New synergies and fresh insights explored at the UK National Showcase for Professional and Financial Services

Stephen Browning, Challenge Director of the Next Generation Professional and Financial Services Programme at Innovate UK gave a warm welcome to more than 115 entrepreneurs, innovators and industry leaders in finance, legal, insurance and accountancy. Commenting on the event, Stephen said:

The Professional and Financial Services (PFS) are central to the UK’s economy. Not only do they represent a significant proportion of it, but they underpin every other commercial activity and many key elements of our daily lives. Through the Next Generation Professional and Financial Services programme Innovate UK and ESRC have been supporting this sector to develop and deploy digital technologies to improve economic growth and better support their customers. This showcase event let us hear from many of the brilliant companies we have supported and discuss what the future of these sectors could look like.

Attendees participated keenly in the bustling networking and 1-2-1 meeting opportunities, as well as the insightful and thought-provoking panel discussions that hosted a variety of speakers from large firms and academic institutions to digital innovation start-ups, including Mettle Capital, Hargreaves Lansdown, Maximum Information, Ensors, Thorntons Law LLP, Moneyline, Collaborative Conveyancing, SeparateSpace, Mind Foundry, Amplified Global™ and BrokerCentral.

Lee Byrant’s aptly inspiring keynote talk helped to create a positively buzzing atmosphere which encouraged delegates to also speak with a variety of the 68 groundbreaking projects transforming the sector that have been funded by the £26.5 million programme to proactively tackle current challenges faced in productivity and efficiency, upskilling, accessibility and empowerment, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), risk and compliance.

This investment supports the UK’s strategy of enhancing productivity and efficiency, through empowering professionals in accounting, law, insurance and financial services with opportunities to harness digital technologies effectively and responsibly.

New industry report

Ahead of its public release, the esteemed audience also gained fresh insights from the brand new AI for Services 2025 Report that was produced by Innovate UK in collaboration with the ESRC and Whitecap Consulting. The results of this report identify sector strengths and diversity in the form of an in-depth analysis of regional clusters that provides a clear view of capabilities and growth opportunities beyond London. Additionally, the report examines the evolving investor landscape, showcasing increasing interest in technology-driven businesses and the growing appetite for co-investment opportunities in FinTech, InsurTech, Accountancy Tech and Legal Tech.

Watch event session recordings

To learn more from our inspiring keynote speaker and forward-thinking discussion leaders, you can watch the events’ sessions in our YouTube playlist.

Exploring new synergies

Commenting on the culmination of the programme’s achievements and the successful proceedings of the day, Astrid Ayel, AI for Services Lead at Innovate UK Business Connect had this to say:

I was proud to run this exceptional cross-sector event, showcasing inspiring projects — from solutions for access to justice and AI agents for financial decisions, to climate-resilient insurance products and streamlined R&D tax credit claims. This event marked the culmination of a two-year programme driving innovation in the sector — a journey we’ve championed since 2018. By uniquely combining Innovate UK’s business-led approach with ESRC’s social science expertise, we have delivered impact cross professional and financial services.

We are very pleased that this showcase event successfully encouraged everyone to explore new synergies and has helped to shape the future of professional and financial services across the United Kingdom.

How to stay connected

As part of the Next Generation Professional and Financial Services Programme, we welcome you to join the AI for Services network that includes more than 1,500 leading businesses, researchers, firms and investors who are supporting the transformation of the UK PFS sector in terms of its global leadership position. Within our community, we explore research and development opportunities, share learnings, discuss common challenges, all whilst encouraging innovation transfer.