If you were not able to join us live at the InnoDay FinTech 2020 on July 21st, you have a new opportunity to share an event that marked a before and after in the positioning of Madrid as the global capital of FinTech. Google, Liferay, Sage, Entely, Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid…
After the hard weeks of confinement, in which the almost 200 companies that already form part of the Madrid Capital FinTech (MAD FinTech) cluster held more than a hundred telematic meetings, on 21 July we were able to see each other’s faces – through the screen – in order to launch the Cibeles Manifesto, the roadmap for reinventing finance from Madrid.
InnoDay FinTech 2020, in video format
InnoDay premiered a new hybrid format -between television and face-to-face- presented by Silvia Leal (TVE) and Manuel Castro (RNE), where we combined a face-to-face meeting for partners with all the guarantees of health safety, together with a live broadcast via YouTube Live.
Now, for those who could not join us during the live, we share the recording of InnoDay FinTechso that you can take note of the keys that the guests gave to reactivate us as an economy.
The Madrid Capital FinTech cluster was officially presented on 19 February at an InnoDay held in the Auditorium of the Palacio de Cibeles and, five months and a pandemic later, on 21 July it held its first General Assembly and presented the Cibeles Manifesto, its roadmap. Along the way, not only the pain of the pandemic and the economic and social uncertainty, but over a hundred meetings by videoconference, during the confinement, to launch a partnership that will make Madrid the global capital of FinTech.
Public-private collaboration
There was also political representation, led by the Madrid City Council. “Madrid has all the requirements to attract talent, investment and entrepreneurship, and initiatives such as MAD FinTech”, highlighted Miguel Ángel Redondo, Councillor for the Economy, Innovation and Employment Area of Madrid City Council. Also taking part was José Luis Moreno, Director General for the Economy of Madrid City Council, who highlighted the role of Salvador Molina as “a reference in this field” FinTech, and of whom he said “he is the most suitable person” to lead the cluster “because he is capable of mobilising even in times of pandemic”.
They were joined by Ángel Niño, Councillor for Innovation and Entrepreneurship of the Madrid City Council, and Fernando Herrero, Director General of Innovation and Entrepreneurship of the Madrid City Council. Niño stressed in his speech that “Madrid is already the hub of financial innovation in Spain”, although he asked “that we be known in Europe and that Madrid be known as a FinTech city”, a task for everyone. Herrero, for his part, allayed the fears of traditional financial institutions by making it clear that the startups entering the business “are looking to associate themselves with traditional banking. When this union is established, we will see how the FinTech sector stands out”.
Comunidad de Madrid en MAD Fintech
In addition, InnoDay Fintech 2020 was the occasion for a major announcement that will help to further promote the cluster: the Community of Madrid joins MAD Fintechh This was announced by the Director General for the Economy, Employment and Competitiveness of the Madrid Regional Government, Rodrigo Tilve, who also participated in an event at the end of which the first General Assembly of the Madrid Capital FinTech cluster was held via videoconference, where the partners began to design the work that will begin after the summer, already based on the Cibeles Manifesto.
