This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the women whose leadership continues to shape UK fintech and recognise a powerful truth: women have been building and influencing our financial system for more than 300 years.
Long before formal titles or access to institutions existed, women were already financial advisers, investors and market participants. In fact, women were investing in not only joint stock ventures, but in the national debt while acting as financial intermediaries as far back as the 17th and 18th centuries. Fast forward 100 years and, in an era where women were barred from exchanges, we see them acting as informal stockbrokers and trusted advisers. Despite this, it took until 1973 for women to be admitted to the London Stock Exchange, and until 1975 until they could open bank accounts without the signature of a husband or father.
What does International Women’s Day mean to Dynamic Planner?
As a fintech organisation committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, we see first-hand the impact of our female staff and how representation strengthens innovation, decision-making and growth. Recent data reinforces what history has already shown us, that women are integral to the sector, with women-founded fintechs outperforming the market and achieving 30% higher turnover growth despite representing just 16% of founders.
In fact, even individual teams with women in senior leadership roles, much like many of those in Dynamic Planner, consistently deliver stronger performance and better long-term outcomes. That’s why we’re proud to be able to say women make up 60% of our Senior Leadership Team.
These achievements are not anomalies; they are the continuation of a legacy that predates modern fintech itself. Today’s leaders stand on the shoulders of generations who contributed expertise without recognition or access. Modern women in fintech are breaking barriers, designing inclusive financial products and reshaping how financial services serve society.
At the same time, Women’s History Month invites us to reflect on who has not equally benefited from progress. Intersectionality matters. Women of colour, LGBTQ+ women and non-binary professionals, disabled and neurodiverse women, as well as those facing class-based inequalities often encounter additional barriers to entry and advancement within financial services. True inclusion means recognising these differences and actively addressing them.
Celebration is important but action matters more. If fintech is serious about building fairer financial systems, we must also commit to building a fairer industry.
What can fintech do next?
- Broaden access to opportunity by expanding outreach beyond traditional universities and networks, creating alternative entry pathways into fintech careers.
- Invest in mentorship and sponsorship programmes that actively support women’s progression into leadership roles.
- Design inclusive workplaces through flexible working, accessible technology and policies that support different life experiences and needs.
- Measure what matters by tracking gender and intersectional diversity data transparently and holding leadership accountable for progress.
- Fund women-led innovation by addressing bias in investment decisions and increasing visibility for female founders.
- Build inclusive products by involving diverse voices in product design, ensuring financial solutions work for all communities.
Achieving this across the industry may seem like a daunting task, but, like those women who came before and were subject to innumerable barriers to success, we can come together to ensure the next generation of fintech innovators find far more opportunities as we move forward into an inclusive future.
Sources
Finance Magnates – UK Fintechs and Gender Diversity: Firms Founded by Women Report 30% Higher Revenue Growth
Female Invest – Fifty Years After Women Won the Right to Open a Bank Account, Female Invest Took Over the Streets of London
Economic History Society – Women in finance in modern Britain – Economic History Society
LGTWM – The female financiers that history forgot | LGT
Sexism in the City: Women Stockbrokers in Modern Britain – James Taylor
