From Vegas to Riyadh: How Money20/20 Became Fintech’s Global Meeting Place

Tracey Davies, President of Money20/20, explains how the show has evolved since it was founded in 2012. The focus of Money20/20 has from the beginning been about staying close to customers and listening to what the industry needs and is built from ex-bankers, ex-VCs, ex-fintech operators and ex-fintech journalists, so content is grounded in experience meaning that the aim is to stay “by the industry, for the industry” while remaining aligned to customer needs.

At this year’s Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas, there’s a buzzword bingo battle between two topics: stablecoins and agentic AI. Last year, generative AI dominated and stablecoins were more in the background; now they’re competing for top billing. Around them, the programme spans the money tech stack, open banking, real-time and cross-border payments, fraud, identity and more which was delivered by a record 600 speakers.

Davies also underlines Money20/20’s focus on inclusion. She has been President since 2017 and says diversity has been a commitment from day one with the this year’s Money20/20 featuring 49% of speakers are women, a record. Programmes like Rise Up (which was launched in 2018 for women) and Amplify (launched in 2021 for people of colour and underrepresented groups) support this, alongside accessibility initiatives while the inaugural Money Awards which recognised Project Nemo with the Diamond Grand Prix for its work on inclusion in fintech.

Asked what defines Money20/20, Davies points to creativity, community and commercial success is that Money20/20 constantly reinvents itself; aiming to “do it the Money way” and surprise attendees at every event. Others may copy what’s been done, but they can’t copy what’s coming next. Finally, Davies highlights the global footprint: events in Asia, Europe, the Middle East (in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) and its “spiritual home” in Las Vegas. Across all four shows, the goal stays the same: to be the place where money does business and the place that the future of money is built.

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