EXCLUSIVE: "Fintech's Big Top" - Scarlett Sieber and Ian Horne, Money20/20 in 'The Fintech Magazine'

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Over the past 13 years, Money20/20 has become recognised as the event on the financial circuit. Organisers Scarlett Sieber and Ian Horne took time out of their frantic build-up to this year's Amsterdam extravaganza to explain what 'Money20/20 magic' they had in store – and why it's about to get even more exciting
From Mario Kart challenges run by giant robots, to brass band serenades, and chance encounters resulting in enterprise-making deals, every attendee seems to have their own special memory from 13 years of Money20/20 events. And, while recounting them might sound like someone's indulged in too much post-seminar partying, for Scarlett Sieber Money20/20's Chief Growth and Strategy Officer, and Ian Horne, Head of Content Europe, it is precisely this outlandishness that is the event's super power.
Money20/20 is all about creating what Sieber calls 'strategic serendipity' – a visionary format designed to trigger delegates' creativity and open their minds to new opportunities and relationships in the most unconventional of circumstances. Nothing ever happens entirely by chance, of course. It's all invisibly underpinned by meticulous programming, but all that's asked of the delegates is that they 'plan ahead, wear comfortable shoes and bring along your true self to ensure you're ready to squeeze the pips out of the opportunities we'll lay before you'.
This year's event, taking place from 3 to 5 June at Amsterdam's RAI, heralds an exciting new era for the Money20/20 machine. Originally established by industry insiders, following the global financial crisis, to chart the recovery of the world's financial systems and rise of digitisation, Money20/20 is now under new ownership.
Parent organisation Ascential was acquired by global events giant Informa in July 2024 – a tie-up that promises to present a world of new possibilities for Sieber, Horne and the team. In fact, as she spoke with The Fintech Magazine from her home in New York, Sieber was preparing to board a plane to Riyadh, to start preparations for what will be the first Money20/20 Middle East show, scheduled to take place this September. It's been made possible by another Informa acquisition – of last year's inaugural and highly successful 24 Fintech event.
The Informa organisational structure will enable the Money20/20 team to do things that weren't possible before, says Sieber.
'Because Informa is the largest event company globally, it gives us access and expertise. We try to skate where the puck is going. And, clearly there's a lot going on in the Middle East, so we were already actively looking at what we were going to do there [but] this has accelerated our growth – we can go in immediately with a pre-made team [24 Fintech in Riyadh] who know the industry, the area and the geography super-well.
'They have a different model and we're expecting more than 30,000 people to attend, but we're going to bring the Money20/20 magic.'
That's not the only new journey that it will be making.
'Another area that's very interesting to us is Latin America,' says Sieber. 'We have a team of more than 100 people in Brazil, and the same in China, where Informa is also very strong.
'The secret sauce of Money20/20 is doing things differently. Now there's an opportunity to take our exciting festival atmosphere and influence other brands in the wider Informa company '
Scarlett Sieber
'It's a lot easier to achieve geographic breadth and depth now, with expertise and talent in-region. The future is very bright and we've got some big plans around taking Money20/20 even further.
'The secret sauce of Money20/20 is doing things differently. Now there's an opportunity to take our exciting festival atmosphere and influence other brands in the wider Informa company,' continues Sieber. 'It's a massive opportunity to bring some fun and liveliness to other sectors.'
It's often easier to create excitement when you're a newcomer. But Amsterdam has been putting up the Money20/20 big tent since 2016. The challenge is to keep it fresh, which is where the experiential nature of the show comes into its own.
'We've all been to 'normal' events and trade shows and some of it's quite sleepy and predictable. You'll sit on panels, go to some stands; but what makes Money20/20 so different is it's experiential,' says Horne. 'Every single moment of visitors' day contains something that makes them pinch themselves and ask 'did I just see what I thought I saw?', 'did I just hear what I thought I heard?'. That's what the Money20/20 magic is all about – sensory overload in every kind of way.'
This year's European event is happening at a particularly fascinating time for fintech.
'We've seen the IPO window open and then close,' says Horne. 'Then there's lots going on around AI, blockchain and quantum. The show is a really exciting place to experience it all.'
That said – and perhaps ironically for such a tech-focussed event – it's the human element that drives everything.
'Banking is a complex world where it's hard to get things done, so having everyone in one place accelerates business like nothing else,' says Sieber. 'Ian and his team have given us a fantastic platform by creating an incredible agenda, which speaks to the fact that many of the featured founders started at Money20/20. It's all about seeing where this industry is going.'
Sometimes it's what happens beyond the formal presentations, though, that matters most.
'Giving delegates chance to engage off-the-record during the stages is really important to us,' adds Sieber. 'The concept came from me going to events on just about every continent, bar Antarctica, and sitting there thinking 'OK, the biggest speakers you want to hear from are up on the stage and they draw a crowd, but often they can't really say a lot publicly. So, how do we allow conversations to happen where we really hear what happens? How did that company actually fail? How did that business get that round? How did that project at XYZ bank do well or not do well?'. That's what our 'off-the-record stages' are for, and we're evolving it year-on-year.'
Money20/20 is about getting business done and it's individuals who make that happen.
'We don't want fluff – it's about genuine, actionable insight from people who are building the future and making the strategic decisions'
Ian Horne
'Experiences like the brass band ensure people take notice of the person at the centre of that and wonder what's happening, which could give rise to their next partnership,' says Sieber. 'This is why I use the phrase 'strategic serendipity', where we provide moments that are really special, that will stick in people's minds forever. We hear about people sharing cabs from the airport to the venue and suddenly big things happening from that. Of people who met walking down the strip in Vegas or taking a boat in Amsterdam, and who ended up becoming an investor or co-founder.
'Whenever that stuff happens, either within our walls, which is obviously great, or on the periphery of what we have created, that's amazing. And the more stories we hear about that, the more exciting it is. It's a world for hustlers and we provide a platform to move that forward and help shape the future of this industry.'
Both Sieber and Horne roll up their sleeves and get stuck in at the Amsterdam event. So, what should delegates do if they spot them?
'I'm usually moving at about a thousand miles an hour so the best thing they can do is probably move!' says Horne. 'When it all finishes on 6 June, I can collapse and curl up in a ball, but until then, it's all energy.'
'A big high five, a hug or a smile is all I need,' adds Sieber. 'Just reassurance that 'you've got this, let's go!'.'' How to make sure you leave with a pocket-full of possibilities Do your prep: 'Maximise the potential by utilising the app to find exactly who you're looking for. Favourite the sessions you're interested in and the app will send you a synopsis if you can't attend.' Ian Horne
Pre-plan your networking targets: 'We've programmed this agenda with five or six stages running simultaneously, so it's important to pick the thing that's right for you and arrange it.' Ian Horne
View the preview webinar: 'This tells you what to expect – there's a lot going on and without prior knowledge it can feel a bit overwhelming.' Scarlett Sieber
Wear comfortable shoes! 'Bring the plasters so you can get to the other side! We're also fun and funky and it's cool for non-Americans to wear sneakers!' Scarlett Sieber
Be prepared to be real: 'It's really important to us to allow people to bring their full selves while getting business done.' Scarlett Sieber A sneak preview: The content they're most excited about
'We have completely re-imagined our startup investor proposition,' says Scarlett Sieber. 'One of the things that's nice about having multiple shows is we can test and build on things. We did a VC/Startup Connect at our Vegas show in October and their feedback – that they'd met the exact companies they wanted to – was really exciting, so we're building that into our startup hub this year in Amsterdam.
'In addition to our off-the-record stage, the briefing stage is more of an ask me anything-type event,' adds Sieber. 'There will be announcements for sure, but it'swhere we can put the audience back in control and they can ask questions.
'It all depends what delegates are looking for – some stages will see experts pontificate about the future, while others will feature use cases and case studies showing 'here's how we did it'.'
'I have this concept called 'return on attendance',' says Ian Horne. 'I like the idea that every session has something really pragmatic and useful for audience members to take away.
'In terms of what that specific thing is, there are so many shows within the show. People with different jobs, working in many different areas of fintech, banking and payments, could have a very different experience with the content. But there's always something useful that improves their business or them as a professional.
'We achieve that by steering clear of vague thought leadership. We don't want fluff – it's about genuine, actionable insight from people who are building the future and making the strategic decisions.' When it comes to specific events, Horne flags a segment on the Bank for International Settlements' (BIS's) Project Agorá, and cross-border payments.
'This is a fascinating topic because we know payment technology is evolving and new rails are available. There's so much talk around stable coins and CBDCs this year, but none of this works without cross-border collaboration and harmonisation. So, seeing where that's going will be a fascinating sneak peek into the future of money.'
Sieber is particularly excited about the show's new Money Awards.
'There are five categories around payments, startups and partnerships,' she says. 'And we have the five jury presidents, whom we're really proud of: Lynn Martin President of the New York Stock Exchange Group; Howard R Fields, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer for Mastercard; Chetan Puttagunta, General Partner at Benchmark; Joanne Hannaford, CIO and CPO Corporate Bank at Deutsche Bank; and Anthony Thomas, MD Fintech for Delivery Hero.' What's shaping this year's M20/20 Europe: The content pillars for 2025
Digital DNA
This is all about identity and verification, as well as the unique nature of each organisation's tech stack and how to balance the checks and balances needed to tackle rampant fraud with the need for immediate, seamless finance and payments.
Governance 2.0
A pillar devoted to regulation, the innovation challenge facing Europe, and how to create a more competitive future. The role of regulators will be discussed in a closed-door Bank for International Settlements session and at a public event.
Embedded intelligence
The focus turns to the rise of agentic commerce and AI and the filtering of AI and data into the way everything is done to make sure every experience in banking or payments is immediate.
Beyond fintech
'Where do we go next?' and 'What does the future look like?' There is a view that everything is fintech but what does that mean? Because fintech isn't everywhere yet… but it's getting there!
This article was published in The Fintech Magazine Issue #35, Page 6-7