Last night, the Digital Finance Institute brought together some of Canada’s top FinTech companies and investors for the Canadian FinTech Awards.
Kosta Peric, deputy director of financial services for the poor at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Ontario Minister of Finance Charles Sousa were also among those making keynotes on a night meant to put the spotlight on Canada’s FinTech ecosystem.
Congratulations to our friends (and portfolio company) at @Wealthsimple on the big win of ???????? #FinTech of the Year. #FinTechAwards pic.twitter.com/xikEjoJudg
— Portag3 (@p3vc) November 22, 2016
The event, held in Toronto’s Fairmont hotel, recognized investors, startups, banks, and professional advisors with awards. Among the winners were Toronto-based Wealthsimple, which took the award for FinTech of the Year; OMERS Ventures, which took the award for Investor of the Year; and the DMZ, which took the award for Accelerator/Incubator of the Year.
So proud of the entire @OMERSVentures team. Huge shoutouts to @PrashantMatta & @JimROrlando for best fintech duo! ???????????????? #FinTechAwards https://t.co/h8dvfJgdYs
— Nicole Kelly (@Nicole_Kelly) November 22, 2016
CIBC, which has been working on notable partnerships with companies like Borrowell and Thinking Capital, took the award for Financial Institution Innovator of the Year.
The full list of winners include:
- Zone Startups: Academic Institution Most Supportive of FinTech
- FinTech Association of Canada: Governance, Thought Leader in FinTech
- The Tapscott Group: Judge’s Choice Award
- SWIFT/Innotribe and Kosta Peric of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation tied for Global Impact. SWIFT/Innotribe was recognized for leadership in the FemTech Leaders front for commissioning the first white paper on women in financial technology, while Peric was recognized for inventing the regulatory sandbox concept.
- Thinking Capital: FinTech of the Year – Incumbent
- Ferst Capital Partners: Judges’s Choice Award
- Wildeboer Dellelce LLP: Professional Services Firm of the Year
