FinCon & Fintech Awards

When we put a Deputy Commissioner from the Central Bank of Ireland, a compliance director and a fintech advisory board member on the same panel and asked if the industry is ready for AI-driven fraud, the answer was uncomfortable. Five months ago at the National Finance Conference, @Cathal Ryan, @Brenda McVeigh and @Jamie McDonnell tackled the fraud question without softening it. Criminals are adopting AI faster than most detection systems were built to catch. AMLA is coming. The expectations on how firms detect, prevent and report risk are rising. We are now in October. AMLA's shape is clearer. The AML framework is tighter. The question from that panel is worth asking again: has your fraud infrastructure moved as fast as the threat has? Watch the highlights here: https://loom.ly/IF5Psns #Fincon26 #FraudPrevention #AML #IrishFintech #AMLA

Awards are only as good as the people deciding who deserves to win them. The Fintech Awards 2026 judges had the challenging task of working through a very strong field of entries, weighing up the achievements and innovations across the industry, and ultimately deciding who would be taking home an award last night. It's a responsibility that requires time, expertise and some difficult decisions, so we'd like to thank each of them for their contribution.   Audrey Crummy, Deputy Director of the Financial Services Ireland (FSI) Group at Ibec  Derek Foley Butler, FCA, Executive Chairman, GRID Finance | B-Corp Fionn Thompson, Banking and Finance Reporter, Business Post  Gareth Walsh, Co‑Founder, Paypercut  Leah D., Head of FPAI and Digital Assets, Banking & Payments Federation Ireland Michael Browne, Senior Development Adviser, Financial Services, Enterprise Ireland  Ruth Fairclough, Senior Manager, Industry Collaboration, Irish Funds  Sean McWilliams, Head of Fintech & Payments, IDA Ireland  Sinead Halhed-Moran Walsh, INED & founder, Financial InnovateHER  Tamara Leigh, Director of Innovation Strategy, Dogpatch Labs A special thanks also to Elaine Burke for MCing the evening with such skill and ease. #FintechAwards2026 #IrishFintech #GRIDFinance 📷Maura Hickey

"We've rewritten our software three times over the past 30 years. The good news is, we won't have to rewrite it again because AI will make it for us. It is phenomenal what's going on at the moment, Ireland as a country has really come on, certainly since the early days of FINEOS, but it is tremendous to see the supports in place for the fintech community and as well in terms of the insurtech community within that." Michael Kelly, Founder and CEO, FINEOS and winner of the Fintech Outstanding Achievement Award at this year's Fintech Awards brought to you by GRID Finance | B-Corp and Business Post. Today, FINEOS is the global market leader in claims and benefits software for life, accident and health insurance. Seven of the ten largest employee benefits insurers in the United States run on his software. So does 70% of the Australian group insurance market, and New Zealand’s national accident scheme. In 2019 Michael brought the company to the Australian stock exchange in one of its largest floats of the year, an Irish company, built in Ireland, listed on the far side of the world, still headquartered in Dublin. Since then he has embraced the AI era and is building for that to ensure the company’s future success. If ever there is proof that we can build world leading companies from this small island on the end of Europe, facing out into a big ocean it is this company and this entrepreneur. Congratulations to Michael Kelly, Founder and CEO, FINEOS. With thanks to Headline Sponsor GRID Finance, Presenting Partner Accounts IQ and Industry Partners Financial Services Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, IFSC.ie and Ireland's Blue Book #FintechAwards2026 #IrishFintech #GRIDFinance 📷Maura Hickey

Congratulations to Enterprise Ireland, winners of the Fintech Public Servant Advisor or Team of the Year at this year's Fintech Awards brought to you by GRID Finance | B-Corp and Business Post. The judges recognise Enterprise Ireland for its important contribution to the growth and international ambition of Ireland’s fintech sector. Through funding, expert advice and tailored development support, it helps Irish-owned businesses at different stages of their journey—from ambitious start-ups developing innovative products to established companies preparing to scale into new markets. Its fintech and financial-services team connects Irish innovators with global opportunities, helps businesses build the capabilities needed to compete internationally and supports the wider ecosystem that allows new ideas to develop into successful businesses. By backing innovation, encouraging collaboration and helping Irish companies bring their solutions to the world, Enterprise Ireland makes a lasting contribution to the strength and international reputation of Irish fintech. Congratulations also to the shortlistees in this category: Circit Fintua MiFinity Payslip Revolut Sprintax TrueLayer With thanks to Headline Sponsor GRID Finance | B-Corp, Presenting Partner AccountsIQ and Industry Partners Financial Services Ireland (FSI), Enterprise Ireland, IFSC.ie and Ireland's Blue Book #FintechAwards2026 #IrishFintech #GRIDFinance 📷Maura Hickey

Congratulations to Kraken, winners of the Fintech Company of the Year Award – Established at this year's Fintech Awards brought to you by GRID Finance | B-Corp and Business Post. The judges recognised Kraken for its commitment to building and scaling its fintech business in Ireland. Its regulatory standing, including being the first major global crypto firm licensed by the Central Bank of Ireland under the MiCA framework, has helped strengthen Ireland’s position as a destination for international fintech and digital-asset businesses. Congratulations also to the shortlistees in this category: Circit Fintua MiFinity Payslip Revolut Sprintax TrueLayer With thanks to Headline Sponsor GRID Finance, Presenting Partner Accounts IQ and Industry Partners Financial Services Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, IFSC.ie and Ireland's Blue Book #FintechAwards2026 #IrishFintech #GRIDFinance 📷Maura Hickey

Congratulations to Dimply, winners of the Fintech Company of the Year Award – Growth at this year's Fintech Awards brought to you by GRID Finance | B-Corp and Business Post. The judges recognised Dimply for its innovative use of AI to transform customer experiences in financial services. With ambitions in both domestic and international markets, the company continues to develop its products while finding new ways to apply AI across its own operations. Congratulations also to the shortlistees in this category: AccountsIQ CleverCards CoinJar Monzo NoFrixion With thanks to Headline Sponsor GRID Finance, Presenting Partner Accounts IQ and Industry Partners Financial Services Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, IFSC.ie and Ireland's Blue Book #FintechAwards2026 #IrishFintech #GRIDFinance 📷Maura Hickey

Congratulations to Ctrl Alt, winners of the Fintech Company of the Year Award – Start-Up at this year's Fintech Awards brought to you by GRID Finance | B-Corp and Business Post. The judges recognised Ctrl Alt for developing a chain-agnostic platform that supports the end-to-end tokenisation of assets, enabling financial institutions, asset managers and governments to issue, manage and distribute tokenised assets compliantly at scale. Over the past year, the company has tokenised more than $1.5 billion in assets and grown its team from 14 to 51 people. Congratulations also to the shortlistees in this category: DigiTax  Narrative  Zen Pensions With thanks to Headline Sponsor GRID Finance, Presenting Partner Accounts IQ and Industry Partners Financial Services Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, IFSC.ie and Ireland's Blue Book #FintechAwards2026 #IrishFintech #GRIDFinance 📷Maura Hickey

Congratulations to PTSB, winners of the Diversity or Social Impact Initiative of the Year Award at this year's Fintech Awards brought to you by GRID Finance | B-Corp and Business Post. The judges were particularly impressed by the real-world impact of PTSB’s gambling-block initiative and the potential to make a positive difference to people’s lives. Delivering this kind of customer protection within a traditional banking environment takes real commitment. It is exactly the kind of practical innovation the National Fintech Awards were created to recognise. Congratulations also to the shortlistees in this category: AllSkills Education CLG EXANTE With thanks to Headline Sponsor GRID Finance, Presenting Partner Accounts IQ and Industry Partners Financial Services Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, IFSC.ie and Ireland's Blue Book #FintechAwards2026 #IrishFintech #GRIDFinance 📷Maura Hickey

Congratulations to CurrencyFair, winners of the Customer Experience of the Year Award – Established at this year's Fintech Awards brought to you by GRID Finance | B-Corp and Business Post. The judges recognised CurrencyFair for its strong commitment to customer experience. By making operational and service improvements and acting on customer feedback, the company has strengthened customer satisfaction and trust, demonstrating the value of listening carefully and continually improving how people are served. Congratulations also to the shortlistees in this category: AccountsIQ EXANTE Fintua Incorpro MiFinity PTSB Revolut With thanks to Headline Sponsor GRID Finance | B-Corp , Presenting Partner AccountsIQ and Industry Partners Financial Services Ireland (FSI), Enterprise Ireland, IFSC.ie and Ireland's Blue Book #FintechAwards2026 #IrishFintech #GRIDFinance 📷Maura Hickey

Congratulations to Dimply, winners of the Customer Experience of the Year Award – Growth at this year's Fintech Awards brought to you by GRID Finance | B-Corp and Business Post. The judges recognised Dimply for using AI-powered personalisation to transform how customers engage with financial information. Its approach supports more relevant experiences at scale, while helping improve engagement and satisfaction across the customer journey. Congratulations also to the shortlistees in this category: CoinJar Geowox Loanitt Monzo NoFrixion With thanks to Headline Sponsor GRID Finance | B-Corp , Presenting Partner AccountsIQ and Industry Partners Financial Services Ireland (FSI), Enterprise Ireland, IFSC.ie and Ireland's Blue Book #FintechAwards2026 #IrishFintech #GRIDFinance 📷Maura Hickey