# Simon Taylor

> Simon Taylor is a fintech operator, writer, and speaker who built the #1 weekly fintech newsletter Fintech Brainfood to 45,000+ subscribers while holding senior roles at Barclays, co-founding 11:FS (UK's leading fintech consultancy), and most recently joining Tempo - the Stripe and Paradigm-incubated payments blockchain - as GTM Lead. His famous thesis 'Fintech is only 1% finished' captured an industry's imagination, and his independently-written weekend newsletter has become required reading for bankers, founders, and investors globally.

- **Role:** GTM Lead at Tempo
- **Organizations:** Tempo, Fintech Brainfood, Fintech NerdCon, Global Digital Finance (GDF), 11:FS
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** Not publicly disclosed, University of Nottingham
- **Known for:** Built Fintech Brainfood to 45,000+ subscribers, making it the #1 weekly fintech newsletter, Led Barclays to become the first bank in the world to execute a live trade finance transaction on a blockchain with a real customer, Co-founded 11:FS, UK's leading fintech consultancy advising major global banks and regulators

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Business Analyst at BT Global Services
- **~2009** — Innovation Lead (Payments) at TSYS
- **~2014** — Joined Barclays as VP of Blockchain R&D and VP of Mobile Delivery
- **2016** — Co-founded 11:FS, the UK's leading fintech consultancy, as Head of Ventures
- **2016** — Co-hosted launch of Fintech Insider podcast with 11:FS
- **2018** — Co-founded Global Digital Finance (GDF), international standards body for digital assets
- **2019** — Founded Fintech Brainfood newsletter as a personal hobby project
- **~2021** — Joined Sardine as Head of Content and Strategy
- **2022** — Left 11:FS day-to-day; retained advisory relationship
- **2024** — Published State of Fintech 2025: The Age of the Fintech Hyperscaler report
- **2025** — Joined Tempo (Stripe + Paradigm blockchain) full-time as GTM Lead
- **2025** — Co-founded Fintech NerdCon conference
- **2026** — Tempo launched AI Payments Protocol (MPP); Fintech NerdCon 2026 announced for San Diego

## Achievements

- Built Fintech Brainfood to 45,000+ subscribers, making it the #1 weekly fintech newsletter
- Led Barclays to become the first bank in the world to execute a live trade finance transaction on a blockchain with a real customer
- Co-founded 11:FS, UK's leading fintech consultancy advising major global banks and regulators
- Coined the industry thesis 'Fintech is only 1% finished'
- Co-founded Global Digital Finance (GDF), collaborating with the OECD on digital asset standards
- Co-created the Fintech Insider podcast, one of the most-listened fintech podcasts globally
- Consistently voted one of the most influential people in banking, insurance, and fintech
- Co-founded Fintech NerdCon, reimagining fintech conferences as an operator-focused event
- Published annual State of Fintech reports documenting major industry trends
- Joined Tempo, the Stripe and Paradigm-incubated payments blockchain, as GTM Lead

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Tempo launched advisory unit to promote stablecoin adoption; Fintech NerdCon 2026 announced for San Diego
- **2026-03** — Tempo formally launched its AI Payments Protocol (MPP) with DoorDash, Visa, and Stripe as early users
- **2025-12** — Published State of Fintech 2025: The Age of the Fintech Hyperscaler annual report
- **2025-01** — Joined Tempo full-time as GTM Lead, transitioning from Sardine to advisor role

## Links

- Website: https://www.fintechbrainfood.com/
- LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sytaylor
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/sytaylor

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/simon-taylor
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-25