Events

OBL at Open Banking Expo – London 2025

08 October 2025

Open Innovation Exchange at Open Banking Expo 2025: A Two-Day Recap

This year’s Open Banking Expo saw the launch of our Open Innovation Exchange – a bold new space for live, unscripted conversations at the heart of the event. Over two days, the Exchange hosted a rolling series of open mic debates, bringing together voices from start-ups, regulators, banks, and tech leaders to explore the future of open banking and open finance.

Day 1 sessions: Fresh Thinking and Real-World Impact

Voices from the Edge: Start-Ups Shaping the Future – The Exchange opened with a dynamic session featuring Charlie Mercer, Start-up Coalition, Luke Ladyman, Debitscore by Cheddar, and Wayne Lloyd, Smarter Contracts, moderated by OBL’s Ecosystem Engagement Director Mel Lazarus. The panel shared candid insights into the ambitions and roadblocks faced by start-ups at the edge of innovation, offering senior leaders a glimpse into what’s needed to scale new ideas and sustain competition.

WATCH SESSION 1

Innovation That Delivers: Real-World Impact – This session focused on how innovation translates into tangible outcomes for SMEs and consumers. Rory Tanner, Revolut, David Firth, Moneyhub, Faith Reynolds, Devonfields, and Nicole Green, Yapily joined Mel Lazarus to discuss trust, adoption, and the importance of delivering meaningful change.

Breaking Barriers: Cross-Industry Collaboration at Work – Moderated by Emily Rayment OBL’s Head of Public Affairs, this panel explored how collaboration across sectors — from digital ID to sustainability — is unlocking new opportunities. Speakers included Paul Albone, Digital Property Pack, Adrian Field, OneID, Leon Ifayemi, CFIT, and Gavin Starks, IcebreakerOne.

Day 2 Sessions: Regulation, Standards and Global Reach

Innovation Meets Regulation: The Balancing Act – Day 2 began with a timely debate on how regulation and innovation can fuel each other. OBL’s Head of Strategy Nick Davey moderated a panel featuring Araba Eshun, Plaid, Adam Jackson, Innovate Finance, Mike Jones, Bank of England and Chris Hemsley, Fingleton, exploring the UK model and the role of standards in enabling trust at scale.

The UK Blueprint: From Open Banking to Open Finance – In a focused conversation, Luke Ryder OBL’s Standards, Strategic Policy & Public Affairs Director and Adam Jackson, Innovate Finance, unpacked the UK’s financial innovation blueprint — discussing how collaboration and standards are accelerating the journey toward open finance.

From UK to the World: Open Banking as an Export – The final session, moderated by OBL’s CEO Henk Van Hulle, brought a global perspective. Tom Trundle-Martin, Truelayer, Robert Sullivan, Token.io and Ana Abrão CEO, Open Finance Brasil explored the opportunities and challenges of exporting the UK’s open banking framework, from interoperability to regulatory readiness.

A Space for Open Minds – Across both days, the Open Innovation Exchange proved to be more than just a stage – it was a space for open minds, open conversations, and open collaboration. With no slides, no scripts, and no registration required, attendees were invited to simply walk in, grab a seat, and join the dialogue shaping the future of finance.

Main Stages

Across two days, the main stages delivered a powerful mix of insight and ambition –  from OBL’s CEO Henk van Hulle’s opening panel discussing a roadmap for real impact and Chair and Trustee Marion King’s building the foundations for open innovation, to deep dives into smart data, AI, fraud, and the UK’s evolving open finance model. OBL speakers including Danh Nguyen, Nick Davey, Luke Ryder, and Christian Delesalle helped shape debates on trust, transformation, and scale, while industry voices explored how collaboration and regulation are driving the next chapter of financial innovation.

Open Innovation Exchange
MAIN STAGES – DAY 1
MAIN STAGES – DAY 2

Open innovation exchange

Day 1 – Tuesday 21 October

Open Innovation Exchange
Voices from the Edge: Start-Ups Shaping the Future

Hear directly from the challengers and start-ups shaping tomorrow’s services. They’ll share ambitions and roadblocks at the edge of innovation – giving senior leaders a candid look at what’s needed to scale new ideas and sustain competition.

Panel

  • Mel Lazarus, Ecosystem Engagement Director, OBL – Moderator
  • Charlie Mercer, Start-up Coalition
  • Luke Ladyman, Debitscore by Cheddar
  • Wayne Lloyd, Smarter Contracts
WATCH SESSION 1
Open Innovation Exchange
Innovation That Delivers: Real-World Impact

12:30 – 13:00 – Open mic debate

Innovation is only meaningful when it delivers for people and businesses. This session highlights real-world applications driving adoption among SMEs and consumers and explores what it takes to scale trust and impact. 

Panel
  • Mel Lazarus, Ecosystem Engagement Director, OBL – Moderator
  • Rory Tanner, Revolut
  • David Firth, Moneyhub
  • Faith Reynolds, Devonfields
  • Nicole Green, Yapily
Open Innovation Exchange
Breaking Barriers: Cross-Industry Collaboration at Work

14:00 – 14:30 – Open mic debate

Digital ID, property data, sustainability, financial inclusion – innovation rarely moves forward in isolation. Leaders from across industries share how multi-stakeholder collaboration is breaking down barriers and creating new opportunities. 

Panel
  • Emily Rayment, Head of Public Affairs, OBL – Moderator
  • Paul Albone, Digital Property Pack
  • Adrian Field, OneID – Digital ID
  • Leon Ifayemi, CFIT
  • Gavin Starks, IcebreakerOne

Day 2 – Wednesday 22 October

Open Innovation Exchange
Innovation Meets Regulation: The Balancing Act

10:15 – 10:45 – Open mic debate

How do regulation and innovation fuel each other? Senior figures from regulators, banks, and fintechs debate the costs, frictions, and opportunities. The UK model is in focus: can standards become the ultimate enabler of trust and adoption at scale. 

Panel
  • Nick Davey, OBL – Moderator
  • Araba Eshun, Plaid
  • Adam Jackson, Innovate Finance
  • Chris Hemsley, Fingleton
  • Mike Jones, Bank of England
Open Innovation Exchange
The UK Blueprint: From Open Banking to Open Finance 

12:00 – 12:30 – In Conversation

What does the UK’s financial innovation blueprint really look like? Adam Jackson, Strategy Director at Innovate Finance and Luke Ryder will explore the sector’s most pressing questions – from the role of Standards and building trust; to how collaboration is accelerating the journey towards open finance.

Panel
  • Luke Ryder, Standards, Strategic Policy & Public Affairs Director, OBL – Moderator
  • Adam Jackson, Innovate Finance
Open Innovation Exchange
From UK to the World: Open Banking as an Export

13:30 – 14:00 – Open mic debate

With the UK’s open banking framework setting a global benchmark, the question now is: how do we take it international? This session examines the opportunities and hurdles in exporting the UK model, from interoperability to regulatory readiness, and what it means for businesses seeking to scale across borders. 

Panel
  • Henk Van Hulle, CEO OBL – Moderator
  • Tom Trundle-Martin, Truelayer
  • Robert Sullivan, Token.io
  • Ana Abrão, CEO, Open Finance Brasil 

MAIN STAGES
dAY 1

Main Stage
The roadmap to real impact: Progress, pressure points and 2026 vision

Powerhouse Debate

Date: Tuesday 21 October
Time: 09:15 – 10:00

OBL Speakers
  • Henk van Hulle, CEO OBL
Open Finance Show
Building the trust layer: Consent, control and confidence in Smart Data

Powerhouse Debate

Date: Tuesday 21 October
Time: 11:20 – 12:00

OBL Speakers
  • Henk van Hulle, CEO OBL
Smart Data Show
Building the trust layer: Consent, control and confidence in Smart Data

Powerhouse Debate

Date: Tuesday 21 October
Time: 11:50 – 12:30

OBL Speakers
  • Danh Nguyen, General Counsel OBL
Transformation Stage
The AI Open Banking nexus: Unlocking intelligence, driving innovation

Powerhouse Debate

Date: Tuesday 21 October
Time: 15:15 – 15:45

OBL Speakers
  • Nick Davey, Head of Strategy, OBL
Main Stage
Open Banking 2.0: Rewiring the model for real-world scale

Powerhouse Debate

Date: Tuesday 21 October
Time: 15:40 – 16:25

OBL Speakers
  • Luke Ryder, Standards, Strategic Policy & Public Affairs Director OBL 

MAIN STAGES
dAY 2

Main Stage
What open banking did next: Building the foundations for open innovation

Keynote

Date: Wednesday 22 October
Time: 10.45 – 11.10

OBL Speakers
  • Marion King, Chair & Trustee,  OBL
Payments Show
The fraud frontier: Battling threats in a real-time payments world 

Powerhouse Debate

Date: Wednesday 22 October
Time: 15:10 – 15:50

OBL Speakers
  • Christian Delesalle, Head of Ecosystem Participants OBL