The shortlist for the Fintech Awards London 2026 has been officially unveiled, highlighting a year of significant commercial scaling and technical breakthrough across the UK capital’s financial technology ecosystem. Now in its fifth year, the awards program has identified the leading companies and individuals across 18 distinct categories, following a rigorous review of hundreds of submissions by a panel of industry experts including Sarah Williams-Gardener, Joanne Dewar, and Charlotte Crosswell OBE.
The 2026 cohort reflects a maturation of the sector, with shortlisted entries demonstrating a clear shift from experimental pilots to profitable, production-scale deployments. Headline sponsors for this year’s event include Aon, S&W, and Zilch, underlining the continued institutional support for the London fintech corridor.
Institutional Strength and Market Leadership
In the flagship Fintech Company of the Year category, sponsored by KPMG, the shortlist features six firms that have redefined market expectations through scale and resilience. Zopa Bank enters the list following a period of sustained profitability and the successful launch of its Biscuit current account, which saw over 200,000 accounts opened by the end of last year. Joining them is SME lending specialist iwoca, which has now deployed over £4.5bn in funding to more than 100,000 small businesses since its inception.
The workplace finance platform Stream is also recognized for its international expansion and measurable impact on financial inclusion, having reached 3.4 million workers across the UK, US, and Europe. The list is completed by institutional infrastructure provider BCB Group, FX-as-a-Service pioneer MillTech, and payments unicorn Zilch, the latter of which has reached nearly 6 million customers and a $2bn valuation within five years of launching.
In the Fintech Scale-Up of the Year category, sponsored by EY, the emphasis on quantifiable metrics remains high. Sokin and PAYSTRAX both secured spots following triple-digit revenue growth and successful EBITDA turnarounds, while Pockit and Creditspring were recognized for their efficient acquisition models and significant user bases.
The AI Transformation
The Best Use of AI in Fintech category, sponsored by Level39, showcases how artificial intelligence has moved beyond the “hype” phase into core operational infrastructure. Liquidity is shortlisted for its patented machine learning ensemble used in private credit underwriting, which has maintained a 0.00% credit loss rate since 2019. ClearScore Group also features for its D•One open-banking AI, which has delivered a 37% GINI uplift over traditional credit bureau models.
Other AI leaders include Sikoia, recognized for its document intelligence platform used by Tandem Bank and Experian, and Tunic Pay, which utilizes agentic AI to address the UK’s Authorised Push Payment fraud crisis. The category also features FintechOS for its AI-native product operations platform and Zopa Bank for its Zopa Assistant conversational banking tool.
Collaboration as a Growth Engine
The Best Fintech Collaboration of the Year category, sponsored by Freeths, highlights the deepening ties between incumbent financial institutions and agile fintech partners. Serene and NatWest are shortlisted for their work on behavioral AI for early detection of financial distress, a project that supports over 500,000 customers within the bank’s collections and recoveries function.
In the mortgage sector, MQube and Nottingham Building Society are recognized for their AI-driven underwriting collaboration, Origo, which has reduced application-to-offer turnarounds to under four hours. Further collaborations include TSB and Tunic Pay for their scam prevention tools, JUMO and MTN Mobile Money for the QWIKLOAN ZA initiative, and a digital asset infrastructure partnership between ClearBank and Taurus.
Digital Assets and RegTech
The Digital Asset Award, sponsored by Cardiff Capital Region, reflects the increasing institutional adoption of blockchain technology. Taurus SA headlines the list after securing reference clients such as Deutsche Bank and State Street, while Ctrl Alt is recognized for its work in tokenizing over $1bn in alternative assets, including partnerships with the Dubai Land Department. The category also features OpenPayd, Midas, BCB Group — BLINC, and Cordial Systems.
In the RegTech Company of the Year category, firms such as Sumsub and REGnosys are lauded for their contributions to industry-wide infrastructure. REGnosys has particularly distinguished itself through its Rosetta platform, which supports Digital Regulatory Reporting for major FIs like JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs. Cygnetise, FinregE, and KYCP also join the shortlist for their work in governance and risk orchestration.
Emerging Talent and Social Impact
The future of the industry is represented in the Fintech Start-Up of the Year and Rising Fintech Star categories. Bourn is highlighted for its Flexible Trade Account, while Eunice and Adclear are recognized for their rapid commercial growth in AI-native compliance and marketing. Hands In, Tunic Pay, and Serene also feature as startups that have secured Tier-1 bank pilots within their first three years of operation.
Individual leadership is recognized in the Fintech Leader of the Year category, sponsored by Eversheds Sutherland, featuring Hema Gandhi of LatentBridge, Justin Basini of ClearScore, Killian O’Rawe of Reward, Pete Correia of Appital, and Tim Renew of BCB Group.
The Fintech New Product of the Year category, now sponsored by OpenPayd, highlights technical ingenuity from ClearScore, Eunice, GoCardless, Yaspa, LatentBridge, and Hands In. Finally, the Fintech For Good of the Year category identifies those using technology to solve systemic social issues, with Open Banking Limited, Lightning Reach, and Maji shortlisted alongside Stream, Creditspring, and Tunic Pay.
A Record-Breaking Year
The Fintech Advisory Firm of the Year category, sponsored by Swiss Business Hub UK, includes a diverse range of specialists from Shoesmith and 11FS to global firms like KPMG and EY. The Best Accelerator / Incubator category features TSB Labs and the JP Morgan Chase Fintech Forward programme, both of which have been instrumental in bridging the gap between early-stage innovation and institutional scale.
“The quality of entries this year has been exceptional,” noted the judging panel. “We are seeing London-founded companies not just competing, but setting the global standard for what a mature, regulated, and profitable fintech ecosystem looks like.”
The winners of the Fintech Awards London 2026 will be announced at the final gala ceremony book your tickets now at https://www.fintechawardslondon.com/book-tickets/
