Hamish Thomas

Hamish leads the EY UK banking technology team. He also serves as EY EMEIA Payments Leader and chair of our Financial Services Blockchain Working Group.

He started his career designing satellite and mobile telecommunications systems before bringing his network technology experience to financial services to focus on banking technology, payments and financial crime prevention.

His portfolio includes a broad spectrum of clients, from established international institutions to new entrants and FinTech companies. He helps them understand the opportunities and risks in today’s changing environment, and balance the two.

A regular speaker on open banking, payments, emerging technologies, legacy transformation and financial crime compliance, he has worked in multiple countries including India, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, the US, the Middle East and Europe. Hamish received a BEng in electronic engineering from The University of Manchester.

How Hamish is building a better working world

“The way in which value is transferred locally, regionally and globally is at the heart of the financial system and the wider economy. Providing access to payment systems and financial services which are flexible, stable and secure is a platform for economic growth and financial inclusion. Doing so while also identifying and disrupting those who abuse the financial system to commit fraud, launder money and otherwise support criminal activity is a complex global challenge. This requires a broad spectrum of capability and deep technical expertise. It must be addressed through collaboration where necessary, promoting competition where possible and innovating with established and new technologies.

Our work is about addressing this challenge by bringing together all of our capabilities — alongside those of EY clients — to help them create opportunity and manage risk for their benefit, that of their own customers and the industry as a whole.”