1. technology and computing

ICT
Fintech
Wales is the most secure place in the UK to establish
your technology business…
Fintech, one of
the most robust
technology sectors,
is becoming one of
the strongest sectors
in the UK economy.
Global investment
in Fintech reached
almost $3 billion in
2013 and the UK leads
the way in Europe.
Wales is the place
to be for Fintech in
the UK.
A Location for Growth
With next generation ICT
infrastructure, outstanding
people, a thriving
graduate population, a
competitive cost base
and close proximity to the
world’s biggest financial
centre Wales provides a
compelling proposition
to software and IT service
businesses working with the
financial services sector.
Today, we are supporting
the creation of a future proof
infrastructure that provides
the ideal environment for
success in financial services
technology. Such as the
multi-million pound Welsh
Government investment
in Europe’s first, country
wide, next generation
broadband network offering
96% of businesses access
to 100Mbps services; High
Performance Computing
(HPC) Wales gives businesses
direct, ‘as a service’ access to
advanced super-computing
and computational
technologies; and the
attraction of significant
private sector data centre
operations such as Next
Generation Data in Newport,
one of Europe’s largest and
‘greenest’ data centres with
100% of its power coming
from renewable sources.
From the embryonic
development of Linux by Alan
Cox and the creation of the
IMBD by Rob Hartill through
to the recent roll out of BT’s
21st Century network – the
first in the UK, Wales has
always featured in the design
and delivery of leading
technology innovations.
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Cardiff, a super connected
city, has one of the best
digital environments
available in the UK, offering
users features such as 4G
mobile technology of up to
100mbps download speed;
T-carrier connection (direct
to HPC Wales); 1GB Ultra-fast
broadband; 100mps Fibre
(BT Infinity); 100mbps WLAN;
Generic Ethernet Access
over Fibre to the Premises
(GEA-FTTP); and 330MB/s
Network resilience through
multi-topology routing.
Wales also offers a resilient
digital network, providing
high speed voice and data
connections throughout
the world, delivering prices
of up to 40% below market
rates in London and 20%
below those in Dublin,
Manchester and Glasgow.
In Good Company
Cardiff also offers the
UK’s only Enterprise Zone
dedicated to the finance
sector, and enjoys a growing
reputation as a location
of choice for high value
international financial
services operations. As
well as Admiral, Zurich,
ING Direct, Lloyds Banking
Group, Legal & General and
Atradius being prestigious
investors to Cardiff, Wales
has emerged as Europe’s
centre for online insurance
aggregators with providers
such as Moneysupermarket,
GoCompare and Confused.
Com calling the region home.
“South Wales has
proved to be a very
healthy business
environment offering a
strong pool of suitably
qualified staff within
easy reach, in addition
to a cluster of locally
base, quality clients
such as Barclaycard
Secured Lending, the
Principality Building
Society secured loan
business Nemo
Finance and the AA.”
CEO, Target Group
Cardiff
Where the market goes
the supporting technology
industry follows. Wales
is home to over 3,000
operations, including a
healthy mix of homegrown
businesses and multinationals
among them Attenda, BT,
Airbus UK, CGI, Fujitsu
Services, General Dynamics
UK, IQE, Logicalis, Mitel,
Pure Wafer, SAIC and Sony
UK. Fintech market leaders
such as Monitise, Target, FIS,
Payswyft, Peter Evans and
Source Software all provide
software and solutions for
the insurance, pension,
stock market and payments
industry from Wales.
A Secure Location
for your Financial
Technology
The growth in Fintech
goes hand in hand with
the adoption of new
technologies and better
internet connectivity.
With growing concerns
over the safety of our
personal and financial
data Wales is the place to
keep that data secure.
Wales is leading the way
in this very specialist and
vital field, with expertise in
ICT Trust & Security and
e-Crime Prevention. Since
2005 we’ve been building
a global reputation based
on landmark projects
with businesses, law
enforcement and academia.
The south Wales region
in particular has a high
concentration of innovative
companies and academic
expertise, including
homeland security,
cyber security, policing,
counterterrorism and
major event security; so
much so that the area is
now recognised by the UK
Government as the prime
location for both R&D and
the commercialisation
of security and defence
products and services.
The Cost Benefit
As one of the most costcompetitive locations in the
UK, you will benefit from the
availability of highly skilled
people and excellent facilities
at a highly economically
advantageous rate with
salaries up to 15% lower than
the South East across many
ICT functions and property
costs up to 75% lower.
It will also help you to know
that business committed to
Wales can benefit from one
of the best financial incentive
programmes available
The financial
assistance available in
Wales is making a
considerable impact on
our business. We are
taking advantage of a
number of financial
incentives to support
skills development and
also our business
development activities.
Our relationship
means that we are kept
up to date with the
many financial
initiatives developed
by the Welsh
Government to support
our business.”
Managing Director,
PETEREVANS, Cardiff
in Europe for both job
creation and R&D providing
a fantastic opportunity to
access funding to support
your development plans.
The Right Skills for your
Business
Wales is able to offer a
wealth of talented individuals
able to work in the field of
FinTech with over 44,000
employed in the ICT sector
bolstered by over 4,600
graduates a year in IT related
disciplines. In fact, the future
looks bright as Wales has
witnessed consistent growth
in undergraduates within IT
over the last 3 years bucking
the downward UK trend.
“I’ve found that people
in the area have got
the right attitude and
they are willing to go
that extra mile. It is
part of the nature of
the Welsh to be
enthusiastic about
something they like.
We have discovered a
true passion for
success in Wales and
this is reflected in our
turnover and profit
figures.”
Managing Director,
CREDITSAFE, Bridgend
Staff retention rates in Wales
are also consistently among
the best in the UK. Turnover
is as low as 3% at some
companies in the sector
with the average between
10% and 15%, delivering
higher productivity, lower
training costs and more
satisfied customers reflecting
the operational advantage
of locating in Wales.
Research and Academic
Excellence
Wales enjoys an excellent
reputation for the quality of
its academic institutions with
outstanding teaching and
world class research facilities
offering you the opportunity
to research new products
and solutions. The following
are Centres of Excellence in
Wales to support FinTech:
Mobile Applications and
Services (CEMAS) – based at
the University of South Wales,
CEMAS helps businesses
to design, develop and test
new mobile phone services
and applications ahead of
launches in the marketplace.
EADS Foundation Wales –
is a joint venture between
the Welsh Government,
Airbus Defence and Space
(formerly Cassidian) and
Cardiff University committed
to carrying out research
into and development of
technologies in the fields
of the Digital Economy,
the Low Carbon Economy
and Advanced Engineering
& Manufacturing (with
particular interest in the
secure mobile and wireless
communications network).
University of Wales – has
opened an office in Silicon
Valley in California in order
to boost innovative Welsh
companies. The University
and the Geospatial Data
Centre at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
have recently signed an
agreement to jointly develop
cyber security leadership
and training programmes.
Trust & Securities Initiative –
this initiative is a partnership
of organisations and
agencies, including 4 Welsh
Police Forces, committed to
equipping Welsh businesses
with the knowledge and
tools to be aware, vigilant,
informed and ultimately
safe from the destructive
effects of e-Crime in all its
forms. Companies operating
within the trust and securities
technology market will have
the opportunity to share
best practice and potentially
supply the Welsh market.
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Financial Markets Forum
– located within Cardiff
University, the Forum is
run by senior staff from JP
Morgan and OSTC. The
Forum features a trading
floor and was the first in
the UK to use it in teaching
undergraduates about the
stock market. The Trading
Room is sponsored by
the Welsh Government,
Eurex and OSTC Wales.
The Centre for Financial and
Professional Services (at the
University of South Wales)
Trading Room provides
students with a hands-on
context for an active learning
experience with access to
both share trading simulation
software and empirical
data. The Trading Room
facility will shortly be further
“Our developers work
across a wide range of
technologies and we
are excited by the
opportunity to build
our new base in Wales.
The skills which
developers and
graduates are bringing
into our business are
broadening and
improving all the time.”
Chief Information
Officer, MONITISE,
Nantgarw
“The move from South
Africa to Wales was
fairly difficult given
that I had to
understand a
completely new
business operation.
From a family point of
view we had to make a
whole new circle of
friends, find schools for
the children and a
house. It has been a
great learning curve.
The support I received
from Wales was really
wonderful.”
Chief Executive
Officer, WESBANK,
Cardiff
enhanced by the introduction
of Reuters Eikon and
Datastream software which
will enable undergraduate
and postgraduate students
to analyse a comprehensive
range of global corporate
and market information.
Quality of Life
Once here, achieving a work/
life balance can become a
reality. You are never more
than an hour from some of
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the most spectacular scenery
in the UK with rugged
coastlines, beautiful beaches,
rolling valleys and mountains
that are ideal for hiking,
horse riding, fishing or golf.
What Next?
The opportunities for your
sector in Wales are many
and varied – so let’s talk.
+44 (0) 3000 6 03000
JustAsk.Wales.com