. Enter here
25. Consumer Finance Product of the Year
This award recognises an initiative that utilises new technology to deliver a financial product or platform to consumers in a fast and convenient way. Evidence should be provided of the development, launch and ongoing take-up/performance of the product. Judges are looking for particularly innovative or unique approaches to actual consumer problems. Enter here
26. FinTech or InsurTech Startup of the Year
This award will recognise a visionary startup with a FinTech or InsurTech product or service, which is already making waves in the industry. Entrants should detail their concept, business success to date, any funding secured, why they are ones to watch and how they are changing the way that the sector operates. This category is open to startups which were founded three years ago or less from the date of the awards ceremony. Enter here
27. FinTech Investor of the Year (NEW)
This award recognises the biggest and best funding and investment activity during the last 12 months, including fundraising rounds and acquisitions. In particular the judges want to see investment success stories from institutions, advisers, Venture Capital (VC), private equity or crowdfunding firms who have helped to shape business development in a FinTech company and grow market share. We are looking for investors who offer not just financial support for some of the UK’s fastest growing FinTechs, but also strategic advice to help founders and CEOs build the next tech unicorn. Deals and investment activity referenced in entries can be related to funding, floatation, spin outs, mergers, acquisitions or alternative forms of investment. Enter here
28. Financial Inclusion Award
This category recognises a company that is using technology to enhance the socially responsible aspects of its business. Examples include: the development of new digital products to promote financial inclusion among the underbanked; innovative salary and benefits management tools; apps or schemes to drive financial education among certain customer demographics, such as the under 16s or over 65s; community or staff volunteering programmes that raise financial awareness, improve digital skills and focus on financial well-being. Enter here
29. ESG and Sustainability Solution of the Year (NEW)
With consumers and regulators pushing ESG to the top of the agenda, this award will recognise the most innovative solutions to enter into the rapidly growing market for ESG. Entries are welcome from across the industry to any ESG solution or strategy including, but not limited to: sustainable investment and carbon-tracking technologies, sustainably-sourced credit cards and eco-friendly banking, supply chain initiatives and RegTech solutions which track ESG compliance across an organisation.The winning entry will be the innovation, solution or overall strategy which can evidence real impact in support of a company’s ESG goals, providing data to demonstrate the effectiveness of the solution or strategy and how it is likely to lead to further improvements in making businesses more sustainable in the future. Enter here
30. CTO/CIO of the Year Award (NEW)
This award recognises senior technology decision makers who have made a significant impact on the industry in the last year. The award is open to nominations for the Chief Technology Officer or Chief Information Officer who has inspired their teams by effectively leading their organisation through wide-ranging technology or workplace transformation, leading the delivery of new applications and features for customers and driving growth for the business, or protecting customer data and systems from a range of cyber threats including hackers and data breaches. The winning nominee will have a track-record of outstanding performance and leadership in the industry, setting an example for C-Suite technology leaders and their teams, and judges are looking for nominations from team members or colleagues who can give concrete examples of the individual’s inspiring leadership in financial services technology and why their achievements should be recognised. Enter here