The first edition of Money Talks, a one-day, exclusive FinTech event produced by Money Motion, will take place on June 9th in Bled. The new format, with a localized approach to the leading challenges in the financial and technological market, brings together globally relevant experts and opinion-makers.The Money Talks tour begins in Slovenia at the internationally renowned IEDC Business School. The one-day program will cover the most important current topics for the Slovenian and regional economy—from the digital euro and new regulations to AI banks and agency payments.

“In a time of geopolitical tensions, market fragmentation, and accelerated technological development, the financial system and technological infrastructure are becoming a strategic issue of national security, not just economic development,” warns Prof. Dr. Mislav Ante Omazić, President of the Board and Acting Dean of IEDC – Bled School of Management, who will also open the program of the first Money Talks.

The financial sector today accounts for about 10 percent of all globally reported cyber incidents, he adds, while the number of digital frauds has almost tripled in recent years.

“This clearly shows how interconnected financial stability, digital resilience, and technological autonomy are. States that lack the ability to manage their own financial and digital capacities become extremely vulnerable to external shocks, value chain disruptions, and shifts in global centers of power. That is precisely why investing in modern financial mechanisms, digital competencies, and strategic technologies is no longer a matter of choice, but a prerequisite for long-term independence, resilience, competitiveness, and social stability.”

More than 20 experts from various domains of the FinTech industry will share their experiences and insights through a dozen lectures and panels on stage. What technological solutions in the financial market are crucial for preserving both the economic independence and strength of Slovenia, as well as other countries, will be one of the key questions on the agenda. Marko Pahor, Vice Governor of the Bank of Slovenia, will reveal how the digital euro will affect all stakeholders in the Slovenian market with his opening lecture. The globally recognized expert Panagiotis Kriaris will elaborate on what building a business in an industry with technology as a key infrastructure entails, while Darko Jovišić, Executive Director and Co-founder of Robotiq, will pose the main question about artificial intelligence: who is late for the fastest technology train?

“In an era of unpredictable global changes, financial literacy and trust in technology are not just an advantage, but fundamental pillars of national security and economic independence. At Mastercard, we believe that a stable financial system rests on an empowered individual, which is why we actively strengthen knowledge of financial management through educational initiatives,” says Luka Gabrovšek, Country Manager for Slovenia, Mastercard.

“We are simultaneously paving the way for a secure future through innovation; our cybersecurity solutions are setting new standards in preventing online fraud and ensuring the impeccable security of digital payments. Events like Money Talks are a valuable platform for open dialogue, connecting stakeholders toward a more resilient ecosystem. By intertwining knowledge and advanced technologies, we are not only following the future of finance, but actively co-creating a safe and trustworthy environment that will support the long-term stability of the Slovenian economy.” Samo Kumar, CEO of Bankart, a leading payment provider on the market, agrees with him.

“If you have ever paid for coffee in Bled, dinner in Ljubljana, or a ski ticket in Kranjska Gora, there is a high probability that the transaction in the background passed through Bankart—quickly, securely, and without interruption. This is not a coincidence. This is the infrastructure that drives Slovenia.”

In a world where payments never stop, infrastructure must be reliable, he adds, but also keep pace with changes brought by instant payments, the digital euro, and new digital financial services. Stability is no longer enough if it does not come with adaptability.

“Slovenia is a good example of resilience in this regard. Through solutions like Flik instant payments Slovenia, built on instant infrastructure, it retains the ability to function quickly, safely, and independently even in unpredictable circumstances. At Bankart, we are building infrastructure that not only supports the financial system but enables the economy and everyday life to function without delays. From real-time processing to preparations for the digital euro—we ensure that Slovenia remains connected, operational, and ready for the future. Payments must work. Always. That is our responsibility.”

Today we live in a world of small, scattered transactions. We pay for parking, daily roaming, extra gigabytes, insurance for a few days, a streaming service we watch for only a month or two. People jump from one service to another, turn subscriptions on and off, try things out and then quit. Digital services are increasing, and each comes with its own rules.

This is how Iva Babić, Head of Product Marketing and Business Development at A1 Hrvatska, describes our world, and underscores one of the main challenges for end-users. The problem, she believes, is not in the payment itself, but in the friction that accompanies every transaction. New registration, card entry, confirmation, switching between applications, extra steps for something that lasts one day or one hour, she continues, is a process that often takes longer than the need itself.

Today’s users want simplicity and an overview. They want one place where they can see what they are using, what they are paying for, and where they can activate or cancel it in a second—without additional registrations and without thinking about how they will pay for something.

This is a logical step in market evolution, says Samo Kumar, Director of Bankart, where users want an instant, secure, and simple experience within the application they are already using. Payment, identity, or credit become part of the user flow, not a separate event.

How to achieve the synchronization of technology and the entire market for the purpose of almost invisible financial processes is one of the main topics of the fourth edition of the Money Motion conference, which will be held on March 11 and 12 at the Zagreb Fair, with the support of leading financial and technological brands – Mastercard, ASEE, Monri, Croatia osiguranje, LAQO, A1 Hrvatska, Robotiq.ai, Electrocoin, Bankart, Nexi, HPB, Smartis. Find the conference program on five stages and the list of all speakers on the official conference website, and tickets on the Entrio platform.

What is the boundary with financial services?

It is precisely in creating, and then strengthening, the friction-free experience that A1 Hrvatska sees its role. To build further on the back of an already strong subscription model—a layer of additional, contextual services that can be activated at the moment of need. Without new cards, without new applications, without interrupting the experience.

“The boundary with financial services is clear to us. We are not becoming a bank, nor are we managing users’ money. The financial part remains in the domain of regulated partners, while our role is to simplify the experience and remove friction.”

Over the last decade, we have already witnessed how invisible payment has become on Big Tech platforms. But invisible UX, Kumar believes, is not the same as invisible responsibility. Payments and settlement are not just an API integration. It is a system that carries regulatory, operational, and reputational risk. Therefore, responsibility must be clearly defined.

How to ensure a secure experience?

The bank remains the owner of regulatory responsibility and risk management. The processor must guarantee the scalability, security, and interoperability of the infrastructure, Kumar explains, whether it is card or instant rails. The platform and the merchant own the user experience and transparency towards the end-user. A model in which one party controls the user relationship and others assume systemic risk, he warns, is not sustainable in the long term.

“At Bankart, we believe that the future belongs to orchestrated ecosystems—where finance may be invisible to the user, but the responsibility, stability, and strategic control of the infrastructure are very clearly defined. It is precisely this balance between innovation, resilience, and sovereignty that decides who can scale in the long term.”

This becomes especially important with the implementation of now-standard authentication systems—biometrics, voice interactions, or contextual signals such as license plate recognition without the conscious participation of the user, warns Željka Perok, Head of 3DS, Fraud – Risk Management Services at Nexi Group, giving the example of cashier-less stores.

“In this environment, long-term value is created above the transaction layer. The ability to deliver integrated, personalized, and secure experiences that reflect local realities is important. Europe is very diverse in terms of regulation, culture, infrastructure, and user behavior. A generic, one-size-fits-all offer would perform sub-optimally. Nuance, proximity, and local expertise are essential for achieving relevance and resilience.”

What does this mean technically?

To support this, Nexi combines embedded payments with vertical-specific solutions and behavioral intelligence powered by artificial intelligence. This enables them to detect evolving fraud patterns across different payment channels, eliminate the blind spot between channels, and improve approval rates while maintaining low friction for legitimate users. These capabilities reflect a broader role than simply enabling multiple channels; they represent comprehensive intelligence, security, and innovation at the experience layer, built on a deep understanding of the market.

That is where the real value goes, says Robert Mihaljek, RVP at Backbase. Not into a single product, but into the ability to connect cards, accounts, wallets, and data into one experience. Open banking was the launch pad, he notes. Orchestration is what follows.

“AI is what allows this to work on a large scale. But it must stand on top of organized data, unified systems, and processes that have actually been redesigned. And not patched onto what is already there. Banks that do this correctly are already meeting clients where they are, within the platforms and services they use every day. This is the opportunity. Be invisible where you need to be. Be essential everywhere.”

What is the role of banks in such a system?

And this is precisely how Raiffeisen Bank stands out. Although I don’t see it, it is present everywhere. The fact that you no longer see so many ATMs when walking through the city or that the public’s experience of visiting a branch is vague, describes Liana Keserić, CEO of Raiffeisen Bank, are not signs that banks are less visible—quite the opposite. Through digital transformation, we have focused on products and services that make everyday life easier for users and that are in line with today’s fast-paced tempo.

“If we compare going to branches with arms full of papers and waiting in lines with the possibilities of, for example, the MojaRBA application that users always carry in their pockets, I would say that we are significantly more visible than ten years ago. In this same fast-paced present, it is thankless to make any long-term forecasts—the digitalization of business has taught us to always be ready for continuous and rapid technological changes.

What is our strength is that we are capable of keeping up with the times and that innovations are not threats, but opportunities to improve the experience of our users.”

What the future of banks looks like and which technologies will play the main role in it will be discussed by the CEOs of leading Croatian banks on the main stage of Money Motion—Balázs Békeffy (OTP Banka), Christoph Schoefboeck (Erste Banka), Marko Badurina (Hrvatska Poštanska Banka), and Liana Keserić (Raiffeisen Banka); and the Governor of the Croatian National Bank, Boris Vujčić, will also share his predictions.

All guests of the Money Motion conference have access to the official application developed in cooperation with GoodToGo, which allows them easy viewing of the entire program, selection of points for personalizing the visit, and arranging meetings and communication with other visitors and speakers. Both days of the conference will end on a dancing note with the support of party sponsor Hard Yaka.

Europe has digitized payments, accelerated settlement, and placed security at the heart of the financial system. But the next step is no longer just a question of speed. The digital euro and tokenization open up a much bigger question: Who controls the infrastructure of money in the digital age, and how will value move in an economy that works 24/7?

The answers to these questions will be sought by industry leaders at the largest FinTech conference in Central and Eastern Europe. The fourth edition of Money Motion will be held on March 11 and 12 at the Zagreb Fair, with the support of leading industry brands – Mastercard, Monri, ASEE, Croatia osiguranje, A1 Hrvatska, Electrocoin, Nexi, HPB, Bankart, Smartis, and many others. Find your ticket on the official conference website or the Entrio platform.

The digital euro and asset tokenization across Europe, and beyond, is an important topic of this year’s program. Discussions about the future of financial infrastructure will be heard on the main stage, as well as the FinTech2030 stage, and ahead of the conference, we spoke with three experts and representatives of different financial market stakeholders about the most important issues.

Digital assets as a complement, not a threat

From the perspective of a global payment network, new forms of digital currencies do not mean the collapse of the existing system, but its expansion. “The technologies behind new forms of digital currencies represent a new opportunity for payments and for our network. We have been working with partners in this space for years, and there is already a range of Mastercard programs on the market that enable users to buy and use digital assets,” says Hendrik Bourgeois, Senior Vice President Public Policy and Government Affairs, Mastercard Europe.

He points out that Mastercard sees the development of digital currencies as a natural evolution of the ecosystem. Digital assets, he adds, are not competition, but an additional layer. “We see digital assets as a complement to the payment ecosystem and as another currency that we support within our network. Ultimately, it’s about enabling people to pay in the way that suits them best – by expanding the payment ecosystem through interoperability, relevant services, global reach, and trust.”

This formulation also contains the key European dilemma: how to maintain interoperability and trust while simultaneously developing its own public money infrastructure.

Europe is late, but cannot stay on the sidelines

Figures from 2025 show the stake involved. Nikola Škorić, co-founder of Electrocoin and Money Motion, warns that the private sector already has serious momentum.

“Europe is quite late compared to the leading private stablecoin issuers, as the American stablecoins USDC and USDT together processed more than $30 trillion worth of transactions in 2025, which is enormous global traffic that far exceeds most nominal European initiatives.”

In this context, the digital euro becomes more than a technological project.

“If we look at the cold facts, Europe is moving towards a world where money becomes a digital infrastructure, not a product. The digital euro should bring a state guarantee and stability to the online environment, while the tokenization of real assets will show how quickly and efficiently value can move when recorded on the blockchain.

This won’t ‘kill’ crypto. Rather, it will separate speculation from real use and force projects to show what they are really for. When institutions adopt the same technology, the network effect becomes huge, and what was alternative yesterday becomes standard tomorrow.”

His assessment for the end of the decade is pragmatic: “By 2030, citizens will probably pay and send money with a combination of the digital euro and regulated stablecoins. Bitcoin and similar assets will remain important, but more as a global, neutral store of value than as a means for ‘coffee in the neighborhood.’ The real change is that the blockchain will become invisible. We will use it without thinking about it. And when technology becomes boring, that is usually a sign that it has won.”

Tokenization as a redesign of the financial “waterway”

If the digital euro represents the public layer of money, tokenization represents a new way for assets to move. Robert Markuš, director of Smartis, emphasizes that this is a deeper transformation.

“If the digital euro becomes the new public settlement infrastructure, and tokenized assets enter the main financial flows, then we are not just digitizing assets, but redesigning the ‘waterway’ of the financial market.”

According to his interpretation, three infrastructure layers will decide whether the tokenized economy can develop safely and operationally stable: an interoperable real-time settlement infrastructure, an identity-driven compliance and trust architecture, and cryptographic security and operational resilience built into the design.

Banks will not be able to choose between the old and the new, he warns, but will have to build hybrid architectures in which tokenized deposits, central bank digital currency, DLT platforms, RTGS systems, SEPA, and card schemes coexist.

Markuš further emphasizes that in the tokenized economy, identity becomes just as important as liquidity. Strong digital identity, orchestration of KYC/KYB processes, AML supervision adapted to tokenized flows, and programmable compliance are no longer an additional functionality, but the foundation of the system.

The discussion moves to the stage

This topic will not remain at the theoretical level. On the main stage of Money Motion, the panel “Digitalised Euro: Stablecoin, Tokenised Deposit or CBDC?” will be held, with the participation of Alexandre Soroko (Visa), Martin Bruncko (Schuman Financial), Jürgen Schaaf (ECB), and Ronald Oliveira (Hard Yaka Ventures).

Jürgen Schaaf will also give the keynote “From Vision to Value: The Digital Euro and Europe’s Road towards Wholesale CBDC,” while Faustine Fleuret will open the geopolitical dimension of tokenization in the keynote “From tokenising to decentralising finance: EU policymakers vs. US strategy makers.”

In addition to the main discussions, the Expo Stage sponsored by Raiffeisen Bank International brings a special format. On Wednesday, the first day of the conference, Damjan Rudež and Alojzije Janković will hold a fireside chat, and Janković will then play a game of ‘blind chess’, a symbolic demonstration of strategic thinking in an environment where the pieces are increasingly moving beneath the surface, in which the audience will play an important role.

Because that is exactly what is happening with money. The digital euro, tokenization, and interoperability might soon become boring infrastructure. And in finance, that is usually a sign that the system has become the standard.

1. Get your ticket if you haven’t yet

The last batch of tickets is still available in the upper right corner of your screen. Click on the purple button and get your ticket before they’re sold out. 

Once you buy it, you’ll get your ticket and information for the next step in your email box.

2. Download Money Motion App

Go to your app store and find the app called ‘MONEY MOTION’, by GOOD TO GO. Download it. Log in by using your email address, either the one you used for your Entrio ticket or the one you provided the organizers with. Make sure to update your contact information to enjoy all networking perks of this year’s visit.

The app will allow you to explore the entire attendee list of Money Motion 2025. In one place, you will find the entire agenda of our four stages and two days of program, which you can easily personalize by liking the program slots you don’t wish to miss.

You will also have access to the entire venue map, making it easy to find your way around, see all of our exciting exhibitors, and book time slots with attendees you wish to meet.

3. Book your stay

For all of you traveling to Zagreb, we made sure to secure a special fixed price at the amazing local hotels – International, Zonar, and Westin. From March 09 to 14, count on some good night’s rest between a proper MoMo party and a great daily agenda with easy public or private transport routes to our venue.

Book your stay easily by clicking here.

4. Check out the agenda

Our agenda is live and well, and you can easily access it on our website by clicking here or by visiting your Money Motion app.

The program on each stage follows its own timeline with different time slots. So make sure to check in advance the starting and ending times of your priority talks and panels. There will be two longer coffee breaks during both days.

5. Plan your visit to the expo

This year, MoMo brings more than 30 exhibitors together on more than 2000 square meters together with an exciting stage, a coworking zone and a networking zone, its own bar, and amazing activities and perks prepared by our partners.

If you’re looking for some great coffee or beer, snacks and treats, games and prizes, look no further. Find your way to the most exciting expo you’ve ever witnessed.

6. Find your way to the venue

Money Motion 2025 is located at the Zagreb Fair in the New Zagreb. The entrance to the venue is at the South entrance of the fair 

There are two tram lines – 7 and 14 – and multiple buses from the Zagreb Central Station such as the lines 221, 234, 242, and 268. Whereas the tram lines bring you straight to the main entrance, buses will take you to the Avenue Mall shopping centre from which you have a 15 minute walk to the Fair entrance.

By taking a cab, you can simply pin the main entrance as your destination. In case you’re coming by car, we suggest you park at the main parking lot in front of the main entrance of the Fair.

7. Book your meetings

It’s time to shine. Get in your app, scroll through the attendees list and find those individuals who might be your next big break. Hit them up in the app, let them know you wish to meet and suggest a time to do it. Use one of the suggested spots as your meeting spot. 

Plan those meetings in time before your targets get booked by someone else!

8. Share your experience

Don’t be shy. Let the world know you’ve been to the greatest FinTech conference in this neck of the woods. Take photos, share them on your social media. Make sure to tag us, everyone you’ve met, and add #MoMo2026.

You want some professional shots? Don’t worry, our photos are coming in hot and fresh soon. Just make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter to be the first one to get them.

9. Make the most out of Money Motion

Money Motion is about learning quality insights, discussing different approaches, competing between best solutions, meeting new people, making good business deals. But also – eating, drinking, and partying well. 

Explore the expo, try some great bites and sips with good company, join us for the closing ceremony and learn about the next big shots from the Startup competition, and without exception – join us for the best party in town!

10. Be back in 2027

As soon as we finish our daily program on Thursday, blind bird tickets will be available on Entrio. Save up to 70 percent on your next visit to Money Motion by getting your ticket straight away.

We can’t wait to see those amazing dance moves of yours next year!

We have secured a special accommodation offer for conference attendees in partnership with Maistra Hospitality Group. By using the promotional code, attendees can book discounted room rates at the hotels listed below for stays between 9 March and 14 March 2026.

To apply the discount, enter the promo code MOMO26 during the booking process. The booking link for Hotel Westin already includes the code. For Hotel International and Hotel Zonar, the code must be entered manually.

Participating hotels:

• Hotel Zonar 
• Hotel Westin 

For questions about reservations or issues applying the code, please contact the Hospitality team at hospitality@money-motion.eu

Financial fraud is an increasingly common occurrence among citizens and companies alike. Despite years of raising awareness, education, and improving prevention systems, the last two years have led to an alarming spike in lost funds. Exactly how much money is involved, we will never know, as most victims – both private and business – will never report what happened to them. And even more attempted frauds will only be recorded in the latest protective protocols of banks, card companies, and other financial institutions.

More than half of all frauds involve artificial intelligence, either in the form of generated content, devising the scam, or analyzing vulnerabilities. Identity theft, although in decline as a type of fraud for years, has become far more sophisticated and difficult to detect since the advent of generative artificial intelligence. Experts agree on the urgency that security must finally be placed at the epicenter of every digital service, especially financial ones.

This very topic has been discussed for years on the main stage of the Money Motion conference. Its fourth and largest edition so far will be held on March 11 and 12 at the Zagreb Fair with the support of leading financial and technological brands – Mastercard, ASEE, Monri, Croatia osiguranje, A1 Hrvatska, Electrocoin, Nexi, HPB, Bankart.

Ahead of the conference, we spoke with industry opinion-makers.

Fraud has become a new service

Experts around the world warn that scams have become so numerous and organized that we are talking about a completely new layer of the market. Thus, terms like scam as a service or fraud as a service are increasingly used. It is not just a descriptive term. The past year has seen a surprising increase in black-market technological solutions that serve as automated digital platforms for conducting scams, usable by anyone, regardless of prior knowledge.

“Frauds have become industrialized, meaning that fraud is no longer a marginal risk, but a common challenge for the entire financial ecosystem. Those who still rely on static rules and post-incident controls are already lagging; today’s environment demands real-time intelligence, identity, and collaboration between banks, merchants, and networks. That’s why security has become one of the most valuable advantages in payments,” warns Bartosz Ciolkowski, Division President, South East Europe, Mastercard.

As a concrete example of prevention, he adds that Mastercard has invested more than 11 billion dollars in cybersecurity over the past five years. They use the latest technology to analyze behavioral patterns; they scan billions of data points to protect each of the 159 billion transactions annually between banks, merchants, and clients – and stop frauds in real-time, before they happen.

Although artificial intelligence has been used for fraud detection much longer than for their creation, generative AI has confronted the industry with a new level of risk – greater volume, greater diversity of attackers, and potential victims. Ultimately, also a far greater cost to the global economy.

Tens of trillions of dollars at stake

“The transformation of cybercrime, strongly fueled by artificial intelligence, has profound consequences for the financial market. According to estimates by Cybersecurity Ventures, the global cost of cybercrime in 2031 could amount to approximately 12.2 trillion dollars annually if the current growth trend continues. Organizations that have placed security as a strategic priority protect user trust and their reputation, while others are merely reacting under the pressure of increasingly sophisticated attacks. Such differences in the level of preparedness have direct consequences: user trust, the stability of the financial system, and the reputation of institutions today directly depend on their ability to manage security risks,” explains Robert Preskar, Director of the Product and Solutions Development Department in the area of Security and Card Operations at ASEE Hrvatska.

ASEE Hrvatska considers cybersecurity the foundation of every product and collaboration, and thus, over the past two years, they have seen clear progress in the sophistication of phishing attacks for which it is no longer enough just to check the spelling of the email to recognize them, as well as the use of bots on social networks for identity and password theft, especially targeting older users.

“Regardless of the current situation and regulations such as DORA, NIS2, and CRA, a large number of companies outside the IT and financial environment still ignore and do not invest in cybersecurity. In addition to the technology itself and a kind of ‘AI arms race,’ the key to combating cyber threats is the networking of people from the profession, sharing information to suppress threats with a large reach, and the cooperation of all institutions involved in the process, from the financial institution itself, service providers, the state, to specialized companies in the domain of cyber security.”

How to utilize the potential of artificial intelligence in preventing financial attacks on organizations and users will be an important topic on the AI & Automation Stage, the newest stage of the Money Motion conference. Find your ticket for the conference on the official website www.money-motion.eu or the Entrio platform. The promotional Early Bird price of 289 euros is available until Sunday, February 14.

The Latest European Union Regulation

“Security is today one of the key elements of the financial services we provide. Technological sophistication is no longer enough on its own – the value of a bank is now measured by its ability to prevent an attack before the client even notices it. In this sense, security is one of the most important services HPB offers, because without it, no financial product can be reliable or sustainable in the long term,” emphasizes Josip Majher, member of the Management Board of HPB.

The investment of financial institutions in the defense and detection of fraud to protect their users is a crucial aspect of the European Union’s PSD3 regulation. In other words, banks today have greater responsibility for protecting citizens and business entities than ever before, and if they do not apply sufficiently high protection, they will have to bear the costs of the attacks.

“HPB has been investing for years in improving surveillance systems, anomaly detection, and multi-layered risk management – from cyber protection and fraud prevention to business continuity management. At the same time, the security of digital services is part of the daily experience of our users: from advanced authentication mechanisms to rules for data protection and financial transactions, which further strengthens confidence in online and mobile banking. Nevertheless, even the most advanced security systems cannot fully replace the conscious and responsible role of people. Attention, informedness, and responsible behavior of both clients and employees in the digital environment are still one of the key elements of security.”

That in the world of scalable and personalized fraud, security is more than just a function, but already a significant, if not crucial, prerequisite for trust in banks and the financial system, agrees Marijo Sutlović, Director of the Cyber and Information Security Department at OTP Bank.

“For many years now, banks have been applying systems that use AI and analytical models, enabling them to detect anomalies, frauds, and compromises. In this way, almost invisibly, they provide additional security to their service users and enable the reliability of digital channels and the transactional system as a whole. Simultaneously with the expansion of the spectrum of security services, the challenge for banks is to find a balance between strong protection and simple user experience, which is an imperative. Security has become one of the most significant financial services today, because without it, the trust that is the true value making the difference in a world where our assets are inextricably linked to various digital channels, disappears.”

Money Motion OC consists of amazing young FinTech enthusiasts who will ensure to make MoMo 2026 the only FinTech conference you should attend.

Are you the right person for the MoMo crew?

• You are looking for a new experience
• You are eager to take part in FinTech in any possible way
• You want to expand your network
• You are a team player
• You are committed and reliable
• You have great organizational skills

Duration: March 9-12, 2026

Your role: depending on the assigned sector, you will act as an assistant to the Sector Manager and Organizing team

What’s in it for you: free participation in Money Motion (total access to conference content on all locations, including parties) as a part of the Organizing team; lunch included.

Applications are open until February 25th.

Users want to shop anywhere and anytime. And merchants want to see the money they earned in their account as soon as possible. That a transaction can be completed in under ten seconds is the new standard for the Eurozone. At least for the last few months, since the obligation of instant payment services came into force across the European Union in October 2025.

The new standard, in addition to speed, ensured that the new service must not be charged more than traditional payment and that every service provider must also ensure the verification of the recipient of funds. Recipient verification is an important step forward in the industry for the prevention of financial frauds, which climbed to a value of more than 4 billion euros in 2024. Furthermore, it turned out that verification was also a test for the industry and data hygiene regarding partners for more than 3000 banks, FinTechs, and payment service providers in the Eurozone.

Instant and security are no longer premium, but basic functionalities of the financial world. Therefore, the question arises – what is next for payment and the experience of business and private users? We briefly discussed this with two experts, and you can hear a deeper analysis on the stages of the largest FinTech conference in the region. The fourth edition of the Money Motion conference, with the support of leading industry brands – Mastercard, Monri, ASEE, Croatia osiguranje, A1 Hrvatska – will be held on March 11 and 12 at the Zagreb Fair, and you can secure your ticket on the official conference website and the Entrio platform.

Greater control and flexibility over one’s own funds

“The integration of instant payments, implemented last year, represented a significant technological and infrastructural undertaking for the banking sector of the Eurozone, which also included harmonization with high regulatory and security requirements. The European financial market is rapidly moving towards greater digital connectivity, efficiency, and availability of services, which shifts the financial industry towards a more open, competitive, and user-oriented system, where speed, transparency, and availability become the standard, not an advantage,” says Damir Šljivar, Director of the Digital Banking Sector at Erste Bank.

He further emphasizes that the main winner of these changes is the user; citizens and companies who gain greater control over their own funds, greater flexibility in everyday banking, and safer and more efficient financial services.

The issue of bank sustainability was still relevant until recently, but now we are interested in what is the next step for those who lead technological trends. The leaders of the leading banks in Croatia will talk about exactly this on the main stage of Money Motion.

Intelligent digital agents around the corner

While in popular culture we are still guessing whether cars will pay for fuel themselves or refrigerators will order and pay for the groceries we lack, leading technology companies in the payment services domain are already creating the future. And it is moving towards the integration of artificial intelligence and payment processes. This future does not exclude the previously mentioned examples, but it implies a far greater revolution than them.

“With the accelerated adoption of instant payments, the real-time movement of value becomes the market standard. On this basis, agentic commerce is developing – a market logic in which payment decisions are increasingly taken over by intelligent digital agents. According to McKinsey’s projections, in the next ten years, agentic commerce will transform the global economy, with intelligent digital agents managing billions of transactions worth between 3 and 5 trillion dollars in annual global value by 2030, also relying on real-time payment infrastructure,” explains Damir Čaušević, CEO of Monri Payments and co-founder of Money Motion.

He will also open this topic on the Money Motion stage with relevant international experts to discuss realistic expectations for the next five to ten years, but also what is the current status of the development of this technology. Who has started with development, and who is already testing their prototypes?

Secure your ticket on time

The Money Motion conference gathers 3000 participants annually and more than 700 companies. During the two-day program on five stages, almost 150 experts will share their experiences and knowledge about the future of one of the most propulsive industries today. The list of all speakers at the Money Motion 2026 conference, more information about the program and key benefits for guests, and tickets at the current price of 289 euros, can be found on the official websitewww.money-motion.eu.

Fierce growth, then a sudden drop. Investments in financial technology and the broader industry, after two years of drought, have finally returned to their initial momentum. Safer, bigger, and more aggressive than ever before, new investments in revolutionary solutions that are changing the entire financial instruments market have officially announced a new era of FinTech.

Three things are perfectly clear after 2025. Asset tokenization is no longer an experiment but a realistic form of investment with incredible examples worldwide, from the tokenization of stocks and debt to real estate and even wine.

Artificial intelligence is not just an addition to existing services and a bow on top of good products. It has become the strategic backbone of a new wave of technological solutions development for existing and only predicted challenges in the industry. FinTech no longer exists without artificial intelligence.

Banking and payment services have never been simpler and more present – from embedded finance that allows for an almost invisible transaction completion process on all imaginable digital platforms to open banking which enables us to solve almost all our financial needs outside the traditional banking system.

We will hear about all this from the biggest industry experts at the fourth edition of the Money Motion conference, the largest FinTech event in Central and Eastern Europe, which gathers more than 700 market players from all continents of the world. Money Motion 2026 will be held on March 11 and 12, with the support of Mastercard, Robotiq.ai, NLB, Nexi, Croatia osiguranje, LAQO, Erste banka, Erste Card Club, KeksPay and Raiffeisen Bank International, across five attractive stages and two pavilions of the Zagreb Fair.

The organizers expect more than 3000 visitors and a hundred international speakers. Among them are Sabrina Tharani, Senior Vice President at Mastercard, who leads global FinTech programs and partnership development with startups; Frank Schwab, a renowned German FinTech expert, entrepreneur and innovator in the banking and financial industry, and co-founder of the FinTech Forum Frankfurt platform; and Faustine Fleuret, a prominent French expert in financial market regulation and digital assets, and Director of Public Relations at the French DeFi company Morpho.

In addition to them, three more big names have been announced, from the northwestern coast of Europe to the southeastern coast of Asia, details of which we provide below.

Globally renowned expert in digital currencies, payment innovations, and the future of financial services, and author of numerous relevant industry titles, David Birch, is coming to the main stage of Money Motion. Birch is recognized as one of the first voices in the market to advocate for the growth of digital currencies and the impact of mobile technologies on financial inclusion. In recent years, he has been a frequent advisor to central banks and multinational corporations worldwide, especially concerning the development of CBDCs and digital payments. He is a frequent lecturer and speaker at relevant gatherings, which is why his analyses and predictions have an exceptional impact on industry leaders.

After scaling two Asian FinTech unicorns, Lazada and Ascend, Dean Krstevski moved from Bangkok to Jakarta and has spent the last eight years building the most popular digital wallet in Indonesia – DANA. In a developing market, DANA succeeded in making a huge breakthrough as a financial super-app that enables all users easier access to and management of assets, as well as paying numerous life obligations, from regular utility bills to other online and offline bills.

For the fourth consecutive year, the indispensable Panagiotis Kriaris, one of Europe’s greatest experts and lecturers on digital payments and the digital transformation of the industry, is returning to the Money Motion stage. Currently serving as Commercial Director and Head of Business Development at Unzer, a leading European FinTech provider, Kriaris has led teams and serious strategic development projects throughout his career, such as digital wallets and the integration of new technologies into financial processes, primarily artificial intelligence and blockchain.

With last year’s shift towards the retail industry and this year’s emphasis on artificial intelligence, the organizers of the Money Motion conference intend to reveal some of the industry’s most impressive names only in the coming weeks. Accordingly, a big piece of news is that the Money Motion startup competition, with valuable prizes for the three best competing teams, will this year accept applications for solutions from the world of FinTech, as well as artificial intelligence. Applications for the competition are officially open this week, and the best competitors will share a prize pool worth over 50,000 euros. The selected top 10 registered teams will pitch their ideas to an expert jury whose names will be announced soon.

Follow all information about the conference, new announcements, and opportunities on the official Money Motion website and the conference’s social channels. Super Early Bird tickets priced at 229 euros can be purchased today on the Entrio platform pages.

Money Motion has become a synonym for leading trends and innovations at the intersection of the financial and technological industries during its three years of existence. The conference, which originated in Croatia as the idea of five key people in the market, quickly grew into the largest gathering of experts, managers, regulators, and innovators in the world of banking and investing, payment technologies, asset management, blockchain, and insurance throughout Central and Eastern Europe.

In October 2025, Money Motion officially closed its first acquisition, which is part of its strategic business expansion – the takeover of Automation Summit, a Split-based platform that gathered hundreds of representatives of top management from leading companies in the Adria region in 2024 and 2025 on the topic of business automation and the application of AI technologies in business processes.

“This acquisition is just the first step in the strategic plan for the upcoming five years of expanding and strengthening the Money Motion brand. Our story began with five very different backgrounds, from large corporations to ambitious startups in the financial industry, and the growth of as much as 30 percent that we have achieved year on year only shows the potential that we continue to push and build further,” said Luka Sučić, co-founder of the Money Motion conference.

“The FinTech community has always closely followed the latest opportunities of artificial intelligence-based technology, so this is a completely natural step in broadening Money Motion’s focus, as well as strengthening the existing Automation Summit platform to become an equally strong conference in its domain as Money Motion has. We will certainly bring them closer in terms of production, and the team from Robotiq.ai, who started the Automation Summit story, remains an important partner in this endeavor,” added Robert Penezić, co-founder of Money Motion.

As a reminder, Money Motion already expanded its repertoire at the last edition with a pronounced focus on the retail industry, which participated in key discussions about the future of FinTech. In addition, it also introduced an additional stage in the expo area that gathered interesting and provocative topics at the interface of FinTech and everyday life, from sports to the then current trends in crypto investments.

Therefore, at the upcoming edition on March 11 and 12, 2026, with the support of Mastercard, NLB, Nexi, Croatia osiguranje, and LAQO, it will present a new stage dedicated precisely to artificial intelligence and automation, which will bring together the best of the community and the program that Automation Summit has aspired to for the last two years. The partnership role of the former owners and the production team of the Automation Summit will be crucial here.

“The Automation Summit conference showed its strength and value to its audience from the very beginning and how current and important the topics of automation and artificial intelligence are for the economy today. I am sure that the interest in them will be even stronger in the future,” said Marko Gudelj, co-founder of Robotiq.ai, the originator and former owner of the conference. “We made the decision to connect with the Money Motion conference because we recognize its strength, reach, and the ability to elevate the Automation Summit to a higher level, introduce it to a wider audience, and enable its further growth.”

Robotiq.ai remains an important partner in the organization of upcoming editions of the Automation Summit, when partners, loyal participants, and sponsors of the previous two conferences will count on the strength and recognition of Money Motion in building the most important platform for the new era of automation in the region and beyond. The next edition of the Automation Summit will be held in October 2026, as before in beautiful Split.

Money Talks is coming to cities across the region

Money Motion, as an additional step in its strategic brand expansion, is launching Money Talks – exclusive gatherings in key cities of Central and Eastern Europe, which bring together FinTech leaders to tackle local market challenges, exchange insights, and unlock new business opportunities. Access is limited, but the impact is not.

The one-day events will gather 150 relevant FinTech experts – representatives of banks, regulators, investors, and technology innovators. The program will consist of two keynote speeches, a couple of panels, and numerous networking opportunities. The first Money Talks will be held in Bled, Slovenia, and will then travel across the region, from Milan and Vienna to Sarajevo and Belgrade, and finally to Bucharest.

In their first year, they gathered more than 1000 international experts in the financial and technology sector. The next year, twice as many. Money Motion, the conference brand that put Zagreb, Croatia on the map of the most relevant business events in Europe and beyond, announces its fourth edition with stronger names and numerous innovations than ever before.

Money Motion 2026, with the support of Mastercard, NLB, and Croatia osiguranje, will be held on March 11 and 12, 2026, at the Zagreb Fair, will gather more than 3000 visitors, and has announced three major news – the introduction of MoMo Advisory Board for programme development consisting of seven distinguished international experts, the premier edition od Day 0 programme which will be open to the public, and a completely new format of niche and localized event all across Europe named Money Talks.

An undeniable proof Money Motion has become the leading FinTech name in the world is the foundation of  the first Advisory Board – seven experts coming from all parts of the industry and the world – from Japan to the United Kingdom.

With the aim of strengthening the conference program, this year the organizers established a committee of seven top experts – former lecturers and friends of the conference from all over the world and industry, whose mission is to leave us all speechless. Consultant Dwayne Gefferie, serial entrepreneurs Takeshi Kito and Alex Panican, investor Alexandra Balkova, partner at Revolut Andrius Biceika, security experts Marina Markežić and Pavel Kaminsky, will create the biggest Money Motion spectacle to date. Therefore, it is no surprise that three powerful keynote speakers from the world of FinTech have already been confirmed on the main stage.

Faustine Fleuret, a prominent French expert in financial market regulation and digital assets, known as the co-founder and former president of Adan (Association for the Development of Digital Assets), the main European organization that brings together organizations from the blockchain and crypto-asset sector. Until February 2025, she led Adan, after which she took over as director of public relations at the French DeFi company Morpho. Fleuret currently also serves as a French “Executive in Residence” at Taxbit, a company that deals with tax and accounting solutions for digital assets, and plays an important role in shaping European and global crypto regulation.

Frank Schwab is a renowned German FinTech expert, entrepreneur, and innovator in the banking and financial industry, with decades of experience in the digital transformation of banks and financial institutions. Schwab is the co-founder of the FinTech Forum Frankfurt platform, a key European gathering for FinTech startups and investors, and is a member of the supervisory boards of Addiko Bank AG, Gulf International Bank, and Hauck & Aufhäuser Innovative Capital. He is the author of several books, such as “42 Megatrends Shaping the Future of Banking”, and is a frequent speaker at global FinTech conferences, advising banks and FinTech companies on technological trends and innovations.

Sabrina Tharani is Senior Vice President at Mastercard, where she leads global FinTech programs and partnership development with startups through the award-winning Start Path program, supporting over 500 startups across 60+ countries in areas like payments, AI, financial inclusion, and open finance. Previously, she was a product manager in Mastercard’s core payments team, contributing to innovations like Apple Pay and Mastercard Move.

Tharani is considered one of the most influential women in the payments and FinTech industry, as confirmed by leading industry platforms such as Fintech Magazine, Venture Capital Journal, and American Banker. She serves on the Leadership Committee of The Resolution Project and the Board of Directors of the FinSec Innovation Lab, supporting student-led ventures and early-stage cybersecurity startups.

Day 0 is open to the general public

The day before the conference, on Wednesday, March 10, Money Motion will gather renowned Croatian experts in a one-day program focused on financial literacy as the foundation of a healthy economy and innovation, as well as a higher quality of life.

Let’s remember, financial literacy in Croatia has been below the European average and the desired state of the profession for years. At the same time, it is a prerequisite for the responsible use of new technologies and protection against cyber and other risks to one’s own assets every day.

The program will be held at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, and will focus on three umbrella topics – crypto, investing vs. saving in an era of low interest rates, and financial security in the digital age. The program will be open to all interested citizens, and advice, comments, concrete cases, and examples will be heard directly from recognized entrepreneurs, managers, and regulators.

Money Talks is coming to your city

From the next edition, Money Motion will become much more than an annual gathering and exchange of knowledge of leading FinTech experts in the world. Money Talks are exclusive gatherings in key cities of Central and Eastern Europe, bringing together FinTech leaders to tackle local market challenges, exchange insights, and unlock new business opportunities. Access is limited, but the impact is not.

One-day gatherings will bring together 150 relevant FinTech experts – representatives of banks, regulators, investors, and technological innovators, and the program will consist of two keynote lectures, a few panels, and numerous networking opportunities. The first Money Talks will be held in Bled, Slovenia, and then travel across the region. From Milan and Vienna, through Sarajevo and Belgrade, to Bucharest.

Secure your ticket today

The last edition of Money Motion was also marked by a mobile application for visitor networking, where as many as 700 meetings were arranged among 2500 visitors. The organizers are not revealing details yet, but emphasize that the experience through the application will be another important step forward in the upcoming edition.

Recall the spectacle at the last edition of the conference through the official aftermovie, and find more information about Money Motion 2026 and your Blind Bird ticket, at a price of only 189 euros, on the official conference website www.money-motion.eu or Entrio platform.

The ECB is about to launch something that could either liberate European payments forever—or give governments unprecedented control over every cent you spend and 95% of Europeans have no idea what it means for their financial future.

Picture this: It’s 2027. You walk into a coffee shop in Berlin, but your digital euro wallet is mysteriously temporarily restricted because an algorithm flagged your recent purchases as unusual spending patterns. You can’t buy coffee. You can’t pay for lunch. You can’t even tip the barista because every transaction now flows through a system that knows more about your life than your closest friends.

Sounds like dystopian fiction? It’s not. It’s one possible future of the digital euro.

Let’s start with the dream scenario, because it is genuinely compelling. The European Central Bank isn’t building the digital euro to spy on your morning latte purchases. They’re trying to solve real problems that affect millions of Europeans every day.

Instant, Free Cross-Border Payments

Today, sending €100 from Madrid to Milan can cost you up to €15 and take up to three days. With a digital euro, that same transaction could be instant and free. No more waiting for settlements and transfers.

Across Europe, millions of people still lack access to basic banking services. A digital euro could change that overnight. All you would need is a smartphone—no credit checks, no minimum balances, no monthly fees. It’s digital cash that works for everyone.

Right now, we’re sleepwalking into a future where Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Amazon control how we spend money. The digital euro could be Europe’s answer to this as a public alternative.

Economic Sovereignty in a Multipolar World

When China launches its digital yuan globally and the US dominates with the dollar, Europe risks becoming a financial backwater. The digital euro isn’t just about payments, it’s about ensuring European values and European interests shape the future of money.

In this utopian vision, the digital euro becomes the great equalizer: faster than anything, more private than apps, more inclusive than banks, and more sovereign than foreign-controlled payment systems. 

The Nightmare: A Surveillance State’s Dream. But, here’s where the story takes a dark turn. Because the same technology that could liberate European payments could also create the most sophisticated financial surveillance system in human history.

Every Transaction Tracked and Analyzed

Unlike cash, which disappears into anonymity the moment it leaves your wallet, every digital euro transaction creates a permanent, searchable record. The ECB promises privacy, but their definition of privacy is – in a lack of a better word – flexible. They’ll know when you buy, what you buy, where you buy it, and how often. They’ll know your habits, your preferences, your weaknesses.

Programmable Money, Programmable Control

Here’s the truly terrifying part: digital euros can be programmed. Governments could set expiration dates on your money, forcing you to spend it or lose it. They could restrict what you can buy. No alcohol, no cigarettes, no political donations to parties they don’t like. They could implement negative interest rates that literally steal money from your wallet if you save too much.

The Ultimate Social Credit System

China’s social credit system tracks citizen behavior and restricts access to services based on trustworthiness. With a digital euro, European governments could implement something similar overnight. Late on your taxes? Your spending is capped. Attended a protest? Your money is frozen. Posted something controversial online? Your digital wallet is under review.

The ECB is so worried about digital euros causing bank runs that they’re planning to cap individual holdings at €3,000 to €4,000. But what happens during the next financial crisis when everyone tries to convert their bank deposits to digital euros simultaneously? The caps become meaningless, banks collapse, and the entire financial system implodes. 

The Uncomfortable Truth: Both Futures Are Possible 

The most unsettling aspect of the digital euro debate isn’t that one side is right and the other is wrong. It’s that both visions could come true simultaneously.

We could get instant, cheap payments – and – lose financial privacy. We could achieve financial inclusion – and – create new forms of exclusion. We could gain monetary sovereignty – and –  surrender individual autonomy.

The Design Choices That Will Determine Our Fate

The difference between utopia and dystopia lies in the technical details that most people will never understand:

• Privacy by design vs. surveillance by default
• Offline functionality vs. always-connected tracking 
• Open source code vs. black box algorithms 
• Democratic oversight vs. technocratic control
• Gradual rollout vs. forced adoption

Right now, these crucial design choices are being shaped in technical committees and policy meetings, but their success ultimately depends on public understanding and acceptance. The people who will actually use this money—all of us—need to be active participants in this conversation. 

The Missing Voices in the Room 

Here’s what’s truly alarming: across Europe, there’s been virtually no public debate about the digital euro. No referendums. No citizen assemblies. No prime-time television debates. The most significant monetary innovation since the creation of the euro itself is being developed through technical and policy processes that need broader public engagement and understanding to ensure it truly serves everyone’s needs. 

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. The ECB is accelerating development, with pilot programs already underway and a potential launch within the next few years. Once the system is built and deployed, changing it will be nearly impossible. 

What Happens Next? The digital euro is coming whether we like it or not. The question isn’t whether it will be introduced, but what form it will take. And that depends on whether European citizens wake up and demand a voice in shaping their financial future.

The Optimistic Scenario

If we act now, we could still influence the design. We could demand strong privacy protections, offline functionality, and democratic oversight. We could ensure the digital euro serves citizens, not surveillance states. We could create a model that other countries follow, spreading European values of privacy and freedom globally.

The Pessimistic Scenario

If we don’t engage now, we risk missing the chance to influence how the digital euro balances competing priorities—from privacy and security to innovation and accessibility. This is precisely why broad public input is so vital to getting it right. 

The Choice Is Ours (For Now) 

The digital euro represents the most significant shift in monetary policy since the abandonment of the gold standard. It will reshape how we think about money, privacy, and the relationship between citizens and states.

We can have a digital euro that empowers individuals and strengthens democracy. Or we can have one that enables surveillance and control. We can’t have both.

The choice is still ours to make. But not for much longer.

The question isn’t whether you trust the European Central Bank with your financial data. The question is whether you trust every future European government, every future ECB president, and every future crisis to use that power responsibly. Because once it’s given, we’re never getting it back.

What kind of digital euro do you want? That’s one of the reasons we at Money Motion are doing what we are doing. We’ve been having this conversation since our very first edition, when the Croatian National Bank’s vice governor Sandra Švaljek put the digital euro on our stage before most people even knew it was coming. We’ll keep pushing this debate forward, creating the space where policymakers, innovators, and citizens can shape this together. Because the future of money is too important to be decided without you.

That’s why we’re here. That’s why this matters. And that’s why we need you to be part of this conversation.

We’ve highlighted the key discussions and conclusions from Friday at the third edition of the region’s largest FinTech conference.

Money Motion 2025 attracted over 2,500 attendees, with 720 meetings arranged through the official event app. The second day of the conference was opened by the Mayor of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomašević, who expressed the city’s pride in hosting the leading regional FinTech conference. The event brought together 120 speakers across four stages, featured a startup competition with 20 teams from 14 countries, and concluded with the announcement of the winners.

Mayor Tomašević emphasized the city’s efforts in digital transformation, including modernizing outdated administrative systems. He highlighted the transparent tracking of over 100,000 city transactions in near real-time and the recently launched app for monitoring public space usage. The city remains open to collaboration with FinTech companies, as seen in its partnership with Keks Pay and support for ZICER, which was recently recognized as Europe’s best innovation center. Tomašević affirmed that the city intends to continue along this path.

Zoltán Kaszás from OTP Banka emphasized the importance of effectively leveraging new technologies, such as cloud-exclusive and AI-first models. OTP Banka has been heavily investing in artificial intelligence, with a special focus on its revolutionary English-Hungarian LLM model.

“We used to aim for 10% improvements, but today, we target tenfold improvements. This is only possible if we understand that low-code, no-code tools, cloud, and AI must serve as the foundation for problem-solving. However, we must also recognize what AI should not do – it cannot and should not do everything,” said Kaszás.

A panel of Croatian bank executives – including Balázs Békeffy (OTP), Christoph Schoefboeck (Erste Bank), Mario Žižek (Addiko), and Marko Badurina (HPB) – moderated by Igor Gržalja (ASEE Croatia), discussed the rapid evolution of banking, the implications of digital currencies, and the ongoing importance of physical branches in maintaining customer trust. Some panelists also announced new technological advancements.

“We are working on many innovations to be introduced in the near future. This includes everyday solutions we are already refining. One key step is spinning off Keks Pay into a separate company, allowing us to take the project to the international market,” Schoefboeck revealed.

“In just a few days, we will launch a new process integrating Identyum and PSD2 data to verify user incomes. This means that, from a technical standpoint, we are already capable of implementing open banking and offering more flexible services,” Žižek added.

Representatives of mid-sized regional banks – including Milan Perović (Prva Banka CG), Hasan Hasić (ASA Banka BiH), Aleksandar Bogdanović (Yettel Bank), and Goran Varat (Podravska banka) – highlighted their agility and personalized approach as competitive advantages over larger banks, leveraging local insights and technology.

A critical cybersecurity panel featured experts Pavel Kaminsky (7Security GmbH), Sven Škrgatić (A1 Hrvatska), Neven Zitek (Span), and Thekla Paschali (payabl), moderated by Željka Jurić (ASEE). They examined the growing threats of identity theft in the AI era, stressing the importance of zero-trust security measures and behavioral tracking.

“All fraud and cyber intrusions typically start with simple social engineering. We need to shift our perception of security. We cannot expect a single layer of protection to be sufficient. When it comes to identity, we often assume that if something looks and sounds like us, it is us. That must change,” Kaminsky stated.

The highly anticipated “Fightclub” debate between philosopher Srećko Horvat and economist Vedrana Pribičević delved into the geopolitical and ethical implications of FinTech and AI, highlighting the need for a balance between innovation and regulation.

“We both agree these issues are crucial. FinTech and finance do not exist in a vacuum – they are deeply tied to globalization. However, we do not see trends indicating that this will change, especially given the direction coming from the U.S. The question is how the FinTech sector will adapt,” Pribičević remarked.

“Finance is always political. Those who control finance also control the world,” Horvat added.

Svetlana Sailer from Kraken Digital Assets Exchange noted the growing institutional interest in crypto investments in Europe, thanks to the clarity brought by the MICA regulation.

“The MICA regulation has done an excellent job – it was like turning on the lights in a dark room. Traditional financial institutions needed a clear framework for dealing with crypto in Europe, and now they have it. Of course, it’s not perfect, but it has opened up new opportunities, which is a huge step for the entire ecosystem,” Sailer commented.

A panel on the European FinTech ecosystem, featuring Don Ginsel, Alice Rettig, Zoltán Ács, Nic Balaceanu, and moderator Alex Panican – joined by conference co-founder Nikola Škorić – highlighted Europe’s regulatory advantages while stressing the need for faster cross-border solutions and stronger FinTech cooperation.

Meanwhile, the FinTech2030 stage powered by FINAX focused on blockchain community challenges, AI agents’ roles, and how the younger generation is setting new trends in FinTech.

The expo stage, packed with attendees, saw one session draw particular interest – the intersection of FinTech, business, sports, and chess. Croatian Olympian Valent Sinković, financial expert Hrvoje Fajdetić, chess player Lena Govedarica, and Grandmaster Alojzije Janković engaged the audience in a discussion on the importance of strategic thinking across all industries. Money Motion 2025, organized in collaboration with Mastercard, Monri Payments, ASEE, OTP banka, A1 Hrvatska, Croatia osiguranje and LAQO, expanded its range of topics, reinforcing its status as the region’s most important business event.

In the afternoon, key discussions on innovation in retail and digitalization featured industry leaders such as Nina Mimica (Studenac), Daniel Šturm (Kaufland), Alexandros Kosenas (Neptun Albania), and Bogdan Meica (Glovo Romania). They detailed how their companies leverage AI and automation to enhance customer experience and optimize business processes, with concrete examples of implementation.

“Kaufland is currently testing the use of chatbots in procurement negotiations with suppliers. We noticed that traditional methods do not always yield the best results, so we are developing this chatbot to improve and streamline the process,” explained Šturm.

“Studenac will pilot a retail media project to assess the value it can bring to the organization. This is a completely new initiative that we have not publicly discussed before. The pilot will be conducted on a small scale to see how the system works in practice,” explained Mimica.

Following this, the program shifted to the topic of entrepreneurial innovation within companies, featuring participation from Aleksandar Bogdanović (Yettel Bank), Monika Majstorović (A1 Hrvatska), Matthias Naumann (Companjon), and Dejan Donev (Erste Bank/Kekspay). The speakers agreed on the importance of maintaining an agile and challenger mindset to successfully navigate rapid market changes.

A1 Hrvatska has, in recent years, launched several products that extend beyond the traditional perception of its industry. In telecommunications, Majstorović stated, continuous product innovation is a necessity. “That’s how we expanded into areas such as FinTech, security, and entertainment. We didn’t do it alone. We sought partners, and that’s how we entered new markets. Travel insurance is the product I am most proud of.”

When it comes to approaching such leaps, Donev believes there are two ways: one that clearly and illustratively contributes to revenue or savings, and another where the idea and vision drive everything, regardless of revenue and promises. In this segment, the best examples are KeksPay and the newly announced Keksić.

“We are currently preparing the Keksić service, and one of the biggest challenges is that we always have 50 ideas on the table that we could develop. But precisely because we decided to develop Keksić, we are not developing some other things. The innovation process is always challenging because it involves selection, sacrifice, and constant adaptation.”

In the final panel of the day on investing, the key message was the role of technology in democratizing financial services, making them more accessible to the average citizen. Krešo Vugrinčić from InterCapital Asset Management elaborated on this: “Today, anyone with a mobile phone who wants to invest can do so. We responded to this trend by getting closer to our investors, giving them a broader and more accessible view of investment opportunities. Investments were once reserved only for the wealthy, but apps have opened the door for a wider audience to start investing.”

Vugrinčić was joined in closing the program by Josip Glavaš (Erste Asset Management Croatia), Ivan Đurđević (J.P. Morgan Asset Management), Benjamin Jošar (Triglav Skladi), and Ivan Kurtović (InterCapital Asset Management).

At the end of the day, the winners of the startup competition were announced. First place went to IDCanopy from Austria, second place to DigFin from Slovakia, and third place to Outpost Chess from Serbia. The ‘Talk the Walk’ award from Infobip was won by FINSO from the United Kingdom, while DeFi Koala from Croatia secured a spot in the Fundraising Bootcamp program.

Tickets for Money Motion 2026 are available on the Entrio platform for €129.

The Money Motion app was developed in collaboration with GOOD/TO/GO.

More than 20 startups competed before a jury consisting of six investors

The largest regional FinTech conference, Money Motion 2025, kicked off at the Zagreb Fair, attracting over 2,000 attendees on its first day. This figure surpasses the total attendance of last year’s edition. During the opening ceremony, the event’s founders confirmed that the conference continues to grow annually, with a 25% increase this year, and expressed their ambition to become the largest FinTech conference in Europe.

“Everything has increased – more speakers, more content, more networking opportunities. We are grateful to our sponsors, including ASEE, Mastercard, Monri, A1 Hrvatska, Croatia osiguranje, LAQO, OTP Bank, and about 30 other brands that have supported the conference,” said Nikola Škorić, co-founder of Money Motion, at the opening.

Co-founder Luka Sučić highlighted the impressive participation of 20 startups this year and the visible growth in interest over the past two years.

One of the most attended sessions focused on the future of retail payments, presented by Milan Gauder, co-founder of frēda. Gauder emphasized the decline in cash usage, which accelerated after the pandemic, and the rapid adoption of instant payments, especially in developing countries like India and Brazil.

“For comparison, it took 50 to 60 years for Western countries, including Croatia, to reach a similar level of adoption. The key to success in the East is QR codes. These countries bypassed card payments entirely, adopting QR codes directly, achieving in just five years what took the West ten times longer. I believe that within the next five years, Europe will need to develop an alternative payment system. This is the key, and you must start working on it now,” he concluded.

A panel discussion on changes in payment methods brought together notable names, including Ignacio Terol from the European Central Bank, Dwayne Gefferie, Krzysztof Sobala from Mastercard, and Silvia Mensdorff-Pouilly from WorldPay. The discussion was moderated by Damir Čaušević, CEO of Monri Payments and co-founder of the conference. Panelists concluded that while payments are rapidly transforming, cards remain relevant, albeit in an evolved, tokenized form. Sobala noted that instant payments now account for 80% of Mastercard transactions.

A particularly engaging talk was delivered by Federico Paderni from platform X (formerly Twitter), discussing trends in financial content on social media. He highlighted the rapid growth of video content and the platform’s importance for financial institutions. “All key financial leaders are on X, exchanging insights and engaging with brands,” he stated.

Natalia Leichmanova from the Mastercard Economics Institute provided an economic outlook for Croatia, emphasizing the country’s strong consumer spending power and rising purchasing capacity, particularly in tourism and experiential spending. “Today, purchasing power in Croatia is higher than in 2019, pre-pandemic. This is not the case in Germany, but it is in the region. As a result, Croatian consumers have regained their highest confidence levels, increasingly spending on experiences, entertainment, and memorable moments.”

A panel on the strategic application of artificial intelligence in banking featured Tim Rutten from Backbase, Josip Majher from Hrvatska poštanska banka, Zvonimir Mavretić from ASEE, Vjekoslav Bonić from Raiffeisen Bank International, and Nenad Crnčec from Architech. The discussion emphasized the importance of personalized user experiences and the transformative impact of AI on banking operations.

Piotr Jelenski from ASEE Group presented insights into building a market leader, stating that ASEE continuously seeks profitable businesses that can become profitable within one to two years. “Founders tend to overvalue their businesses by up to 30%, but we focus on strong revenue-generating capabilities and unique intellectual property that is difficult to replicate.”

“My dream is to double our size in the next few years. We have already expanded into Spain and Portugal, followed by Turkey, Egypt, and India. While we remain active in developed markets, we are increasingly targeting large emerging markets.”

The program also emphasized retail-focused topics, featuring a panel with Berislav Marszalek from Entrio, Borko Buturac from Aircash, Maja Fočić from Monri Payments, Bono van Nijnatten, and Michal Baštar from Visa, discussing key drivers of online shopping and payments.

“Across Europe, consumer behavior is remarkably similar. Users do not want to install separate apps for every small service. Our data shows that when offered a unified solution integrating multiple services, user engagement and adoption increase,” Buturac noted.

Marszalek added, “When we started, we aimed to digitalize payments, but we were 3 to 5 years ahead of the market’s needs. We soon realized that our business was failing because consumers still preferred cash transactions. Today, cash payments make up only a small fraction of total transactions and will soon drop below 10%.”

Another key topic at this year’s conference was the future of the insurance industry. A panel discussion on trends in the sector featured Ana Zovko from Croatia osiguranje and LAQO, Ervin Jagetić from Infobip, Oscar Paz de la Fuente from insurNOW, and Simon Kaesler from McKinsey & Company.

Zovko opened the panel with an overview of the industry, noting that currently, 10% of insurance in Europe is sold digitally. “Although digital insurance hasn’t revolutionized the industry like Spotify did for music, I strongly believe the future lies in a seamless user experience and even simpler contracting. And this trend is clearly growing.”

A panel on digital identity stressed the importance of preparing for 2026, when all EU citizens will be required to have digital personal documents. Belgium currently leads in implementation. Sebastian Theisen from Entrust highlighted the regulatory complexities facing Germany, stressing the need for more accessible digital wallets to simplify public service interactions. Valentina Dragomir from Evrotrust emphasized the importance of secure and legally compliant user identification, while Ingo Rübe from KILT Protocol warned about the balance between state control and user privacy, pointing out risks associated with Big Tech dominance.

In the panel on payment trends in the EU, participants highlighted the growing importance of generative artificial intelligence, which Viktoria Merkoulova from Nexi Group presented through their GenAI Lab, focusing on practical applications in business processes. Panagiotis Kriaris from Unzer emphasized the importance of the functionality of digital payments, warning that Europe often incorrectly focuses on speed rather than user value.

Jordan Graison pointed out the lack of public debate surrounding the introduction of the digital euro, while Antonio Argir from NLB Group highlighted that GenAI technology poses a challenge in smaller markets due to their specificities. Finally, Christian Rau from Mastercard spoke about the transformation of payment methods, noting the decline in the use of plastic cards in favor of virtual ones, the importance of cryptocurrency regulation, and the growing collaboration with the public sector on central bank digital currencies.

A particularly exciting part of the program was the Startup stage, where 20 innovative startups competed for the attention and favor of a panel of six experienced investors. The most attention was drawn to a dynamic “fight club” style discussion between three representatives of different startup financing models: one startup self-financed (bootstrapping), another using a bank loan, and the third supported by an investment fund. On Friday, the event will shift focus to future topics with FinTech2030, and by the end of the program, the winners of the Startup competition will be revealed.

Tickets for Money Motion 2026 will be available from Friday evening, March 28, on the Entrio platform. Super Blind Bird tickets will be sold for 129 euros.