Founded by Royal Charter in 1965, the CBI is a non-profit business organisation that speaks on behalf of 190,000 UK businesses of all sizes and from across all sectors, employing nearly 7 million people between them. That’s about one third of the private workforce. This number is made up of both direct members and our trade association members. We do this because we are a confederation and both classes of membership are equally important to us. 

The CBI’s mission is to promote the conditions in which businesses of all sizes and sectors in the UK can compete and prosper for the benefit of all. With offices around the UK (including in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and representation in Brussels, Washington, Beijing and Delhi, the CBI communicates the British business voice around the world. 

All too often many businesses think innovation is something other firms do. The CBI aims to address this with Winning with fintech – a campaign to get more non-financial services firms engaged with financial technology (fintech) to help manage their costs, cashflow and drive efficiencies in everyday operations. 

Businesses are facing a range of challenges as they come out of the pandemic. From spiralling costs to supply chain challenges against a backdrop of continued uncertainty, managing risk and improving operations is vital for any business that wants to get ahead.  

The benefits of fintech stretch far beyond financial services itself. Fintech adoption is growing among consumers, but awareness around fintech solutions for business use cases remains relatively low.  

The CBI wants to change that. Within the CBI’s economic vision Seize the Moment, the UK’s fintech sector has been identified as a key enabler of business innovation, notably for SME businesses which account for 99.9% of the total businesses in the UK. 

Superpowers

  • Networking
  • Business Representative Organisation
  • Financial Innovation

Keywords

  • Networking
  • British Industry
  • Business Representative Organisation
  • B2B
  • Support
  • Influence
  • Peer-to-Peer Learning
  • Financial innovation
  • Access

Who we are

Financial services are the lifeblood of a healthy economy, supporting all other sectors to develop, innovate and grow. The UK is a global hub for financial services and the CBI is committed to ensuring policy makers understand that a strong sector enables economic growth whilst providing jobs, investment and taxation revenues.

The team work with financial services firms and sector associations on tax, regulation and innovation whilst championing the enabling role of the sector across the whole economy. This includes working with the wider CBI community on issues such as payments, access to finance and trade credit insurance.

  • Megan Coulson
    Megan Coulson
    Principal Policy Adviser – Financial Services and Innovation
    Megan is a Principal Policy Advisor for CBI (Confederation of British Industry), and leads on financial services innovation policy. She deals with public policy across UK and Europe, working with regulators, legislators, and stakeholders to ensure that the UK’s financial services sector can flourish.

    Megan provides expertise to fintechs on how they can best present their solutions to a business audience, offering a macro perspective that considers the impacts of technologies on the broader economy.
  • Edward thurman cbi
    Edward Thurman
    Chief Commercial Officer of GSS
    A fintech business that brings global financial institutions together to deliver higher standards in compliance, providing a trusted platform to enhance and exchange information. Ed has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry as a regulator, consultant and in senior management roles within financial institutions. Recently served as Head of Global Transaction Banking and Head of Financial Institutions at Lloyds Banking Group, and prior to that in senior strategy roles in global financial institutions. Ed is also a Strategic Adviser on Fintech to the Confederation of British Industry.