The payments industry, one of the fastest changing sectors in banking and finance, continues to evolve at a rapid pace. The driving factors behind the development are digitalisation, new technology, changed customer behaviour and the introduction of regulations. But also, ever-growing e-commerce and mobile usage.

Despite current political circumstances, The London FinTech scene is booming. The city, by many seen as the financial capital of the world, attracts tech-savvys, entrepreneurs and investors, and every day you hear about new ventures, that are disrupting the industry or at least attempting to. Navigating in this landscape can be challenging even though hubs such as Rise and Level 39 exist, which attract many new innovators. Competition is fierce and 99 of 100 FinTech's will probably never make it. But the few who actually are successful make a large impact on the industry, and drive it forward by enabling new, smart and value-adding solutions. There are certainly many exciting FinTech's and challengers out there, and I have listed 8 of them that have made a particularly strong impression on me. Do you agree with the list? What UK FinTech's would you add, and which ones do you see as a must to follow further on?

Many of today’s most fast-growing and innovative companies have chosen a different type of organisation structure and leadership style than the traditional hierarchical and top-down managed model. Is their success attributable only to their innovative products, services and business models or is it actually the other way around; that they are fast-moving and innovative because they are organised and led differently?

In the beginning of your career, did you ever imagine yourself staying at the same employer for 8 years? I certainly did not. Still, here I am 8 years later working at Centigo, more engaged than ever. Why and how come was I so wrong? What does Centigo have that has made me stay even though many other opportunities have popped up along the way?

Among fast-growing companies, new organisation forms have emerged over the last decades, introducing empowered teams, self management and network based leadership. This has happened in the context of the ‘gig economy’ and a widespread desire amongst talents to work more independently. Many of these organisations and eco-systems of collaborating companies thrive and grow faster than traditional companies. So are new ways to lead and organise necessary for companies to keep up with the accelerating pace of change, and how is this achieved in practice?

What can companies do to minimise the risks and maximise effectiveness after Brexit? Are there opportunities to gain a competitive advantage compared with today? Centigo proposes a structured and proven approach which ultimately could lead to a certification equivalent to 'trusted trader', in order to gain fast-lane status and avoid significant friction.

To succeed with innovation initiatives and transformations, companies often rely on support and partnership with consultancies. This external support normally provides advice, competence and extra capacity to realise the strategic goals, and to do so faster and at lower risk. Choosing the right partner or partner constellations often makes the difference between success and failure and can cost companies millions and millions if not making the right choice. It can also cost decision makers their jobs when strategic goals are not met. So what are the Top 5 mistakes when choosing the right partner?

Few have missed the buzz around Blockchain over the last few years. But now we are seeing that it is much more than buzz; the number of real use cases based on the technology is growing, and an increasing number of organisations, across a range of industries, understand how to utilise its benefits. This subject was discussed during Centigo UK’s Blockchain inspiration breakfast seminar the 31 October, where business profiles and Blockchain enthusiasts gathered to gain insights from the industry, hear about live use cases and engage in discussion.

Wednesday 20^th June was an exciting day for Centigo in our journey to fulfil our vision of Sensible Growth – Everywhere, when we held our first external event in London at our offices at Kings Cross. It was a big day for two reasons. Firstly, symbolically, as by holding the event we are shouting at the top of our voices that we have entered the London market. Secondly, it provided yet more evidence that the British market is interested in what we have to offer. We were joined by 40 enthusiastic business profiles who had insightful questions, as well as feedback on Centigo’s unique approach.

Megatrends and recent events have a huge impact on how international trade is developing. The globalisation in trade is ever increasing, as is also the introduction of regulations and security measures. A key question is how to reduce the risks whilst maintaining or improving the operational efficiency? Another is how to turn this into a competitive advantage and increased sales by controlling and knowing in detail what you trade across borders, end-to-end.