This week, with Money 20/20 in town, the gaze of the world’s fintech watchers is centered on Copenhagen, Denmark.
It seems the Danish city has charmed its fintech-hungry visitors. Although the hashtags for #money2020europe have reached 1.7 million Twitter users in the last three days, #Copenhagen has reached 3.2 million.
That dwarfs the amount of #NewYork (588 thousand) and #London (1.1 million) for the same time period. Conclusion? Seems like some fintech fans are doing some sightseeing.
The news out of Money20/20 has been considerable, for example, Western Union’s new business-to-business payments platform, aptly named Edge.
Today news came out of Money20/20 that Klarna, based in Stockholm — a mere 400-mile drive from Copenhagen — had sealed a partnership with digital payments startup Modo, based in Richardson, Texas. Klarna will make use of Modo’s patented technology, which allows for various payment services to plug in and work together. This is very timely for Klarna, as it ramps up its entry into the U.S. market.
Copenhagen has fintech cred that extends far beyond Money20/20 and the high prices you have to pay for its famous Smørrebrød sandwiches and beer. Last April, Denmark established Copenhagen Fintech Innovation and Research (CFIR), a not-for-profit consortium for Danish fintech. Some notable companies included in the group are Coinify, Wallmob, Swipp, Meewallet, Clearhaus, Coders Trust, Cranberger, Lendino, European Receivables Exchange, and many, many others.
While #money2020europe may be the force behind #Copenhagen’s rise, it’s clear that the city lends power and prestige to the event, and not the other way around. Skål til Danmark!