Fintech solutions have taken the financial world by storm. In Europe, a traditionally reluctant and over regulated sector, fintechs have had to make their way through. While 15-20 years ago it was a niche market with only a few companies from the e-commerce and payments sector betting on high technological solutions, nowadays all great financial institutions have adopted many of these ideas or they are in the process to do so. And accelerators and incubators are just the perfect channel to boost breakthrough ideas into fruition.
Global fintech investment reached $24.6 billion last year, already surpassing the results of two years ago. Many traditional financial institutions have bet high on fintech solutions to boost their services, especially those solutions coming from startups and entrepreneurs. Accelerators and incubators play a critical role to that end as they funnel all those fintech ideas and boost the most promising ones. In this article we present the top fintech accelerators and incubators in Europe lending a hand to entrepreneurs and startups all over the continent, according to Fintech News.
Top Fintech Accelerators in Europe
Level39
Level39 is probably Europe’s largest technology accelerator specialized in finance, retail, cyber-security and futures cities technology companies. Some of the biggest fintech players have started from there, like Revolut or eToro. Owned wholly by the Canary Wharf Group, Level39 launched in March 2013.
Kickstart Accelerator
Kickstart Accelerator claims to be Europe’s largest multi-corporate and equity-free accelerator program welcoming some 60 founders from around the world every year. The accelerator program, which is a 11-week long program, is an initiative of Impact Hub Zurich in partnership with digitalswitzerland and is open to early-stage startups with a promising prototype within six verticals: fintech, smart cities, robotics and smart systems, healthcare, edtech and food.
Startupbootcamp Fintech
Denmark based Startupbootcamp is another case of success. The accelerator program started in 2010 and it has become now a global network of industry-focused startup accelerators with 17 accelerator programs across 11 cities. In Europe, Startupbootcamp runs annual programs in locations such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin and Haifa. Each program of Startupbootcamp focuses on a specific industry.
Fintech Innovation Lab
Fintech Innovation Lab is a 12-week program by Accenture that helps early-to growth-stage startup companies refine and test their value proposition with the support of the world’s leading financial service firms. The mentorship program runs in London, Dublin, Hong Kong and New York.
F10 Incubator and Accelerator
F10 Incubator and Accelerator is the innovation center of SIX, a financial services provider that operates the infrastructure of Switzerland’s financial center. The Zurich-based incubator and accelerator aims to support and guide startups in transforming their ideas into successful companies while stimulating worldwide collaboration with international finance organizations.
Barclays Accelerator
Powered by Techstars, the Barclay Accelerator is a 13-week program focused on fintech run by a full-time, dedicated Techstars team. The program runs in four locations: New York, London, Cape Town and Tel Aviv.
Citi Ventures Fintech Accelerator
Located in Tel Aviv, Citi Ventures’ fintech accelerator program aims to accelerate innovation through comprehensive programs and partnerships for entrepreneurs. Started in 2013, the program has since supported six classes, with over 55 startups graduating from the four-month program.
ING Fintech Village
The ING Fintech Village is an initiative powered by ING Belgium in strong collaboration with ING Luxembourg, ING Netherlands, the ING Group and other key partners. Located in Diegem, Belgium, the 16-week program is targeted at technology-driven startups that offer solutions relevant for financial institutions and/or which can help the firm provide superior financial services to its customers. The program is open to startups that are close to the Proof of Concept stage.
FinLab
Established in late-2014, FinLab is a German early stage investor and incubator specializing in the fintech sector. FinLab focuses on developing German fintech startups and providing venture capital for their financial needs.
Copenhagen Fintech
Copenhagen Fintech is a joint initiative by the Danish Bankers Association, the City of Denmark and Financial Services Union Denmark, and it was established as a non-profit organization with partners from different sectors. The member-driven organization aims to connect its entrepreneurs with regulators, policy-makers, educators, researchers, policy-makers and Fintech companies both in Denmark and abroad.