Copenhagen Fintech Innovation and Research

Copenhagen Fintech Innovation and Research (CFIR) is a non-profit association focused on developing Copenhagen into a leading global fintech hub. Initially started in 2009, its primary goal was to enhance collaboration between universities, research institutions, and the established financial sector. In 2015, a study commissioned by a consortium including CFIR, the City of Copenhagen, the Financial Services Union Denmark, and several major financial players concluded that Copenhagen had significant potential to become a leading Nordic fintech hub, noting that innovation and job creation were largely driven by startups. This study identified key enablers such as creating a vibrant community, engaging established players, ensuring access to capital and talent, and securing political support, which shaped the foundation of what became Copenhagen Fintech in 2016.

Operating as a startup-driven cluster organization, Copenhagen Fintech brings together a wide range of stakeholders from the private and public sectors. The organization is not-for-profit and its business model relies on co-financing from its more than 200 paying member organizations and various funding sources, rather than a pay-as-you-go consultancy model. This structure allows it to remain independent of specific commercial interests and to execute a broad range of programs. A key initiative is the Copenhagen Fintech Lab, which launched in 2016 as Scandinavia's first co-working space for fintech entrepreneurs, providing startups with support, mentoring, access to funding, and a network of industry partners.

The organization's vision is to catalyze the next era of technology-led innovation for both corporations and startups. It fosters co-innovation between academia and industry by working with all Danish universities and other knowledge institutions on joint research and development projects, which it also helps fund. Annually, it organizes the Nordic Fintech Week and a related Research Symposium to bridge the gap between academic research and industry practice. Under the leadership of CEO Thomas Krogh Jensen, who joined in 2016 from Nordea, Copenhagen Fintech has become a central point for tech-driven innovation within Denmark's financial services sector.

Keywords: financial technology hub, fintech cluster, innovation ecosystem, startup support, corporate innovation, financial services, research and development, academic collaboration, Nordic fintech, co-working space, non-profit association, public-private partnership, venture capital access, digital finance, financial innovation, Copenhagen Fintech Lab, Nordic Fintech Week, tech startups, financial sector collaboration