Digital Finance Europe to inspire financial innovation in EU

Digital Finance Europe to inspire financial innovation in EU

• First major international fintech conference in Brussels set for 26 Sept.
• Joint initiative by the European Banking Federation and B-Hive
• Open banking, blockchain, payments, AI, cybersecurity in focus

BRUSSELS, 10 September 2018 – The European Banking Federation has teamed up with B-Hive for Digital Finance Europe 2018, the first major international fintech conference in Brussels, on 26 September in the auditorium of the Belgian National Bank. EBF and B-Hive share the common objective of enabling financial innovation in Europe while leveraging the regulatory and financial knowledge that Brussels and the EU has to offer.

The main topics discussed will be the impact of financial technology on business and regulation in Europe. Under the title Partnering for Growth attention will go to the developments in the key issues in financial technology, including open banking and the EU’s PSD2 directive, the application blockchain technology in finance, cybersecurity, cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

Combining the regulatory expertise of the EBF with the fintech network of B-Hive puts in place the means for making Europe a stronghold for financial innovation. Digital Finance Europe brings together regulatory stakeholders. EU policy can be a tool for European financial institutions to boost growth, form the right partnerships and accelerate secure technology adoption.

Says Wim Mijs, Chief Executive Officer of the EBF:

“Digital Finance Europe marks a special moment in the rapidly changing financial sector of Europe. It is a unique moment to foster a dialogue between industry leaders but also a chance for policy makers to emphasise their ambitions on financial innovation. We are very pleased to cooperate with B-Hive, a partnership that promises to benefit the European financial services landscape and support the EU fintech plans on many levels.”

Says Fabian Vandenreydt, Executive Chairman, B-Hive:

“I am very much looking forward to Digital Finance Europe, as B-Hive and the European Banking Federation are joining forces to further steer collaboration between European banks, fintechs and regulators in domains that are on top of everyone’s agenda. I am sure our distinguished speakers will be a fresh source of inspiration to continue scaling-up our common endeavour for innovative, resilient and secure digital finance throughout Europe.”

Top speakers include Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Digital Economy & Society; Yves Mersch, Member of the Executive Board at the European Central Bank; Gottfriedt Leibbrandt, CEO of SWIFT; and MEP Caroline Nagtegaal. Other speakers include experts from the European Commission, European Parliament, ENISA, many financial services executives and technology providers.

More information on the speakers and programme: http://www.digitalfinanceeurope.com/

 Media contact:

Raymond Frenken, Head of Communications, European Banking Federation
+32 2 508 3748, r.frenken@ebf.eu

Valentin Thiteux, Communications Manager, B-Hive
+32 479 61 94 18  valentin.thiteux@b-hive.eu

About the European Banking Federation:

The European Banking Federation is the voice of the European banking sector, bringing together 32 national banking associations in Europe that collectively represent some 3,500 banks – large and small, wholesale and retail, local and international – employing aproximately two million people. EBF members represent banks that make available loans to the European economy in excess of €20 trillion and that securely handle more than 400 million payment transactions per day. Launched in 1960, the EBF is committed to creating a single market for financial services in the European Union and to supporting policies that foster economic growth. www.ebf.eu

About B-Hive:

B-Hive is a European collaborative innovation fintech platform that brings together major banks, insurers and market infrastructure players. Together, the platform works on common innovation programs and build bridges between corporate partners and the start-up and scale-up community members. B-Hive aims to put Brussels on the map as the smart gateway to Europe and leverage on the opportunities offered by the digital transformation for the financial services industry. B-Hive believes that building bridges between important fintech hubs and the Eurozone enables both European and non-European companies to grow and expand.  www.b-hive.eu