Christian Faes is not your typical lawyer-turned-real estate executive. His slicked-back hair and Fitzrovia office fit the bill; his mischievous laugh and punchy opinions do not.

One such opinion concerns large fintech conferences, which he describes as arenas in which “everyone’s saying the same things and everything’s great, everything’s raising a s**tload of money, everyone’s a f**king unicorn. It’s just bulls**t. The reality is it’s just tough.”