FinTech West and PEXA put smarter property transactions on the South West agenda
Smart data and open property debate confirmed for the FinTech West Annual Conference, 6 November 2026, Bristol
Bristol, 8th September 2026 —Failed property transactions cost the UK economy close to £1 billion every year. The average homebuying journey takes 22 weeks, with around 30% falling through, and nine million hours are lost every year to manual processes. FinTech West and PEXA are bringing the South West's financial services community together to tackle this problem in real life as part of their Annual Conference on 6 November 2026 at We The Curious, Bristol.
PEXA joins FinTech West as Ecosystem Partner and Conference Sponsor at a significant moment for the property market. The Government’s Home Buying & Selling Reform Roadmap, alongside work by the Smart Data Council and the Open Property Data Association reflects the momentum behind reform across the entire transaction journey. Government research has estimated that smart data in property could deliver £14.1 billion in net present value by 2043, making it the most valuable smart data use case identified by DBT, and the focus of recent forward-looking work by the Centre for Finance, Innovation & Technology (CFIT). PEXA brings international experience of digital property exchange, data and transaction infrastructure, with particular expertise in the critical final stages where funds and title are transferred.
The conference panel, "From Open Banking to Open Property: how smart data and ecosystem collaboration can fix the UK's most broken financial journey", will examine how trusted, interoperable data sharing could reduce transaction times, cut failed deals and improve outcomes for buyers, sellers and the financial services firms supporting them. The discussion will also consider what needs to happen next to turn current policy, smart data and infrastructure developments into practical change across the homebuying process. Angela Hesketh (PEXA and Open Property Data Association), Samantha Seaton (Co-chair of the Smart Data Council), and Liz Brandt (Co-Founder and CEO of CtrlShift) will feature as panellists.
Angela Hesketh, Head of Government & Public Affairs, PEXA, says: "The homebuying process is one of the most significant financial journeys people go through, and it remains fragmented, uncertain and too reliant on manual intervention. At PEXA, we are interested in how data, technology, policy and industry collaboration can improve the transaction from beginning to end. Our most direct contribution is in the critical ‘last mile’, where funds are exchanged and ownership is transferred, but that stage cannot be viewed in isolation. It depends on trusted data and effective connections across the entire ecosystem. Bringing the conversation to FinTech West in November is a great opportunity to discuss this with the regional fintech and financial services community."
Stuart Harrison, Founder, FinTech West, says: "Our community exists to connect the people who can actually move things forward. The open property agenda spans data, regulation and financial services, which is where FinTech West lives. PEXA brings serious infrastructure expertise to that conversation, and we are looking forward to what the panel surfaces in November."
FinTech West brings together more than 5,000 contacts across financial services, fintech, enabling technology, professional services and academia, over 50% of whom are in senior decision-making roles. The Annual Conference regularly draws more than 250 delegates. Registration is now open at fintechwest.co.uk. Partnership and sponsorship opportunities for the conference and the wider FinTech West ecosystem remain available - contact Ingrid Anusic directly to find out more.