The Fintech Editor’s Pick: 2025’s Must-Attend Events in North America

Why, How, and Special Tips from the Editor

As the editor of UATech’s fintech direction, I’m excited to bring you my first publication in this space. My goal here is to share industry insights, recommendations, the latest trends, and practical life hacks for founders navigating the fintech space, particularly in North America - all based on my track record of 600,000 steps walked through the key fintech events every year. And what better way to start than by helping you plan your 2025 calendar with the must-attend fintech events across North America? Networking, insights, and strategic moves - this article covers everything you need to make 2025 a success in the fintech world.

When I started my journey in fintech, I quickly realized that some of the most valuable connections, deals, and insights don’t happen over Google Meet. They happen in the hallways of the industry conferences (which sometimes are a casino floor or even a beach club!). That’s why I’m excited to kick off my column at UATech by diving into the events in North America for 2025. Whether you’re a founder looking for funding, a fintech company hunting for enterprise deals, or simply trying to stay ahead of industry trends, these events are where you need to be.

Fintech Meetup (March 2-4, 2025 | Las Vegas, NV)

🎯 Key Audience: Fintech founders, investors, enterprise decision-makers, and service providers.

✨ What’s Special: Think of Fintech Meetup as speed-dating for the fintech world. It’s the event for making connections at scale. The networking is structured, and the volume of meetings is mind-blowing.

💡 Why Go: Meetings first! Preparation is key here. There are designated timeline windows before the event where you can express interest and schedule meetings, followed by a short window to confirm them. Make sure to be on the lookout for those email notifications from Fintech Meetup - if you miss the scheduling window, bad news - scheduling just won’t be available any longer.

👉 Pro tip: In 2024 alone, Fintech Meetup processed over 150,000 meeting requests, resulting in 25,000+ scheduled meetings. Imagine walking into a massive room as loud as an Irish bar near Wall Street after a busy workday in finance. A huge countdown clock ticks every 15 minutes, and you sprint from one table to another, meeting prospects and potential partners. Your efficiency in those moments defines your success. Go in unprepared, and you’ll leave overwhelmed.

Finovate Spring (May 21-23, 2025 | San Francisco, CA)

🎯 Key Audience: Fintech startups, investors, banks, and financial institutions.

✨ What’s Special: Finovate Demos are definitely my highlight. Each startup gets 7 minutes—no fluff, no slides—just raw product demos. If you want to see the latest fintech innovations in action, this is the place. In 2024, eight out of the ten largest US banks attended, proving it’s a hotspot for enterprise interest.

💡 Why Go: If you’re looking for investments or innovative vendors to update your tech, this event is a goldmine. The audience is highly engaged, and you get a front-row seat to solutions that can give you an edge. Some of the prominent solutions I personally discovered thanks to Finovate include Savvy.ai, Debbie, Signzy, NayaOne, Aiprise to name a few.

👉 Pro tip: Founders raising capital should check out Startup Booster. It connects founders with fintech-focused investors and strategic partners, and also allows for a more favourable ticket price for the accepted startups. Spoiler: Through this program, we met a top-tier financial enterprise, and we’re pushing the negotiations forward.

Canada Fintech Symposium (June 5-6 | Alberta, Canada)

🎯 Key Audience: Fintech professionals, investors, and financial leaders.

✨ What’s Special: A premier Canadian fintech event focusing on financial technology, innovation, and networking.

💡 Why Go: Gain insights into emerging trends, regulatory changes, and investment strategies. This year’s agenda will emphasize Blockchain and data innovation. If you're in digital currency and on the Canadian market, this is where you need to be.

👉 Pro tip: Alberta is breathtaking in June (or any month, really). Need a top-quality post-event team-building experience? Explore one of the world’s most beautiful nature parks - Alberta has plenty!

Money 20/20 (October 26-29, 2025 | Las Vegas, NV)

🎯 Key Audience: All types of financial folks. Fintech startups, investors, payment companies, and major financial institutions.

✨ What’s Special: In 2024, the slogan was “Where Money Does Business,” and I couldn’t agree more. It is the conference where actual deals are made.

✅ Key industry announcements? Here.

✅The most prominent fintech content to gain knowledge? Here (make sure to check the Money Pot podcast stage!)✅ Where fintech partnerships happen? Here.✅ The best place to grow your social capital in fintech? Also here - but only if you prepare wisely.

With 13,000 attendees, you won’t just bump into the right people by accident. Coming prepared is a MUST.

👉 Pro tip: Plan your schedule wisely. Most of the meetings are scheduled via the conference app, and the side events are where real networking magic happens.

Also remember that the top side events sell out fast, RSVP early! Some of my favorites I absolutely recommend trying to get a spot at are Mastercard’s Fintech on Tap and Women in Fintech by Alloy. Always a quality crowd and much to learn. My classic Money20/20 dilemma is: being booked for multiple events at once and trying to attend them all!

Canada Fintech Forum (November 2025 | Montreal, Canada)

🎯 Key Audience: Canadian fintech startups, investors, and financial institutions.

✨ What’s Special: One of Canada’s largest fintech conferences, focusing on financial innovation and emerging trends. To me, the key feature of this event is a lineup of superstar speakers from top Canadian fintech companies like Shopify, BMO, and Moneris.

💡 Why Go: This event is a must-attend if you operate on the Canadian fintech market or plan to expand to it.

Final Thoughts: Your Move!

Attending fintech conferences is only half the game. The real impact comes from how well you prepare, schedule meetings, and follow up.

🚀 If you have a fintech event that should be on this list, drop a comment and let’s make this the ultimate 2025 fintech event guide!

💡 Editor’s Lifehack for Founders: If you're a Canadian-registered entity traveling to a non-Canadian event, you may be eligible for compensation for your expenses. Programs like Mitacs and CanExport provide funding support for international business trips—so make sure to check them out before planning your next fintech event!

I’ll be sharing more insights on fintech trends and game-changing technologies shaping our industry in this column. Stay tuned and see you at the next event!