Dr Costanza Russo is the deputy dean for research at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Queen Mary University of London. She is also a senior lecturer there, teaching several post graduate modules in ethics, banking and finance.
Lending Innovation Awards 2021
These awards identify the most innovative providers across the areas of credit cards, loans, mortgages and BNPL.
Welcome to the Finder Lending Innovation Awards 2021
Finder’s new series of Innovation Awards recognise financial providers that are innovating in their chosen field, by bringing new and impactful features to the market and delivering beneficial services to their customers.
The latest instalment of our Innovation Awards series focuses on the lending sector for the first time. A shortlist of providers was drawn together by Finder’s subject area specialists and the finalists were then assessed by an expert panel of judges.
We are delighted to announce the winning and highly commended companies in the following categories:
- Business Credit Cards Innovation
- Personal Credit Cards Innovation
- Business Loans Innovation
- Personal Loans Innovation
- Short Term Loans Innovation
- Mortgages Innovation
- BNPL Innovation
- Salary Services Innovation
- Lending Innovation Newcomer Award
Watch our video of the awards announcement or click on the categories underneath it to reveal our winners!
Judging process
The shortlist of finalists in each category was selected by Finder’s subject area specialists, who identified the providers they felt were displaying key innovations in their field.
The shortlist was then passed to an expert judging panel (details below), who decided the winning and highly commended companies by assessing the finalists across three different criteria: uniqueness of innovation, impact in the market and value to customers.
The judges
Costanza Russo, Senior Lecturer in International Banking Law & Business Ethics, Queen Mary University of London
Chris Lilly, Credit & Loans Publisher, Finder
Julian Wells, Director, Whitecap Consulting
Kimberley Waldron, Co-Founder, SkyParlour PR
Judging panel
Chris Lilly is the group publisher at Finder. He’s a specialist in credit-based products including business and personal loans, mortgages and credit cards, and is passionate about helping UK consumers make informed decisions about their borrowing.
Julian Wells is a strategy consultant with over 25 years’ experience in financial services. He is the director of Whitecap Consulting, which is particularly active in the digital, technology and fintech sectors. Whitecap’s financial services clients have included banks, building societies, technology providers and fintechs, as well as retailers, universities and various firms in the intermediary financial services market.
Kimberley Waldron is the co-founder of award-winning fintech PR agency SkyParlour, which delivers PR campaigns for its international payments, banking, cybersecurity and ecommerce clients. Kimberley also hosts the popular Future of Banking podcast, co-chairs the Pro-Manchester Fintech Committee and is an industry advisor for Salford University’s MSc in fintech.
Previous Finder Awards winners
We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you.
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