Congratulations to the 2021 Fintech Draft Pitching Competition winners Agryo and Copia Wealth Studios!

TORONTO — Jun 4, 2021 — The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association of Canada (NCFA), the non-profit cross-body organization that promotes and supports fintech and funding throughout Canada, successfully concluded its seventh annual flagship Fintech and Financing Conference – FFCON21 in partnership with Toronto Finance International (TFI), which was held digitally from May 11-13, 2021.

The conference entitled “Breaking Barriers” focused on the Future of Finance and Society, exploring a wide range of topics reflecting the growth and emerging challenges that the Canadian Fintech industry must navigate to achieve mass adoption and scale. Through 25+ hours of keynotes, lively panels, VIP workshops and impactful pitching competition, the conference facilitated discussions and the sharing of new ideas and thought-provoking insights into trends, innovations and regulatory landscape shaping regulatory, fintech, blockchain, digital banking, payments, AI, capital markets, digital assets and alternative finance sectors.

Founders and innovators, industry experts, investors, regulators, lawyers, and many more shared their insights, successes, and challenges, contributing invaluable insight to assist both Canadian and global companies with building stronger, more competitive and responsible entities that will shape the future of finance and society.

FFCON21 broke its own barriers this year boasting 130 notable global key speakers from a wide range of public and private sectors including two Canadian government ministers, a political champion Canadian Senator, and Sophia – the world-famous Humanoid Robot. The 560 registered attendees engaged in 400 hours of targeted networking meetings throughout the three-day conference. The full list of FFCON21’s influential speakers can be found here.

Highlights from FFCON21:

  • Day 1: May 11 focused on ‘Breaking Barriers and Digital Innovation’ and featured thought leadership and leading fintech and financing firms pushing boundaries in crypto adoption, cloud banking and security, data rights, alternative assets, and IPO innovations such as Versabank, Stablecorp Inc. Coinpayments, Forward Security Inc., Intellect Design, Localcoin, Invest Hong Kong and SuperWorld.
  • Day 2: May 12 programming was all about ‘Growth & Curation’ designed to help companies innovate, launch, improve productivity, scale and become more globally competitive. A multitude of topics were showcased covering everything from Gen Z opportunities to human resourcing and digital identity perspectives from high profile firms such as Holt Accelerator, University of Waterloo, Mambu, Liquid Avatar Technologies, and Trust Alliance Company.  A series of engaging demos were also delivered by Whelp, CPQi and MinervaAI who are at the forefront.
  • Day 3: May 13 had participants widen their scope to go beyond geographic boundaries and contemplate the daily theme of ‘Global Future Forward’ which covered topics from Fintech’s role in climate change and net zero to the rise of China (and U.S. response), global regulatory trends, CBDCs, and how emerging technologies like Blockchain and NFTs can be used for the greater good. Featured partner companies included VoPay, Power & Mobility, and TAAL.
  • FFCON21 premier content included VIP Masterclasses and Fireside Chats from industry experts that gave attendees deep insight into the rise of Decentralized Finance (DeFi), the anatomy of DeFi apps, the evolving digital asset regulatory landscape, the future of Web 3.0, and what the future holds for FinTech.  Special thanks to our DeFi partners Cloud Nine Web3 Technologies and DeFi Ventures.
  • The conference also provided a plethora of mentoring and business networking opportunities with its popular ‘Ask an Expert’ and Speed Dating series designed to connect industry experts and prominent investors from firms such as Real Ventures, Techstars, Information Venture Partners, Luge Capital and Silicon Valley Bank with companies and attendees looking for insights and opportunities to support their continued growth.

 

Congratulations to the 2021 Fintech Draft Pitching Competition Winners

The event also featured the second annual 2021 Fintech Draft designed to identify, promote, and reward emerging and high growth fintech start-ups and scaleups. Of the outstanding competing companies, the organizers wish to congratulate:

Agryo — (Overall Winner) — A global risk intelligence provider that enables financial institutions to assess and manage financial risks in the crop field level for underwriting agriculture insurance, loans, and trade finance globally; as well as meet sustainability goals.

Copia Wealth Studios — (People’s Choice) — A financial intelligence platform that uses modern design and machine learning to bring all investments (including Alternatives and Illiquid assets) into one elegant view.

NFT Charity Auction ‘Fintech for Good’

FFCON21 also saw the launch of conference’s inaugural Charity Auction which this year is being held in aid of CanadaHelps COVID-19 Healthcare & Hospital Fund, an organization which supports more than 110 hospital foundations across Canada that are supporting urgent needs in response to COVID-19.

The auction, which kicked off during the event will run until June 6 of this year, features unique digital donations from artists and organisations including Liquid Avatar, Pierre Bourque, Blockchain Intelligence Group, SuperWorld and Nathan McCrorey. Collectors interested in owning an exceptional #NFT can access the auction and bid on items on Blockparty’s new NFT marketplace using this link.

The organisers also welcome donations from artists, individuals or companies who wish to support this worthy cause. 

The NCFA FFCON conference, held virtually on May 11-13, continues to be the largest and most influential Fintech conference in Canada. 

To view the FFCON21 highlights video please visit https://2021.fintechandfunding.com/.

The organizers offer special thanks to all the attendees, conference partners, speakers, companies, and volunteers that helped make FFCON21 an informative and memorable event.

 

About the NCFA

The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain and cryptocurrency, Regtech, and Insuretech sectors. To learn more about NCFA visit www.ncfacanada.org

About FFCON

FFCON (Fintech and Financing Conference) is an annual conference hosted by Canada’s National Crowdfunding and Fintech Association (NCFA). Now in its seventh year, FFCON21 brought together professionals and innovators in fintech, blockchain, cryptocurrency, and alternative finance. Further information about the conference series can be found at www.fintechandfunding.com

FFCON Contacts

Conference Chair
Craig Asano
Founder and CEO, NCFA
casano@ncfacanada.org
(416) 618-0254

Partnership Inquiries
Lauren Linton
Advisor, NCFA
lauren@ncfacanada.org
(416) 569-4349

Media Contact
Michele McDermott-Fox
The Top Floor Public Relations
pr@thetopflooragency.com
(905) 379-1893