‘Over the past year, Rockit has established itself as a leading financial technology centre in Lithuania and it occupies an important place in the country’s fintech ecosystem. As the fintech and start-up communities expand, so do we. With this development, we are setting high and ambitious goals and planning an even wider range of activities, so that we can offer more opportunities and value to our community. We will also strive to bring more attention to the topic of sustainability in Lithuania, which must be an integral part of modern business,’ says Šarūnė Smalakytė, Head of Rockit.
In the coming years, Rockit expects to involve more than 100 companies and start-ups in the development of sustainable ideas. Every year, the Fintech hub organises about 150 events on topics of financial technology and innovation, which are attended by over 10,000 people. Our new spaces at Gynėjų g. 14 have been expanded to 800 m², which will allow for even more community events, projects and hackathons. A brand new acceleration programme to promote sustainable innovation will be introduced in the near future.
‘In Lithuania, we are seeing consistent growth in the financial technology sector, which has been going on for several years. This sector, despite recent challenges to the national and global economies, remains very promising. Our bank will remain to cooperate with Rockit. We believe that the success stories of talented specialists and innovative companies working in the field of fintech contribute to the success and international recognition of the whole of Lithuania. We managed to see that even at this challenging time,’ says Dovilė Grigienė, Head of Swedbank Lithuania.
At the present time, Lithuania in general, together with its capital Vilnius, rank relatively high in international fintech rankings. For example, in the Global FinTech Index, Lithuania is fourth in the world and second in Europe. In the FinTech Locations of the Future 2019–2020 ratings, Vilnius ranks first in terms of economic efficiency and seventh in terms of foreign direct investment in this area.
Rockit will continue to focus on innovations in the financial technology industry. An important new project of the centre is a database of fintech companies operating in Lithuania. It already contains basic information about all 210 companies that were included in Rockit’s annual fintech map of the country in early 2020.
According to the data from the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania, about 3,400 professionals currently work in the fintech sector in Lithuania. It is predicted that by the end of this year the number of jobs in the sector will grow by about 15%, and it will reach 3,900 at the end of the year.
The brand has also been renewed to better convey Rockit’s growing range of activities and its significant role in the country’s fintech field. It now reflects the identity of an active, dynamic and vibrant start-up community, symbolising the characteristics of functionality and growth.
