FINTECH company Seopa Ltd, parent company of financial comparison platform Quotezone.co.uk, has announced the return of its highly sought-after scholarship programme for higher education students, an initiative that has been specifically designed to help foster greater diversity in the fintech sector here in Scotland.
The aim of the scholarship is to encourage students from outside the world of fintech to explore what it could potentially offer them as a career and enter a short but insightful blog post on what the next generation see as the future of fintech.
The industry is facing a very serious talent shortage which is a growing concern across the sector. This scholarship hopes to attract a diverse range of students from across the academic syllabus, who may never before have considered this path as a viable option.
Data from a wide range of research firms and government agencies, including the Department for Education, suggests the talent shortage is the single biggest concern for senior leaders in the financial services industry. PwC’s Global Fintech Report found 42% of both financial services (FS) and Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) organisations are struggling to fill roles.
Scotland has been hailed as a global leading fintech hub with 15 universities teaching bespoke fintech courses, over 175 fintech startup success stories and a wealth of investment opportunities from public, private and academic investors. Scottish fintech firms specialise in the full spectrum of financial technologies from payments to blockchain, and from open banking to regtech.
Seopa’s approach to fostering greater diversity in its sector has been hailed by politicians, academics and business leaders across the UK. Stephen Ingledew from FinTech Scotland comments: “The immensely positive contribution by fintech to the UK’s digital economy is being driven by the creativity and enterprise of people from diverse backgrounds and the Quotezone Fintech Scholarship initiative is a terrific example in ensuring this momentum in financial innovation is accelerated. Encouraging participation from the diversity of young people across our communities will further spur fintech innovation in all aspects of our personal and business lives, thereby ensure an inclusive approach to the economic opportunities ahead.”
Greg Wilson, the fintech entrepreneur behind comparison site Quotezone.co.uk, had this to say about the company’s Quotezone Fintech Scholarship: “Talented graduates are the lifeblood of the fintech sector and in our experience, teams that are more diverse tend to perform better and create more sustainable growth for the business.
“The financial sector is being reinvented and we need aspiring students to think outside the box and drive innovation forward. The list of contributions made to fintech by those with non-traditional backgrounds is extensive and the main driver behind the disruptive nature of fintech which has been so pivotal in embracing change.
“We want this scholarship to be a trigger that opens minds and shows talented young Scottish students where they could be in 5 years’ time.”
Quotezone.co.uk’s parent company, Seopa, renowned for its pioneering comparison technology, was founded by entrepreneur, Greg Wilson in 2003 and has now grown to more than 50 team members spread across two European offices.
The company has been recognised with six Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards, and has been awarded a Deloitte Best Managed Company Award each year for the past three years – topped by the Gold Standard Deloitte Award for Best Managed Company in 2020 – making it four consecutive wins.
Quotezone.co.uk helps around 3 million users every year, with over 400 insurance brands across 60 different insurance and personal finance products – recommended by 97% of reviewers on Reviews.co.uk.
The deadline to apply for Quotezone.co.uk’s Fintech Scholarship is 31st December 2021, full details of how to apply are available here: Quotezone Fintech Scholarship. The successful candidate will receive a £1,000 bursary which can be used to cover part of the cost of their studies, course materials or any other living expenses. Each of the UK’s four regions will have their own individual winner.
