Intelligent Fin.tech Issue 18 | Page 12

NEWS

Abacus Group expands UK presence with Edinburgh office opening

Abacus Group , a leading MSP to alternative investment firms , has announced the opening of a new office in Edinburgh to expand its research and development and customer support capabilities while leveraging local talent .

The new office is already being utilised by a number of employees , and Abacus expects to fill additional roles by early 2024 to support projected growth of 19 %, whilst having the added benefit of providing new jobs to the area .
As it looks to increase headcount by 10 – 20 % this year , Abacus anticipates using its Edinburgh facility as a base to recruit for security analysts , cloud architects and systems engineers , in addition to offering prospective candidates posts in a wide range of customer service , or helpdesk support roles .
Edinburgh has a reputation for having a highly skilled and diverse workforce and is renowned for its research and innovation , especially in sectors such as technology and finance . Abacus will actively be speaking to universities in and around the Edinburgh region , with a view to getting involved in graduate recruitment schemes in the future .
Tom Cole , Managing Director , UK and Europe , Abacus Group , said : “ We uncovered that there is a rich pool of cybersecurity expertise in the Edinburgh area . There is a consistent cadence of talent coming through the education system in Scotland and the new office directly enables us to capture a share of those skills .”

Innovate Finance launches the first Unicorn Council for UK FinTech

Innovate Finance , the independent industry body for UK FinTech , has launched the first Unicorn Council for UK FinTech ( UCFT ), a coalition of UK-based FinTech unicorn founders to accelerate and unlock promised growth in the UK FinTech sector . The Council will be co-chaired by Janine Hirt , CEO of Innovate Finance , and a steering committee of FinTech leaders including Philip Belamant , CEO of Zilch and Charles McManus , CEO of Clearbank .

The Unicorn Council for UK FinTech will provide the government with key policy recommendations to both protect and maintain the UK ’ s leading global position in FinTech ensuring the country successfully meets the investment and growth challenges over the next 10 years .
FinTech is a crucial strategic sector of the UK economy , contributing to the country ’ s innovation , productivity and growth . According to Innovate Finance ’ s latest FinTech Investment Landscape , despite decreased investments in the sector in 2023 , the UK maintains its global leadership , securing more capital than the rest of Europe combined .
The Council has a focus on improving policy , perception and liquidity for the FinTech sector by amplifying a unified industry voice on the key priorities of CEOs , investors and board members to scale their FinTech organisations .
The Council will identify key prevailing issues for UK companies to truly scale-up and grow and will have direct interaction with senior Government ministers and officials to provide recommendations as to how policy interventions can best help these companies . In turn , it will help unlock and drive greater direct foreign investment into the UK , enhancing our international competitiveness . �
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