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Press Release

 SWIFT’s Innotribe Launches ‘Innotribe@Belfast’ to Invigorate Innovation within the Banking Community

Innotribe@Belfast will close with the third leg of the Innotribe Startup Challenge, showcasing the last semi-finalists that will compete for a finalist slot at Sibos BELGIUM 16 May, 2012 – Innotribe, SWIFT’s initiative for enabling collaborative innovation in financial services, is launching its first standalone event to inspire creative evolution in the banking sector in Belfast on 13th & 14th June. Innotribe@Belfast offers a unique conference format to members of the banking community in which innovative idea generation is stimulated through a variety of interactive and creative workshops. The conference will offer participants the opportunity to discuss alternative banking and the challenges of alternative currencies, consider the increasing role of telecommunications companies as they partner with financial services firms, as well as exploring the innovation processes within tier 1 banks and how internal innovation impacts corporate culture. Matteo Rizzi, Co-founder of Innotribe, says: “I’m proud to launch Innotribe@Belfast following the outstanding success of recent events. Our conference gives the banking community the opportunity to consider their institutions from a different perspective. The high-quality speakers combined with the unconventional, interactive approach at the conference allows the participants to develop new processes and ideas that can be applied to their working environment for improved, tangible results. I’m excited that Belfast will also host the European leg of the Startup Challenge and will be an excellent opportunity for attendees to meet some of the most promising start-ups in the financial services industry.” Dr. Mircea Mihaescu, Director, Sberbank Technology Research Center, says: “I’m delighted to be speaking at Innotribe@Belfast. Through Innotribe, SWIFT provides the opportunity for key members from all areas of the banking community to come together and develop perceptive ideas that will have a significant impact on the future of the industry. It is essential for the progression of the banking sector and I am pleased to be amongst those that will facilitate the discussions.” Innotribe@Belfast will close with the third leg of the 2012 Innotribe Startup Challenge. Participants will have the opportunity to hear pitches from Europe’s most promising FinTech & Financial Services startup businesses and select two to proceed to the final in October at the Sibos event in Osaka. Applications for the European leg of the Innotribe Startup Challenge are now open and entries can be made here: http://innotribestartup.com/ To find out more about Innotribe@Belfast please visit: http://www.swift.com/events/2012/Innotribe_EMEA/index.page

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Notes to Editors About Innotribe Launched in 2009, Innotribe is SWIFT's initiative to enable collaborative innovation in financial services. Innotribe presents an energising mix of education, new perspectives, collaboration, facilitation and incubation to professionals and entrepreneurs who are willing to drive change within their industry. It fosters creative thinking in financial services, through debating the options (at Innotribe events) and supporting the creation of innovative new solutions (through the Incubator, Startup Challenge and Proof of Concepts (POCs). It is through this approach, the Innotribe team at SWIFT is able to generate a platform that enables innovation across SWIFT and the financial community. For more information, please visit http://www.innotribe.com/. About SWIFT SWIFT is a member-owned cooperative that provides the communications platform, products and services to connect more than 10,000 financial institutions and corporations in 210 countries. SWIFT enables its users to exchange automated, standardised financial information securely and reliably, thereby lowering costs, reducing operational risk and eliminating operational inefficiencies. SWIFT also brings the financial community together to work collaboratively to shape market practice, define standards and debate issues of mutual interest. For more information, please refer to www.swift.com or contact: Cognito Europe Paul Bowhay / Claudia Coleman +44 (0) 207 438 1100 innotribe@cognitomedia.com