Hello Readers,

Earlier this month I made a short trip to London and I am really excited to share my thoughts with you all. I actually used to live in London, so I must admit it was a tremendous pleasure to go back and relive that experience.

Unfortunately, I started feeling the impact of all my travels. Having done over 70,000km in 6 weeks (over 45,000 miles), flying all over the Americas and Europe, I started having troubles with my right leg. Examination showed that I have DVT, deep vein thrombosis, and will not be boarding any planes for a while. Thank goodness for videoconferencing technology and great colleagues to cover my back! I am on the mend and should be up and running again shortly after New Year!

Back to my last trip now… London is arguably the largest financial services hub on the planet, so it’s no wonder that spending time there is incredibly motivating. It’s great to see such strong support from both the government and regulator. They are really fostering an atmosphere that will drive continued growth and adoption of technology in the region. According to EY, the industry generates over GBP 20B in revenue annually… what an incredible number!

Although controversial, I feel it’s important to note that there is a level of uncertainty around what the future may hold for the UK with Brexit implications looming… but I am confident that London will remain a dominant FinTech power and the UK banks will continue to thrive through the adoption of new technologies.

Moven is particularly interested in the UK banks and the feeling is certainly mutual. We are having some very interesting conversations in the UK and I look forward to making another trip as soon as I am able to!

On that note, I hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of #MovenAroundTheGlobe and for all you frequent travelers out there: Look after yourself! Whenever you fly long haul, consider the following tips to stay healthy and avoid DVT: walk up and down the aisles of the plane; move, flex and stretch your legs to encourage blood flow, especially in your calves; wear loose and comfortable clothing; drink plenty of fluids; and avoid alcohol.

Stay tuned for our next blog post… from Hong Kong!

Until next time,

Morten Kriek
VP Enterprise Business
Moven