EY has appointed Mark Jannetta, the former head of Barclays’ Fintech Venture Studio, to lead its inaugural fintech lab located in London.
Situated within EY’s financial services office in Canary Wharf, the new lab will serve as a collaborative workspace focused on experimentation and rapid prototyping. According to EY, the lab will be available for fintechs, potential investors, clients, established financial institutions, regulators, and other partners to exchange ideas, brainstorm innovative concepts, and develop new tech-driven financial services.
In his seven years at Barclays, Jannetta specialized in working with fintechs in the innovation space. He will be part of the EY fintech team led by Chris Woolard, the former interim CEO of the FCA, who was instrumental in establishing the UK Regulatory Sandbox.
The London lab will eventually be joined by a second lab in Edinburgh, set to open next year, and a financial services innovation hub in Bristol that will bring together design, data analytics, and engineering expertise.
Woolard noted, “We have clear and very ambitious plans to grow our fintech business in the UK. Our primary goal is to connect fintechs, established financial services players, potential investors, and the official sector to collaborate on bringing new products and services to market. The EY fintech labs will be central to our growth.”
In addition to the labs, EY is also launching a fintech growth programme aimed at early-stage and emerging businesses, designed to equip them with essential skills and knowledge for success. The programme will be managed by Katja Palovaara, a former Tech Nation executive and FinTech Rising Star of the Year at the London FinTech Awards 2022.
For those interested in exploring further fintech career opportunities, visit the Finextra Job Board for a range of available positions.