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Mayor Tomašević emphasized the city’s efforts in digital transformation, including modernizing outdated administrative systems.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.
