Matteo is an unconventional entrepreneur, author, and seasoned executive with +20 years of experience in the FinTech space. With deep connections across global banks, startups, and investors, he is uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between traditional banking and disruptive technologies. Fluent in Italian, English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, Matteo is a true multicultural European leader.Matteo began his career with a 13-year tenure at SWIFT, where he played a key role in sales and global account relationship management. In 2008, he co-founded Innotribe, the innovation arm of SWIFT, where he launched the Innotribe Startup Challenge—the first global FinTech startup competition—and created the Enablers group, a cross-industry think tank advising on strategy and financial trends. He left SWIFT in 2013 to become a Partner at SBT Venture Capital, one of the first venture funds ($100M) dedicated solely to FinTech investments, building a portfolio of 12 promising startups.In 2014, Matteo co-founded FinTechStage - which has since evolved into FTSGroup.eu, a global platform fostering innovation. Recent project cases of the consultancy firm include industry research and scouting, dealflow and matchmaking, corporate innovation, talent development through learning tracks, content curation, and event production, podcast production and media creation, as well as startup coaching. By 2015, Matteo had joined Omidyar Network as an advisor for financial inclusion and later became involved with Bamboo Capital Partners, focusing on impact investing in Africa. He currently holds an advisory role at NEVA SGR, the venture arm of Intesa SanPaolo, and serves as Senior Advisor for Elevandi, the innovation arm of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.In 2019, Matteo took on the role of Executive Producer for Breaking Banks Europe with Provoke.fm (a spin-off of Breaking Banks US), which has now been a leading FinTech podcast since 2019. That same year, he launched Timepledge.org, a social initiative dedicated to supporting African entrepreneurs in developing soft skills, which also marks its five-year milestone in 2024.As an author, Matteo has written "The FinTech Revolution" (2016) and "Talents & Rebels (2019)". Recognized multiple times as one of the most influential fintech figures in the world, Matteo continues to shape the future of financial services. He holds a degree in Computer Science from the University of Genova and a postgraduate degree in Financial Transactions from Solvay Business School. Matteo currently resides in Portugal.MORE: matteorizzi.com