Fintech is alive and well in the financial services industry. With so much innovation and digital transformation underway, it can be challenging to stay current with developments. This listing of global fintech influencers is offered as part of a solution to that problem.
Yet, as the global fintech universe continues to expand and morph into more specialized areas – such as paytech, insurtech, lendtech, wealthtech, AI, crypto/blockchain – there are more areas of expertise, more online discussions and many more people engaging in those discussions. In other words, there are other influencers, in addition to the people listed below, that are worth tuning into if you have business interests in any of the above areas.
A few quick words on methodology, a more detailed explanation of which you will find In the FAQs below the lists. These lists are based on data analysis using a commercially available third-party tool. I do not choose people to be on or off the lists (so please don’t lobby me to get on a list or be disappointed with me for excluding you). Rather, people appearing on the lists are ranked according to various scoring criteria.
What’s new this year is that I’ve presented the top influencers ranked by three different criteria: Insider Score, Network Centrality and Emerging Score. As a bonus, I’ve also included 100 of the top organizations (non-individuals) that are fintech influencers.
Finally, these people (and organizations) are all designated as influencers by virtue of their online activity on social networks. They are the most followed, shared and engaged people discussing fintech topics online. In short, if you want to move a message through the word-of-mouth, global fintech network, these are the people who do it best. There are many, many other people who have expertise, insight and influence on fintech topics who are not as active online, therefore they will not appear on any of these lists.
If you want to stay apprised of key developments in this exciting and rapidly changing technological space, these are some great people to start paying attention to!
Fintech Influencers Ranked by Insider Score
Insider Score is simply the number of other insiders in this network who are following an account (on Twitter). The higher the rank, the more of the over 3000 people and organizations analyzed that follow that person.
- Chris Gledhill | @cgledhill | LinkedIn | London, England
- Jim Marous | @JimMarous | LinkedIn | Cleveland, OH
- Spiros Margaris | @SpirosMargaris | LinkedIn | All Over the World
- Sebastien Meunier | @sbmeunier | LinkedIn | New York, USA
- Bradley Leimer | @leimer | LinkedIn | San Francisco, CA
- David M. Brear | @davidbrear | LinkedIn | London
- Brett King | @BrettKing | LinkedIn | New York + 30,000 feet
- Chris Skinner | @Chris_Skinner | LinkedIn | London
- Elon Musk | @elonmusk | LinkedIn |
- Duena Blomstrom | @DuenaBlomstrom | LinkedIn | Global
- Nick Bilodeau | @FinMKTG | LinkedIn | Toronto, Singapore and everywhere in between
- Anna Irrera | @annairrera | LinkedIn | New York, NY
- Devie Mohan | @devie_mohan | LinkedIn | London | Amsterdam
- Florian Graillot | @FGraillot | LinkedIn | Paris, France
- Simon Taylor | @sytaylor | LinkedIn | London, UK
- Simon Cocking | @SimonCocking | LinkedIn | Dublin, Ireland
- Andreas Staub | @andi_staub | LinkedIn |
- JP Nicols | @JPNicols | LinkedIn | Seattle
- Bill Sullivan | @WFSULLIVAN3 | LinkedIn | Wyndham, VA
- Ron Shevlin | @rshevlin | LinkedIn |
- Minh Q. Tran | @Minh_Q_Tran | LinkedIn | London, Paris, Zurich, Luxembourg
- Oliver Bussmann | @obussmann | LinkedIn | ZRH | LON | NYC | SIN | HKG
- Steve Tunstall | @TunstallAsc | LinkedIn | Singapore
- Nektarios Liolios | @nekliolios | LinkedIn | London
- Matteo Carbone | @MCins_ | LinkedIn |
- Liz Lumley | @LizLum | LinkedIn | London, UK
- Koen Vanderhoydonk | @KVanderhoydonk | LinkedIn | Belgium
- Sam Maule | @sammaule | LinkedIn | Jacksonville, FL
- Rebecca Lynn | @VCRebecca | LinkedIn | Menlo Park, CA
- Susanne Chishti | @SusanneChishti | LinkedIn | London based – Global Passion!
- Danielle Guzman | @guzmand | LinkedIn | Brooklyn, NY
- Matteo Rizzi | @matteorizzi | LinkedIn | Lisbon, Portugal
- Vitalik Buterin | @VitalikButerin | LinkedIn | Earth
- Michael Mellinghoff | @Mellinghoff | LinkedIn | London
- Imtiaz Adam | @DeepLearn007 | LinkedIn | London
- Claire Calmejane | @ccalmeja | LinkedIn | London
- Ricardo Vidal | @RicardoVidal | LinkedIn | Hamburg, Germany
- Theo Lau | @psb_dc | LinkedIn | Washington, DC
- Peter Barkow | @BarkowConsult | LinkedIn | Dusseldorf, Germany
- Marc Andreessen | @pmarca | LinkedIn | Menlo Park, CA
- Nadja Schlossel | @Ypsilon_Zett | LinkedIn | Hamburg, Germany
- Mike Quindazzi | @MikeQuindazzi | LinkedIn | Los Angeles, CA
- Antony Peyton | @TonyFintech | LinkedIn | London
- Dave Birch | @dgwbirch | LinkedIn | Woking, the last not-Smart City
- Steve McLaughlin | @FTPartners | LinkedIn | Silicon Valley
- Christophe Langlois | @Visible_Banking | LinkedIn | London
- Matt Dooley | @mattldooley | LinkedIn | Hong Kong / London / Melbourne
- Yann Ranchere | @tek_fin | LinkedIn | Around the world
- Alex Jimenez | @RAlexJimenez | LinkedIn | Silicon Slopes, UT
- Sally Eaves | @sallyeaves | LinkedIn | London | Dubai | Bristol
- Ronald van Loon | @Ronald_vanLoon | LinkedIn | Netherlands
- Eileen Burbidge | @eileentso | LinkedIn | London
- Patrick Barnert | @pbarnert | LinkedIn | Zurich
- Huy Nguyen Trieu | @Huynguyentrieu | LinkedIn | London
- Bryan Clagett | @Clagett | LinkedIn | Williamsburg, VA
- Amit Goel | @amitTwitr | LinkedIn | Airplanes
- Alex Nech | @FinTechSummary | LinkedIn | London, England
- Lars Markull | @LarsMarkull | LinkedIn | Berlin, Germany
- Nigel Walsh | @nigelwalsh | LinkedIn | London
- Frank Schwab | @FrankJSchwab | LinkedIn | Germany
- April Rudin | @TheRudinGroup | LinkedIn | New York City
- Anne Boden | @AnneBoden | LinkedIn | London
- Kristian Feldborg | @k_feldborg | LinkedIn | London, England
- Andre M. Bajorat | @ambajorat | LinkedIn | Hamburg
- Marvin Stone | @MarvinStone | LinkedIn | Houston, TX
- Rob Findlay | @robfindlay | LinkedIn | Melbourne, Victoria
- Andreas M. Antonopoulos | @aantonop | LinkedIn | 56 countries and counting
- Sabine VanderLinden | @SabineVdL | LinkedIn | London
- David J. Maireles | @davidjmaireles | LinkedIn | BER | MAD
- Jules Ratcliffe | @JulesRatcliffe | LinkedIn | London
- Timo Dreger | @insurtechforum | LinkedIn | Berlin, Deutschland
- Jason Bates | @JasonBates | LinkedIn | London / Rutland
- Damien Cabadi | @Damien_CABADI | LinkedIn | Luxembourg
- Fred Wilson | @fredwilson | LinkedIn | New York City
- Oscar Neira | @NeiraOsci | LinkedIn | Zurich, Schweiz
- Nasir Zubairi | @naszub | LinkedIn | Luxembourg, London
- Tanya Andreasyan | @TanyaBankTech | LinkedIn | London, England
- Philippe Gelis | @Pgelis | LinkedIn | London
- Megan Caywood | @MeganCaywood | LinkedIn | London, England
- Tamara McCleary | @TamaraMcCleary | LinkedIn | Boulder, CO
- Tiffany Hayden | @haydentiff | LinkedIn | Detroit
- Thomas Power | @thomaspower | LinkedIn | London, England
- Dave Maddox | @thinkpayments | LinkedIn | Atlanta
- Brian Armstrong | @brian_armstrong | LinkedIn | San Francisco, CA
- Antonio Grasso | @antgrasso | LinkedIn | Europe
- Jan Wichmann | @jan_wich | LinkedIn | Munich
- Mike Butcher | @mikebutcher | LinkedIn | London
- Claire Cockerton | @clairecockerton | LinkedIn | London, UK
- Matt Elton | @fintech_matt | LinkedIn | UK | Europe | Canada
- Dr. Robin Kiera | @stratorob | LinkedIn | Hamburg
- Tom Blomfield | @t_blom | LinkedIn | London
- Sascha Dewald | @sascha_dewald | LinkedIn | Berlin, Germany
- Michael Fisher | @Fisher85M | LinkedIn | Vernon, CT
- Jim Harris | @JimHarris | LinkedIn | Toronto, Canada
- Don Tapscott | @dtapscott | LinkedIn | Toronto, Miami, Airplanes
- Barry Silbert | @barrysilbert | LinkedIn | New York
- Nick Szabo | @NickSzabo4 | LinkedIn |
- Patrick Siegenthaler | @psiegen | LinkedIn | Zurich, Switzerland
- Faisal Khan | @babushka99 | LinkedIn | Istanbul, Turkey
- Andrea Silvello | @SilvelloAndrea | LinkedIn | Milano
- Tim Cook | @tim_cook | LinkedIn | Cupertino
- Oscar Williams-Grut | @OscarWGrut | LinkedIn | London
- Christian Konig | @finanzprodukt | LinkedIn | Zurich/Ho Chi Minh/Singapore
- Jon Matonis | @jonmatonis | LinkedIn | Vilnius, Lithuania
- Neira Jones | @neirajones | LinkedIn | United Kingdom
- Urs Bolt | @UrsBolt | LinkedIn | Switzerland
- Richard Goold | @GooldRichard | LinkedIn | London
- Helene Li | @helene_wpli | LinkedIn | Hong Kong, Singapore
- Boris Janek | @electrouncle | LinkedIn | Dusseldorf
- Xavier Alvarez Forn | @xalvarezforn | LinkedIn | Barcelona
- Brad van Leeuwen | @BradvanL | LinkedIn | London
- Rodrigo Garcia Cruz | @rgarciadelacruz | LinkedIn | Spain
- Paul Graham | @paulg | LinkedIn |
- Gemma Godfrey | @GCGodfrey | LinkedIn | London
- Oliver Christie | @OliverChristie | LinkedIn | New York
- Lex Sokolin | @LexSokolin | LinkedIn | New York
- Kilian Thalhammer | @kilian2002 | LinkedIn | Munich
- Jochen Siegert | @jochensiegert | LinkedIn | Bonn, Frankfurt & Berlin
- Matteo Gamba | @sliver86 | LinkedIn | Berlin, Germany
- Christian Meiske | @CMeiske | LinkedIn | Hamburg
- Dr Louise Beaumont | @LouiseHBeaumont | LinkedIn | London
- Penny Schiffer | @PennySchiffer | LinkedIn | Zurich, Switzerland
- Taavet Hinrikus | @taavet | LinkedIn | worldwide
- Pierre F. Suhrcke | @PierreSuhrcke | LinkedIn | London – Zurich – HongKong
- Christine Duhaime | @cduhaime | LinkedIn | Canada
- Dr Leda Glyptis | @LedaGlyptis | LinkedIn | London
- Neil Cattermull | @NeilCattermull | LinkedIn | London, England
- David Bundi | @DavidBundiRisk | LinkedIn | Switzerland
- Marc Hochstein | @MarcHochstein | LinkedIn | Bronx, NY
- Joseph Lubin | @ethereumJoseph | LinkedIn | Brooklyn, NY
- Roberto Ferrari | @ferrarirobtweet | LinkedIn | Milan – Italy
- Matthias Kroener | @Kroener_M | LinkedIn | Munich
- Falk Rieker | @FalkRieker | LinkedIn | NYC | LON | HKG | SIN
- Tobias Baumgarten | @aboutfintech | LinkedIn | Hamburg, Deutschland
- Max Levchin | @mlevchin | LinkedIn | SF, CA
- Balaji S. Srinivasan | @balajis | LinkedIn | Stanford, CA
- Chris Richards | @finteched | LinkedIn | Canary Wharf, London
- Fred Ehrsam | @FEhrsam | LinkedIn | San Francisco, CA
- Patrick Coomans | @patrickcoomans | LinkedIn | Antwerp, Belgium
- Anna Bennett | @AnnaB_Tech | LinkedIn | United Kingdom
- Anthony Schmitt | @BourseetTrading | LinkedIn | Paris, Bordeaux, France
- Damir Bogdan | @Damir_Bogdan | LinkedIn | Switzerland and Silicon Valley
- Ugo Setti | @ugosetti | LinkedIn | Brussels, Belgium
- Markus Gnirck | @mgnirck | LinkedIn | Singapore
- Nigel Verdon | @nigelverdon | LinkedIn | London
- Paolo Sironi | @thepsironi | LinkedIn | Frankfurt am Main
- Georgia Hanias | @GeorgiaHanias | LinkedIn | London
- Ralf Heim | @RalfHeim | LinkedIn | Frankfurt am Main, Hessen
- Marc P. Bernegger | @marcpbernegger | LinkedIn | Zurich, Switzerland
- Jill Castilla | @JillCastilla | LinkedIn | Edmond, Oklahoma
Fintech Influencers Ranked by Network Centrality
Network centrality ranks a person’s connection to more of the sub-communities within this group and represents an alternative way to look at influencer in the network.
- Chris Gledhill | @cgledhill | LinkedIn | London, England
- Rebecca Lynn | @VCRebecca | LinkedIn | Menlo Park, CA
- Bradley Leimer | @leimer | LinkedIn | San Francisco, CA
- Imtiaz Adam | @DeepLearn007 | LinkedIn | London
- Tamara McCleary | @TamaraMcCleary | LinkedIn | Boulder, CO
- Simon Cocking | @SimonCocking | LinkedIn | Dublin, Ireland
- Jim Marous | @JimMarous | LinkedIn | Cleveland, OH
- Sebastien Meunier | @sbmeunier | LinkedIn | New York, USA
- Matt Dooley | @mattldooley | LinkedIn | Hong Kong / London / Melbourne
- Ronald van Loon | @Ronald_vanLoon | LinkedIn | Netherlands
- Nick Bilodeau | @FinMKTG | LinkedIn | Toronto, Singapore and everywhere in between
- Sally Eaves | @sallyeaves | LinkedIn | London | Dubai | Bristol
- Sam Ball | @thesamball | LinkedIn | UK
- Spiros Margaris | @SpirosMargaris | LinkedIn | All Over the World
- Koen Vanderhoydonk | @KVanderhoydonk | LinkedIn | Belgium
- Marc Hochstein | @MarcHochstein | LinkedIn | Bronx, NY
- Rodrigo Garcia Cruz | @rgarciadelacruz | LinkedIn | Spain
- David M. Brear | @davidbrear | LinkedIn | London
- Steve McLaughlin | @FTPartners | LinkedIn | Silicon Valley
- Michael Mellinghoff | @Mellinghoff | LinkedIn | London
- Matteo Carbone | @MCins_ | LinkedIn |
- Marc Andreessen | @pmarca | LinkedIn | Menlo Park, CA
- Antony Peyton | @TonyFintech | LinkedIn | London
- Yann Ranchere | @tek_fin | LinkedIn | Around the world
- Peter Barkow | @BarkowConsult | LinkedIn | Dusseldorf, Germany
- Minh Q. Tran | @Minh_Q_Tran | LinkedIn | London, Paris, Zurich, Luxembourg
- Marvin Stone | @MarvinStone | LinkedIn | Houston, TX
- Oscar Neira | @NeiraOsci | LinkedIn | Zurich, Schweiz
- Duena Blomstrom | @DuenaBlomstrom | LinkedIn | Global
- Jeff Scott | @jeff77006 | LinkedIn | Montevideo, Uruguay
- Steve Tunstall | @TunstallAsc | LinkedIn | Singapore
- Brett King | @BrettKing | LinkedIn | New York + 30,000 feet
- Thomas Power | @thomaspower | LinkedIn | London, England
- David J. Maireles | @davidjmaireles | LinkedIn | BER | MAD
- Philippe Gelis | @Pgelis | LinkedIn | London
- Amit Goel | @amitTwitr | LinkedIn | Airplanes
- Cyril Coste | @CyrilCoste | LinkedIn | London, UK
- Ricardo Vidal | @RicardoVidal | LinkedIn | Hamburg, Germany
- Frank Schwab | @FrankJSchwab | LinkedIn | Germany
- Christophe Langlois | @Visible_Banking | LinkedIn | London
- April Rudin | @TheRudinGroup | LinkedIn | New York City
- Brian Roemmele | @BrianRoemmele | LinkedIn | transcendence
- Ron Shevlin | @rshevlin | LinkedIn |
- PJ Hanard | @pjhanard | LinkedIn | London
- Jules Ratcliffe | @JulesRatcliffe | LinkedIn | London
- Anna Irrera | @annairrera | LinkedIn | New York, NY
- Andreas Iten | @pouderi | LinkedIn | Zurich
- Megan Caywood | @MeganCaywood | LinkedIn | London, England
- Charles d’Haussy | @charlesdhaussy | LinkedIn | Hong Kong
- Theo Lau | @psb_dc | LinkedIn | Washington, DC
Fintech Influencer Ranked by Emerging Score
Emerging Score looks at the Insider Score as a factor of the age of their social account (Twitter). In other words, a person who quickly gets a lot of Insider followers will be ranked most emergent.
- Sebastien Meunier | @sbmeunier | LinkedIn | New York, USA
- Spiros Margaris | @SpirosMargaris | LinkedIn | All Over the World
- Matteo Carbone | @MCins_ | LinkedIn |
- Michael Fisher | @Fisher85M | LinkedIn | Vernon, CT
- Kristian Feldborg | @k_feldborg | LinkedIn | London, England
- Simon Cocking | @SimonCocking | LinkedIn | Dublin, Ireland
- Timo Dreger | @insurtechforum | LinkedIn | Berlin, Deutschland
- Antony Peyton | @TonyFintech | LinkedIn | London
- Damien Cabadi | @Damien_CABADI | LinkedIn | Luxembourg
- Steve Tunstall | @TunstallAsc | LinkedIn | Singapore
- Susanne Chishti | @SusanneChishti | LinkedIn | London based – Global Passion!
- Alex Nech | @FinTechSummary | LinkedIn | London, England
- Nadja Schlossel | @Ypsilon_Zett | LinkedIn | Hamburg, Germany
- Sally Eaves | @sallyeaves | LinkedIn | London | Dubai | Bristol
- Theo Lau | @psb_dc | LinkedIn | Washington, DC
- Devie Mohan | @devie_mohan | LinkedIn | London | Amsterdam
- Nick Bilodeau | @FinMKTG | LinkedIn | Toronto, Singapore and everywhere in between
- Chris Gledhill | @cgledhill | LinkedIn | London, England
- Helene Li | @helene_wpli | LinkedIn | Hong Kong, Singapore
- Joost Walgemoed | @joost_walgemoed | LinkedIn | Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Antonio Grasso | @antgrasso | LinkedIn | Europe
- Anna Bennett | @AnnaB_Tech | LinkedIn | United Kingdom
- Matt Elton | @fintech_matt | LinkedIn | UK | Europe | Canada
- Bill Sullivan | @WFSULLIVAN3 | LinkedIn | Wyndham, VA
- Christian Ross | @c_ross_blanco | LinkedIn | Nederland
- Mike Quindazzi | @MikeQuindazzi | LinkedIn | Los Angeles, CA
- Regina Schrempf | @SchrempfRegina | LinkedIn | Zürich
- Jim Marous | @JimMarous | LinkedIn | Cleveland, OH
- Ugo Setti | @ugosetti | LinkedIn | Brussels, Belgium
- Ari Paul | @AriDavidPaul | LinkedIn | Antarctica
- Pierre F. Suhrcke | @PierreSuhrcke | LinkedIn | London – Zurich – HongKong
- Florian Graillot | @FGraillot | LinkedIn | Paris, France
- Huy Nguyen Trieu | @Huynguyentrieu | LinkedIn | London
- Michael Berns | @AIThoughtLeader | LinkedIn | Europe
- Bradley Leimer | @leimer | LinkedIn | San Francisco, CA
- David M. Brear | @davidbrear | LinkedIn | London
- Michael Mellinghoff | @Mellinghoff | LinkedIn | London
- Eric Salzmann | @Salz_Er | LinkedIn | Zurich, Schweiz
- Nicolas Lacour | @NicoLacour | LinkedIn | Paris, France
- Anthony Schmitt | @BourseetTrading | LinkedIn | Paris, Bordeaux, France
- Elon Musk | @elonmusk | LinkedIn |
- Oscar Neira | @NeiraOsci | LinkedIn | Zurich, Schweiz
- Andreas Staub | @andi_staub | LinkedIn |
- Imtiaz Adam | @DeepLearn007 | LinkedIn | London
- Brett King | @BrettKing | LinkedIn | New York + 30,000 feet
- Tanya Andreasyan | @TanyaBankTech | LinkedIn | London, England
- Tiffany Hayden | @haydentiff | LinkedIn | Detroit
- Chris Skinner | @Chris_Skinner | LinkedIn | London
- Nick Biggam | @nick_biggam | LinkedIn | London and Dublin
- Chris Burniske | @cburniske | LinkedIn | New York, USA
Top 100 Fintech Organizations
Ranked by Insider Score (see above).
- TechCrunch | @TechCrunch | Website | San Francisco, CA
- FINTECH Circle | @FINTECHCircle | Website | London based, Global passion!
- Finextra | @Finextra | Website | Everything fintech, worldwide
- Innovate Finance | @InnFin | Website | London
- Finovate | @Finovate | Website | Seattle, WA
- Bank Innovation | @BankInnovation | Website | New York
- FinTechInsider | @FinTechInsiders | Website | London, England
- The FinTech 50 | @TheFinTech50 | Website | Europe … and beyond
- Fintech Switzerland | @FintechCH | Website | Switzerland
- Sbootcamp FinTech | @sbcFinTech | Website | LDN, NY, SG, MUM, MX, MEL
- FinTech Futures | @FinTech_Futures | Website | London UK
- Paris Fintech Forum | @ParisFinForum | Website | Paris, Ile-de-France
- CoinDesk | @coindesk | Website | New York, USA
- FINTECH Innovate | @FTCInnovate | Website | London
- Money20/20 | @money2020 | Website | New York & London
- FinTech HK | @FinTechHK | Website | Hong Kong
- FinTechInnovationLab | @FinTechLabLDN | Website | London
- 11:FS | @11FSTeam | Website | Worldwide
- Next Money | @nextmoney_ | Website | Global
- Level39 | @Level39CW | Website | Canary Wharf, London
- FinTech London | @FinTechLondon | Website | London
- Holland FinTech | @HollandFinTech | Website | Amsterdam
- Fintech Singapore | @FintechSIN | Website | Singapore
- Blockchain | @blockchain | Website |
- Swiss FinteCH | @finnovationCH | Website | Zurich, Switzerland
- The Financial Revolutionist | @Fin_Revolution | Website | Brooklyn, NY
- American Banker | @AmerBanker | Website |
- FinTech Lab | @FinTechLab | Website | New York, NY
- Canvas Ventures | @CanvasVC | Website | Portola Valley, CA
- Coinbase | @coinbase | Website | San Francisco, CA
- Empire Startups | @EmpireStartups | Website | New York & San Francisco
- PYMNTS | @pymnts | Website | Boston, MA
- Fintech Germany | @FintechGermany | Website | Deutschland
- finleap | @finleap | Website | Berlin
- Daily Fintech | @DailyFintech | Website | Decentralized
- FinTech Feed | @FinTechFeed | Website | London
- FinTech Compliance | @FinTechComply | Website | London, England
- France Fintech | @FranceFintech | Website | Paris, France
- MEDICI | @gomedici | Website | Charlotte, NY, Bangalore, SFO
- FinTech Forum | @FinTechForum_DE | Website | Frankfurt, Germany
- Monzo | @monzo | Website | United Kingdom
- Railsbank | @railsbank | Website | London
- Ripple | @Ripple | Website |
- CB Insights | @CBinsights | Website | New York, NY
- The FINTECH Book | @TheFINTECHBook | Website | Global
- FinTech DC | @FinTechDC | Website | Berlin
- Starling Bank | @StarlingBank | Website | United Kingdom
- NewFinance | @NewFinance | Website | Global
- Breaking Banks | @Breakingbanks1 | Website | New York City
- Techstars | @techstars | Website | Global
- The Financial Brand | @FinancialBrand | Website | United States
- Burnmark | @burnmark_ | Website | London, England
- Fintech Finance | @fintechf | Website | England, United Kingdom
- Tech Nation | @TechNation | Website | United Kingdom
- Bitcoin Magazine | @BitcoinMagazine | Website | Nashville, TN
- Insurtechnews | @insurtechnews | Website |
- Finance2.0 – FinTech | @finance20ch | Website | Zurich
- The Paypers | @ThePaypers | Website | Global
- Bitcoin | @Bitcoin | Website | Worldwide
- Wharton FinTech | @whartonfintech | Website | Philadelphia
- Yodlee Developer | @YIDeveloper | Website |
- FinTechStage | @FinTechStage | Website | Barcelona, Spain
- N26 | @n26 | Website | Berlin, Germany
- Fintech Consortium | @FinTechCo | Website | Singapore
- Ethereum | @ethereum | Website | worldwide
- mietwise | @mietwise | Website | Munich, Bavaria
- Cointelegraph | @Cointelegraph | Website |
- BAI | @BAI_Info | Website | Chicago, IL, USA
- EU FinTech Community | @FinTechNL | Website | Amsterdam
- TransferWise | @TransferWise | Website | Global
- Atom bank | @atom_bank | Website | Durham, England
- Fintech Worldwide | @FinTechWeek | Website |
- IBM FinTech | @IBMFinTech | Website | Armonk, New York
- Future Of Money | @fintech_Innov | Website |
- BlockchainAge | @BlockchainAge | Website | Worldwide
- Revolut | @RevolutApp | Website | London-based
- SwissFinanceStartups | @SFS_CH | Website | Switzerland
- LendIt Fintech Conference | @LendIt | Website | New York City
- Bankstil | @Bankstil | Website | Paderborn/Germany
- AXA Venture Partners | @AXAVentures | Website | Hong Kong
- BitPay | @BitPay | Website | Atlanta
- SAN InnoVentures | @SanInnoventures | Website | London, UK
- Bitcoin Foundation | @BTCFoundation | Website |
- The Fintech Times | @thefintechtimes | Website | London, England
- Hyperledger | @Hyperledger | Website | San Francisco, CA
- AltFi News | @AltFiNews | Website |
- R3 | @inside_r3 | Website | New York, NY
- Fidor Bank UK | @FidorUK | Website | London, England
- Funding Circle UK | @FundingCircleUK | Website | London
- fintech Portugal | @FintechPortugal | Website | Portugal
- InsurTech Rising | @InsurTechRising | Website | London, England
- FinTech Connect | @fintech_connect | Website | United Kingdom
- ConsenSys | @ConsenSys | Website | Brooklyn, NY
- Mobile Payments Today | @MobilePayToday | Website |
- EXECfintech | @EXECfintech | Website | Frankfurt on the Main, Germany
- Fintech China World | @FintechChinaW | Website | China & the World
- PaymentsSource | @payments_source | Website | New York, New York
- SwissCognitive – The Global AI Hub | @SwissCognitive | Website | Switzerland
- CCN | @CryptoCoinsNews | Website |
- FinTech Weekly | @fintech_weekly | Website | Cologne, Germany
FAQs about Influencer Lists
Are influencer lists useful?
Good influencer lists identify people with subject matter expertise who have developed considerable online audiences that follow them. These influencers typically have attracted the attention and earned the respect of other knowledgeable people in their industry.
A good influencer list is very valuable and can be very useful in a variety of ways.
Good influencer lists can function as excellent starting points for tuning into and understanding the best thinking on an issue. Fintech is a perfect example. While we used to rely on trade journals and conferences to keep up to speed on new developments in the fintech space, innovation is moving so fast these days that influencer lists and the curation and sharing that these influencers facilitate is one of the best ways to stay up to date between meetings and live events.
Influencer lists are always going to be the product of objective and subjective analysis, relying on both quantitative data and qualitative observation. Even the choice of what quantitative data we are using to measure “influence” is subjective. And as we each observe a variety of influencers, some of them stand out as more influential to us than others – and this is also subjective. So, in the end, influence is highly subjective and we should not be expecting that anyone else’s list will reflect our own set of preferred influencers.
See: Influencer lists: the good, the bad and the ugly.
Why are influencer lists criticized?
The idea of the influencer list has come under attack over the past years and there are some reasons that might explain this.
Influencer lists are no longer a novel concept. As more lists have appeared, there has been a decrease in their quality and many are published primarily as click bait. There are also more people referencing (and perhaps, in some cases, even overplaying) their ranking on influencer lists as a bona fide credential, while others question the legitimacy of the predominantly quantitative social networking criteria used for most of these lists.
All of this has led to some legitimate public criticisms of influencer lists, and how they are perceived and used. Critics argue that influence is hard to measure and people tend to make too much of appearing and ranking on lists – with which I generally agree.
However, it’s a mistake to dismiss influencer lists because they are still useful tools if understood and used properly. I have previously written a defence of influencer lists and argued for why we should not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Can you do influencer outreach and engagement without a list of influencers?
No. If you want to systematically reach out to influencers, whether it’s to stay current on industry developments, promote your product or service, find a source for your media story or a speaker for your conference, you need a list to start from.
And that’s a critical point: influencer lists are starting points. They are the product of one person’s perspective or one analytic criterion. By listening to and engaging with an initial list of influencers, you can define who is most influential for your purposes and discover other influencers not found on the list.
What is influence and can it be measured quantitatively?
It goes without saying (yet, I’m saying it) that influence is a far more complex and nuanced concept than something that can be reduced to social media follower counts and engagement statistics. Many real-world influencers are not online, or not as active online as others. And to a degree, in some cases a significant one, online visibility can be the result of “gaming the system” successfully.
To this, I say: “so what?” Influence is a highly subjective concept, whether it’s online or offline. Consensus may emerge within communities around the influence of certain individuals, but such consensus is never universal and always subject to change. While influence has a qualitative aspect, it almost always has a quantitative aspect as well, because a “consensus” implies that there are a good number of people in a community whose agreement confers influence on a person.
And this is a key point: Influence cannot be declared but must be conferred upon a person by others.
People who have cultivated good reputations with large online audiences have leveraged the online system to the benefit of their online visibility. They have attracted relatively larger numbers of followers or followers who themselves have large audiences, who read their content and share it with others. Their influence and reach are indeed focused online, and in some cases limited to the online sphere, but it’s still a form of influence – and it’s an increasingly important one.
Is ranking the most important aspect of an influencer list?
No, absolutely not. When influencer lists get published, every person on the list wants to see where they are ranked. While this is a natural, human response, it would be a mistake to conclude that ranking is the most important aspect of any list.
Ranking is highly subjective, taking into consideration a variety of quantitative measures that are weighted according to the author’s or analyst’s algorithm. Who’s really to say whether a person’s total number of Twitter followers is more or less important than who is following and paying attention to what that person says? Is it more valuable to have an audience of 50,000 Twitter users or to have an audience of 500 of the most influential of those Twitter users?
Influencer lists are collections of thought leaders with specific knowledge, a geographic home base and a unique set of interests. Depending on your objectives, some influencers on this (or any) list will be more important to you than others.
Plus, the value of any influencer list should be seen, not only in terms of the first-degree connections (who’s on the list) but the broader second-degree connections (who’s in the networks of the people on the list). Every person on this list is a node connecting you to their own network of connections and influencers.
A good influencer list is only a starting point for discovery and engagement.
How can influencer lists be helpful to you?
Good influencer lists have many benefits for many people. Here are some ways to use this list of Fintech Influencers to Follow in 2019:
- Anyone can follow these people on Twitter to stay on top of developments in fintech.
- Journalists and reporters can find experts for articles and news stories.
- Event planners can find potential speakers for events. (But don’t assume someone is a good speaker, just because they’re on a list.)
- Business leaders in fintech startups can use this list to network with other industry leaders.
- Marketers and public relations professionals can find industry experts that might be interested in knowing about their clients’ products and services.
- Influencers note on this list themselves can increase their visibility, reach and influence by building relationships with people on this list.
Why is influencer outreach and engagement such an important business strategy these days?
Influencer outreach and engagement is, in my opinion, the antidote to declining organic reach in social networks.
Of course, you can do more paid promotion and advertising as a way to attract attention online – that’s precisely what the social networks want you to do. But, as powerful as paid media can be at the right time and in the right place, it is far better at winning clicks and eyeballs than hearts and minds. And as soon as you stop paying, you stop getting the benefit.
If you want engagement and influence, you need to work through the gatekeepers to your target audiences – the influencers. You need to earn their attention and respect. You need to build relationships and add value for them. That kind of influence has staying power.
Hence, the growing importance of influencer outreach and engagement as a necessary component of B2B digital strategies in recent years.
Methodology for creating this list
As in previous years, this list was developed using a commercially available social media analytics tool (Little Bird, now part of Sprinklr) which offers a powerful engine for crunching large volumes of social media data. The software compiles a list of online influencers that frequently communicate on topics related to “fintech” and then looks at the inter-relationships among these accounts. The software scores influencers in a variety of ways and three of those scores have been used to rank fintech influencers: Insider Score, Network Centrality, and Emerging Score.
Awesome, I got on all three lists, thanks Jay! But you missed my Insurtech Inzsure.com Now wehave (finally) launched hope I can get on there next year, best wishes meantime Jay
Hi, just went through your list and found some influencers from Frankfurt, which made me very happy, BUT “68. RegTech News | @RegTechNews | Website | NYC | London | Frankfurt” seems to be inactive since August 2018. Do you know why they are on the list?
This was an oversight and has been corrected. Thanks.
Dang! I guess I need to work harder to break into the Palter Top 150.
The list is only a starting place. Anyone tuning into online discussions about fintech, particularly as it bears on the wealth management industry, would find your contributions to the online discussion and deem you a top influencer, no doubt, Craig. Thanks for reaching out.