Spain’s IE Business School has partnered Santander InnoVentures to run a series of “pitch slams” for fintech start-ups in Tel Aviv, Sao Paolo and Madrid.

A fintech-themed version of IE’s Venture Days, the events will explore the issues faced by start-ups in the financial technology sector, including payments, peer-to-peer lending, wealth management and investment services.

Top pitches could gain funding from the $100 million fintech-focused venture capital arm of Banco Santander, Europe’s biggest bank by market cap, as well as receive workspace at IE and mentoring from its business and finance academics.

“The finance world is just starting to get disrupted. Technologies like [bitcoin] blockchain are bound to change the way we do business in the coming years,” said Paris de l’Etraz, managing director of IE Business School’s Venture Lab.

“Through this new initiative with Santander InnoVentures, we will attract and cultivate leading edge fintech start-ups on both a global and local level.”

Mariano Belinky, managing partner at Santander InnoVentures, said: “In addition to experts from the two founding partners, we will be drawing upon contributions from local experts who understand each geography — the players, the dynamics and the regulatory environment. Getting a start in your local market is really important to every new venture.”