B-Hive, the European Banking Federation, Febelfin and FinTech Belgium join forces and today announce the very first Digital Finance Summit, on November 27, 2019 in Brussels. At the event - the biggest fintech conference ever in Belgium - entrepreneurs, financial services providers and policy makers will gather in the heart of Europe to shape the future of the European fintech ecosystem.

Innovative insights on the future of fintech

The financial landscape is undergoing rapid transformation. Uncertainties about the search for adequate tech talent and how to deal with regulations, open banking, payments, cloud computing, ecosystems/hubs, crypto-assets, insurtech, trust and sustainability keep finance experts busy.

During the Digital Finance Summit on November 27, market players, both large and small, old and new, will share their fresh views on these latest innovations, while regulators and decision makers will enlighten the ecosystem players on how to keep the fintech sector stable, secure and reliable for all.

Innovating together

Previous events in Brussels have included the Fintech Belgium Summit and Digital Finance Europe, all organized separately. This year, the two events merge together into one flagship event: Digital Finance Summit. The DFS is the result of a collaboration between four partners: the European Banking Federation, representing the European banking sector, Febelfin, representing the Belgian financial sector, FinTech Belgium, representing the fintech community in Belgium, and B-Hive, the collaborative innovation platform for financial institutions and fintechs.

Given the different backgrounds of these organizing partners and their networks, DFS is a fintech breeding ground, a unique event offering a complete view on current technological, regulatory and financial insights.

In the heart of Europe and European policy

The DFS is the biggest fintech conference in Belgium, in the heart of Europe. Hosted in Brussels, the capital of European policy setters, this event is one of the few places enabling large financials, start-ups and technology experts to merge their respective potential while picking up on European fintech growth, valuable partnerships and regulatory insights.

Fabian Vandenreydt, Executive Chairman B-Hive: “Change is happening fast, fueled by continuous tech solutions. However, innovation is not only about technology. The ultimate impact of these emerging tech solutions will be felt by the end-users: consumers, households, businesses and employees in the financial sector. That is why it is important to bring the entire European fintech world together. Hosted in the capital of European policy setters, the Digital Finance Summit is the perfect platform for global innovators to share insights and to be inspired by a unique blend of industry leaders. The objective is to turbo boost the European fintech ecosystem.”

Sebastien de Brouwer, Chief Policy Officer at EBF: “Bringing together so many financial innovators provides a unique opportunity for the global fintech community to visit Brussels. We see that regulation is changing fast and the ecosystem keeps on growing, especially the access to artificial intelligence solutions and the growing data economy. We are looking forward to pushing the European fintech potential to new heights with policy experts and entrepreneurs.”

Karel Van Eetvelt, CEO Febeflin: “Open banking, collapsing business models, Libra,… the financial services industry is facing unseen challenges. Tackling those will require an all-hands effort by the financial institutions, fintechs and regulators alike. Brussels as EU capital is halfway between London and Frankfurt and less than 2 hours from any European financial regulator. This conference is also intended to be a strong signal to the new EU Commission and financial regulators: Let us work together to create a business environment that guarantees that European citizens and SMEs can continue to rely on a strong and competitive European financial sector for access to financial services.”

Jean Louis Van Houwe, Chairman  FinTech Belgium: “Changes in the financial, insurance and regulatory fields are accelerating with the emergence of new challenges, new opportunities and new players. It is important that at least once a year all stakeholders can meet to keep up-to-date, hear the latest trends and establish collaborations in this fast-growing environment. After 3 successful editions of the FinTech Belgium Summit, we are very happy to now be combining forces with other organizations to organize 2019's major FinTech event in the capital of Europe: the Digital Finance Summit.”