The Saudi British Joint Business Council (SBJBC UK) is leading a delegation of 30 UK fintech companies and investors to Riyadh from 29 to 31 January. The three-day mission, co-sponsored by Saudi Awwal Bank and payment solutions provider Geidea, aims to foster collaborations and partnerships between the UK and Saudi fintech ecosystems. Saudi Arabia is looking to become the region’s fintech hub, with a target of 525 fintech companies by 2030, contributing SAR13.3bn ($3.5bn) in direct GDP.
The UK is the second largest global fintech hub, and the leading European market in the sector, attracting $5.1bn of investments in 2023 across 409 deals. The UK delegation includes representatives from Alba Partners, Digitify, KYC Hub, MishiPay, Paymentology, Smart Pension, Wise, and Zeal. The mission is supported by the UK’s Department for Business & Trade, the Saudi Ministry of Communications & IT, and Fintech Saudi.