Skip to main content
ZenithGROUP logo

Banking Frontier 2026 · International Banking Summit

A forum that turns five times

23–27 November 2026 · Holiday Inn Amsterdam — Arena Towers, Amsterdam

Register on the official site Official agenda

ZenithGROUP logo

Organised by Zenith-Energie International s.r.o.. An abstract illustration follows — it is a programme device, not a floor plan, and the venue has no amphitheatre.

  1. 23 November 2026 — AI & Trusted Finance
  2. 24 November 2026 — Identity & Cyber Resilience
  3. 25 November 2026 — Payments & Digital Assets
  4. 26 November 2026 — Customer Growth & Platform Banking
  5. 27 November 2026 — Future-Proofing Banking 2027–2030

Five discussions, one a day

Day 1 · 23 November 2026

AI & Trusted Finance

AI-native banking, governance, model risk, data foundations, and the path from pilots to enterprise value.

15 published contributors · registration 08:30 · programme from 09:00 · Networking reception ends 15:45 · rooms: Main Stage (Room A · strategy) and Innovation & Implementation (Room B · delivery)

Day 2 · 24 November 2026

Identity & Cyber Resilience

Digital identity, fraud prevention, authentication, cyber resilience, and real-time trust across banking journeys.

16 published contributors · registration 08:45 · programme from 09:00 · Networking reception ends 15:30 · rooms: Main Stage (Room A · strategy) and Innovation & Implementation (Room B · delivery)

Day 3 · 25 November 2026

Payments & Digital Assets

Instant payments, wallets, tokenization, Open Finance, digital assets, and the future of money movement.

20 published contributors · registration 08:45 · programme from 09:00 · Networking reception ends 16:30 · rooms: Main Stage (Room A · strategy) and Innovation & Implementation (Room B · delivery)

Day 4 · 26 November 2026

Customer Growth & Platform Banking

Omnichannel journeys, AI-assisted service, smart branches, SME banking, and platform-based growth.

23 published contributors · registration 08:45 · programme from 09:00 · Networking reception (see live agenda) · rooms: Main Stage (Room A · strategy) and Innovation & Implementation (Room B · delivery)

Day 5 · 27 November 2026

Future-Proofing Banking 2027–2030

Post-quantum readiness, sovereign AI, and the technologies shaping banking to 2030.

17 published contributors · registration 08:45 · programme from 09:00 · Farewell coffee ends 15:45 · rooms: Main Stage (Room A · strategy) and Innovation & Implementation (Room B · delivery)

Session speakers

Twelve horizontal strips from the published roster of 67, drawn from 31 countries.

The complete official roster

Programme details

All 49 published entries. The organiser holds the timed running order; it is not reconstructed here.

23 November 2026 — AI & Trusted Finance

  • Registration, welcome coffee & executive networking Badge collection, event app access, room orientation. Curated introductions between banks, fintechs and strategic partners. — 08:30–09:00,
  • AI governance & model risk — 09:00–09:30, Rita Gnutti · Head of Internal Validation and Controls · Intesa Sanpaolo · Italy
  • AI governance with a special emphasis on Agentic Systems — 09:00–09:30, Oliver Maspfuhl · Head of Anti Financial Crime Modelling Germany & EMEA · Deutsche Bank · Germany
  • Data, AI enablement & intelligent automation for bank operations — 09:30–10:00, Gladson Baby · VP & Director of Data & AI Enablement · Fifth Third Bank · US
  • Scaling AI responsibly: leadership playbook for AI risk & compliance — 10:00–10:30, Frans Vanbruggen · Werkgebied Lead · AI Coalitie 4 Nederland (AIC4NL) · Netherlands
  • AI Governance: mitigating the risks of AI to unlock its true value — 10:00–10:30, Dr. Paul Dongha · Head of Responsible AI & AI Strategy · NatWest Group · UK
  • AI-driven banking by 2030: from transformation ambition to measurable execution — 10:30–11:00, Alina Timofeeva · Managing Partner — AI, Data & Digital Transformation · Saudi Arabia
  • From Process Scans to Scalable Execution: Building Human & Machine Operating Models — 10:30–11:00, Zsofia Kovacs · Efficiency Advisor, Group Organisation & Operations · KBC Bank & Verzekering · Belgium
  • Networking break Refreshments, peer exchange, targeted 1:1 meetings. Preparation for AI operating-model sessions. — 11:00–11:30,
  • Case study: AI & machine learning in operations and fraud detection — 12:00–12:30, Hassan Omidi Firouzi · VP, Applied AI ML Lead · JPMorgan Chase & Co. · US
  • Human resilience in AI-driven banking — 12:30–13:00, Dilek Süzal · Leadership Coach · BetterUp · Austria
  • Credit risk management, related modelling and stress testing in an era of trade wars: the AI solution — 12:30–13:00, Ramesh Gopal · Chief Risk Officer UAE & Saudi · Deutsche Bank · UAE
  • Networking lunch Hosted lunch with speaker and delegate introductions. Informal discussions around AI adoption, operations and governance. — 13:00–14:00,
  • Afternoon panel discussions Multi-bank panels on AI scaling, governance, and human resilience across both rooms. — 14:00–15:15,
  • Networking reception Day 1 closes with informal networking and partner meetings. — 15:15–15:45,

24 November 2026 — Identity & Cyber Resilience

  • Chairperson opening Frame the day around identity, cyber resilience and real-time trust. Highlight key questions for senior banking, risk and security leaders. — 08:45–09:00,
  • Corporate digital identity management — 09:00–09:30, Stephan Wolf · Chair of the Board · Verifiable.Trade Foundation · Germany
  • Digital trust in AI-led banking · risk, audit and cyber oversight at board level — 09:30–10:00, Dr. Björn Lenzmann · Member of The Supervisory Board · DenizBank · Turkey
  • User centricity in cybersecurity · UX research and behavioural science — 09:30–10:00, Nazima Kadir · Global Head of UX: Cybersecurity · J.P. Morgan · UK
  • Custody, governance and operational controls for digital assets — 10:00–10:30, Lubin Reyes · Founder and CEO · Custodial Management Solutions Ltd · UK
  • Continuous identity assurance — 10:00–10:30, Zafer Ergezen · Practice Lead/Director — KYC, CDD & Onboarding · GarantiBank International NV · Netherlands
  • Networking break Coffee and 1:1 meetings. Peer exchange on digital identity, cyber and fraud priorities. — 10:30–11:00,
  • Cloud resilience and concentration risk in regulated banking — 11:00–11:30, Eran Goldman Malka · Cloud Security Manager · European Depositary Bank SA · Luxembourg
  • Navigating AI, Operational Resilience and Regulatory Evolution (DORA) — 11:00–11:30, Ricardo Galvao · ICT Risk, Processes & Quality · NOVO BANCO · Portugal
  • Fraud accountability: governance, liability and customer-protection controls — 11:30–12:00, Ezra Dulberg · Associate Director · BDO UK · UK
  • From compliance cost to competitive advantage: trusted organisational identity — 12:00–12:30, Alexandre Kech · Executive · GLEIF · Germany
  • From compliance cost to competitive advantage · in practice — 12:30–13:00, Ines Gensinger · Head of Global Corporate Communications · GLEIF · Germany
  • Case study: DLT and its influence on payments and bank operating models — 12:30–13:00, Ishtiaq Ahmed · Senior Manager, Strategic Revenue Development · HSBC · UK
  • Networking lunch Identity, fraud and cyber specialists. Discussion on bank readiness for wallets, passkeys and cyber resilience. — 13:00–14:00,
  • Afternoon panel: DORA, AMLA & the future of digital trust Multi-bank panel on regulatory readiness, fraud accountability and DLT trust frameworks. — 14:00–15:00,
  • Networking reception Day 2 closes. — 15:00–15:30,

25 November 2026 — Payments & Digital Assets

  • Chairperson opening — 08:45–09:00,
  • Instant payments and interoperability — 09:00–09:30, Domenico Scaffidi · CEO & Founder · DS Payments Ltd · UK
  • The new payments landscape · instant, interoperable, invisible and built on trust — 09:00–09:30, Paul Walvik-Joynt · VP Commercialization Real-Time Payments · Mastercard · Norway
  • Digital wallets and biometric payments · customer experience and secure authentication — 09:30–10:00, Mihai Draghici · Founder & CEO · PayByFace · Romania
  • Moving Money — how banks think · the new role of the Chief Payment Officer — 10:00–10:30, Viktoria Soltesz · Founder · PSP Angels · Cyprus
  • Open Finance and financial-institution growth · emerging markets, innovation and scale — 10:30–11:00, Ara Sargsyan · Head of Financial Institutions Division · Ameriabank · Armenia
  • Case study: Open Finance · practical lessons and implementation insights — 10:30–11:00, Kazim Oguz · SVP, Digital Channels and Open Banking · DenizBank · Turkey
  • Networking break Peer exchange on instant payments, wallets and Open Finance. — 11:00–11:30,
  • Open Finance strategy · data access and commercial ecosystem design — 11:30–12:00, JP Fabri · Founding Partner · Seed · Malta
  • Corporate payment business: PSD3 · instant payments and fraud accountability — 12:00–12:30, Ulrich Loof · Senior Expert Transaction Management · DZ BANK AG · Germany
  • A2A payments and European scale · growth, adoption and cross-border reach — 12:00–12:30, Arash Marandi · Business and Operations · Zaver · Sweden
  • Future of digital wallets · bank readiness and customer expectations — 12:15–12:45, Sadik Bas · EVP, Marketing Portfolio Management & Digital Products · Garanti BBVA · Turkey
  • Digital wallets · product design, use cases and ecosystem integration — 12:15–12:45, Yodaly Sierra · Founder & CEO · Eco2wallet · UK
  • Networking lunch Payments, wallets and digital-asset leaders. Discussion on digital euro, A2A and tokenization. — 13:00–14:00,
  • Wallet risk, payment controls and customer trust at scale — 13:45–14:15, Vaida Saltenyte · Head of Payments Relations · CXM · Cyprus
  • Future payments landscape · European finance — market outlook and ecosystem implications — 13:45–14:15, Victor Rivera · Managing Director and Co-Founder · Aluna Partners · UK
  • Tokenization infrastructure · architecture, rails and future payments landscape — 14:15–14:45, Thomas Langbein · Chief Commercial Officer · Trever · Germany
  • Case study: Future payments landscape · regional insights and commercial adoption — 14:45–15:15, Wendy Delmar · CEO · Caribbean Association of Banks · Saint Lucia
  • Tokenized market infrastructure · regulated FMI and operating models — 14:45–15:15, Kathrin Fortmann · Strategic Partnerships Manager · BX Digital · Switzerland
  • Networking reception Day 3 closes. — 15:30–16:30,

26 November 2026 — Customer Growth & Platform Banking

  • Chairperson opening Frame the day around customer growth and platform scale. Set priorities for retail, digital and transformation leaders. — 08:45–09:00,
  • Human-AI banking experience — 09:00–09:30, Rudolf Stefanich · Lead UX Researcher · Bitpanda · Austria
  • AI-augmented service and product-led banking at scale — 09:00–09:30, Speaker TBC
  • Present and Future of Digital Transformation in Islamic Banking — 09:30–10:00, Wan Halim · Head of Shariah Governance (Global) · Crédit Agricole CIB · UAE
  • Omnichannel banking leadership and customer growth in Czech and regional banking — 09:30–10:00, Tomas Reytt · Chief Sales Officer · mBank CZ · Czech Republic
  • Lithuanian credit union model: data analysis plus human touch in lending — 10:00–10:30, Mantas Janavicius · Member of the Management Board · Investuotoju asociacija · Lithuania
  • No-touch banking and mesh-up finance for non-financial customer pools — 10:00–10:30, Wolfgang Strobel · Managing Director · Investigence GmbH · Germany
  • Networking break Peer exchange on customer experience, branch transformation and AI service. — 10:30–11:00,
  • Micro-SME growth, digital SME banking and financial inclusion — 11:00–11:30, Mohammad Jakirul Islam · EVP, Head of Strategy, Innovation and New Business · BRAC Bank · Bangladesh
  • Micro-SME banking growth and digital onboarding for entrepreneurs — 11:00–11:30, Istvan Fetter · Head of Small Business Segment Management · CIB Bank · Hungary
  • Impact investing, sustainable finance and customer value in the next banking cycle — 11:30–12:00, Caroline Philippe · Senior Investment Manager — Stellar Impact · BNP Paribas · Belgium
  • The AI-Native Bank: Building Intelligent Financial Ecosystems for the Age of AI Agents — 11:30–12:00, Itir Aydogan · Ecosystem Banking and Innovation Director · Yapı Kredi · Turkey
  • Case study: Open Banking 2.0 and SME digital transformation through Z-Transformation — 12:00–12:30, Ender Aydin · Digital Solutions Manager · Ziraat Bankası · Turkey
  • How European banks are retooling for platform scale — 12:00–12:30, Margus Simson · Chief Digital Officer · Komerční banka · Czechia
  • Networking lunch Focused on customer growth and platform transformation. Meetings with retail, SME and digital banking leaders. — 13:00–14:00,
  • Stress-aware banking journeys — 13:45–14:15, Justin Pesch · Senior Sales Manager · PAIR Finance · Netherlands
  • Credit risk management and stress testing in an era of trade wars · the AI solution — 13:45–14:15, Ramesh Gopal · Chief Risk Officer UAE & Saudi · Deutsche Bank · UAE
  • Case study: AI in compliance, AI governance and Digital Fraud — 14:15–14:45, Stefan Moser · Head Group Compliance & Operational Risk · VP Bank AG · Austria
  • Case study: Agile banking transformation — 14:15–14:45, Davor Gašparac · Senior Program Manager, BA Chapter Lead & Agile Coach · Erste Digital · Austria
  • Case study: Platform-scale banking — 14:45–15:15, Fabio Turel · Information Technology Strategy Manager · Generali · Switzerland
  • Customer growth meetings and platform demos — 14:45–15:15,
  • Afternoon panel: Platform-scale banking, Open Finance & agile customer transformation Fabio Turel · Ender Aydin · Kazim Oguz · Davor Gašparac. — 15:15–16:00,
  • Networking reception Day 4 closes. — 16:00–16:30,

27 November 2026 — Future-Proofing Banking 2027–2030

  • Chairperson opening Frame the final day around 2027–2030 strategic priorities. Link systemic risk, regulation, technology and board decision-making. — 08:45–09:00,
  • Systemic Risk in European Banking 2027–2030: Geopolitics, AI and Structural Vulnerabilities — 09:00–09:30, Ulf Holmberg · Functional Lead and Senior Analyst · Swedbank · Sweden
  • Preparing banks for systemic threats: cyber, geopolitical disruption and operational concentration risk — 09:00–09:30, Naji Freiha · Risk Appetite, Strategy and Governance · Konsilium · France
  • Systemic threats and stress testing · post-quantum readiness — 09:30–10:00, Christoffer Kok · Head of Division, Stress Test Experts · European Central Bank · Germany
  • Payment systems regulation, consumer protection and future payment rails — 09:30–10:00, Jayne Godfrey · Payment Systems Regulator · UK
  • 2027 regulatory radar: AML, supervisory readiness, governance and EU regulatory developments — 10:00–10:30, Xenia Neofytou · Managing Director · CX Financia · Cyprus
  • Networking break Peer exchange on systemic risk, quantum readiness and regulation. — 10:30–11:00,
  • Case study: AMLR/AMLA transition and changing supervisory expectations — 11:00–11:30, Speaker TBC
  • Moving Money · payment education and market adoption in the next payments cycle — 11:30–12:00, Manuela Zuluaga · Marketing & Digital Specialist · The Soltesz Institute · Italy
  • Evolution of regulatory framework in the digital asset industry: VASPs, crypto AML and cross-border risk — 12:00–12:30, Jese Medina Gutierrez · CDD Onboarding Manager · Tether.to · Spain
  • Open finance, AI transformation and digital assets · tech radar — 12:00–12:30, Tanja Imamovic · Digital Transformation & Technology Strategist · Raiffeisen Bank International · Austria
  • Networking lunch Regulatory, risk and technology leaders. Discussion on digital euro, AMLA and cyber resilience. — 12:30–13:30,
  • Future payments and cards: real-time access, transaction handling and service design — 13:30–14:00, Michał Niwiński · Co-founder and CTO · SoftwarePlant · Poland
  • Payment innovation through an investment and market-readiness lens — 13:30–14:00, Stefano Sciacca · Managing Director · Aluna Partners · UK
  • Afternoon panel: AMLA transition, AI compliance, wallets, risk, payments and tokenization Stefan Moser (VP Bank AG) · Vaida Saltenyte (CXM). — 14:00–14:45,
  • Closing plenary: Future-proofing European banking Strategic synthesis of the week's key themes and priorities for European banking 2027–2030. — 14:45–15:15,
  • Farewell coffee Final delegate conversations and speaker follow-up meetings. — 15:15–15:45,

Official agenda with session times

Attendance summary

Five-day in person
€2,999 — full summit access, 23–27 November 2026, at Holiday Inn Amsterdam — Arena Towers, Hoogoorddreef 66a, 1101 BE Amsterdam, Netherlands. Registration desk: Ground floor lobby, signposted on arrival. Step-free access; accessible WCs on every floor
Five-day online
€2,390 — virtual delegate access to the same 5 days on Central European Time (CET), with live stream and recordings as described by the organiser.
Booking
Official registration page. No seat is selected, held or numbered anywhere on this page.
Conditions
Observed on the live /register page 2026-09-07. Always link to the official register page; never take payment.

Organisations represented in the programme

62 organisations employ someone on the published roster. Shown as employers only — not sponsors, partners or endorsers.

Travel and questions

Venue
Holiday Inn Amsterdam — Arena Towers
Address
Hoogoorddreef 66a, 1101 BE Amsterdam, Netherlands
Station
Bijlmer ArenA · 4-min walk
From Schiphol
Train Schiphol → Bijlmer ArenA, approx. 15 min
Parking
P1 ArenA · paid, on-site
Accessibility
Step-free access; accessible WCs on every floor
Time zone
Central European Time (CET)
Illustrated map of central Amsterdam showing Centraal Station, Dam Square, Rijksmuseum and Vondelpark
Illustrated orientation map of central Amsterdam published by the organiser. It shows the city centre, not the summit venue, which is in Bijlmer ArenA to the south-east. Official travel page.
Daily hours
  • Monday 23 November — registration 08:30, start 09:00, Networking reception ends 15:45
  • Tuesday 24 November — registration 08:45, start 09:00, Networking reception ends 15:30
  • Wednesday 25 November — registration 08:45, start 09:00, Networking reception ends 16:30
  • Thursday 26 November — registration 08:45, start 09:00, Networking reception (see live agenda)
  • Friday 27 November — registration 08:45, start 09:00, Farewell coffee ends 15:45
Is the venue laid out as an amphitheatre?

No. The curved bands are a programme illustration only. The organiser describes two rooms: Main Stage (Room A · strategy) and Innovation & Implementation (Room B · delivery).

Why no session times?

They are not published on the source day pages. See the official agenda.

Organiser

Legal identity

Zenith-Energie International s.r.o.

Rezlerova 273/74, Petrovice, 109 00 Praha, Czechia

Company ID 02354357 · VAT CZ02354357

Contact

info@group-zenith.com

+420 778 647 921

Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00 CET

Official pages

This page is an information page about Banking Frontier 2026. Registration, payment and all official enquiries are handled by the organiser on the official event site.