Agenda
2022
PRELIMINARY AGENDA
Panels & Topics
June 3, 2022
09:00 – 09:30
(0.30 Hour)
Registration / Coffee & Tea
09:30 – 09:35
(0.05 Hour)
Welcome remarks from the organizer
09:35 – 09:50
(0.15 Hour)
09:50 – 10:05
(0.15 Hour)
Keynote speech
The power of user friendly fintech – changing societies
- Robert Eirfjell, Founder & CTO, Powrs, Sweden
10:05 – 10:55
(0.50 Hour)
Panel I: Turning buzzwords into action
Keeping the public-private dialogue going
From taxes to pensions, payments are one of the most common ways citizens interact with their government. The adoption of government e-payments shows that European countries like Norway, France and Denmark lead the way. The importance of state role in leading the way and laying the foundation for digital transformation, as well as turning ideas into change, is undisputed. How are SEE countries planning to embrace innovation and what have they done so far? What does the MiCA regulation bring? How does the new Law on Digital Property contribute to the creation of fintech ecosystems in Serbia?
- How does fintech support digital transformation and the wider digital ecosystem? The role of fintech in govtech
- The influence of fintech on local economies and local business – risks and
opportunities - Bridging the gap between innovative technology and the needs of the community and policy makers – best practices
- The rise of e-services – e-Tax, e-Business & e-Banking – solutions & constraints
- Upskilling for the digital world – how to prepare for the change that’s coming?
Moderator:
- Nebojša Bjelotomić, President, Digital Serbia Initiative, Serbia
Speakers:
- Filip Šaravanja, Fintech Coordinator, HANFA, Croatia
- Robert Ilijaš, Founder & CEO, Identyum, Croatia
- Nenad Paunović, Director of the Team for IT and Entrepreneurship, Office of the Prime Minister, Government of the Republic of Serbia, Serbia
- Marko Janković, Chairman, Securities Commission Republic of Serbia, Serbia
10:55 – 11:15
(0.20 Hour)
Networking break / Coffee & Tea
11:15 – 12:15
(1 Hour)
(20 minutes per Showcase)
Panel II: From myths to true stories!
Showcases
In the last decade we have heard about some amazing Fintech ideas and solutions, developed by amazing local software teams all over the SEE region. Hear more from experts who have walked the talk, but also find out what the future of finance holds and if the region keeping pace with the rest of the world?
Showcase 1: How to successfully implement a fintech solution in traditional banking?
Showcase 2: Alternative financing of projects you believe in. What is crowdfunding?
Showcase 3: What you thought you knew and what you really should know about tokens?
Moderator:
- Miloš Matić, Partner, ICT Hub Venture, Serbia
Showcase 1
- Sanja Lukić, Deputy Head of Credit Department, Raiffeisen Bank, Serbia
- Jovan Milovanović, Co founder and software engineer, Finspot, Serbia
Showcase 2
- Luka Pejović, Director, Ventu.rs, Serbia
- Aleksandar Marković, Managing Director, Autology, Serbia
Showcase 3
- Željka Motika, Partner, Motika Law, Serbia
- Ognjen Kurtić, Co founder & CTO, Finspot, Serbia
12:25 – 12:45
(0.20 Hour)
Fireside Chat: Digital Microlanding – the business model and future benefits
Brought to you by Vuković & Partners
Microlending – What it Presents and Who is it for? In a world where we can buy almost anything online, why is online, peer to peer lending still questionable?
Nowadays we can easily and safely use innovative technology platforms to spend money online, but when it comes to online lending, the situation is far from easy, especially in the Serbian market.
Access to finance is one of the most important hurdles for micro, small and medium businesses. It is a well-known fact that MSMEs have issues when it comes to qualifying for traditional banking loans, necessary for financing their daily operations. So, is there another way to get to the necessary financial means? For the most of the developed world it is already a reality. In the Finticipate – Fireside Chat we’ll discuss what legal, economic, and technological conditions need to be met to safely provide microlending services? What are the risks and what are the opportunities? Are there already developed and implemented solutions in Serbia?
Moderator:
- Jelisaveta Janić, Senior Attorney at Law, Vuković & Partners, Serbia
Speakers:
- Aleksandar Bogdanović, Chief Commercial Officer, Mobi Banka, Serbia
- Nikola Maksimović, Regional CEO for Balkan region, SmartOne FinTech, Serbia
12:45 – 13:30
(0.45 Hour)
Lunch & Refreshments
13:30 – 14:20
(0.50 Hour)
Panel III: Where tradition meets the future
How are business models in financial sector morphing? Explained by experts
Sponsored by Aircash
If ease of payment is the core of the customer experience and vital for a healthy business, it is essential that payment services operate flawlessly and are available anywhere where sale can be made. How do legacy payment providers adapt their business models and how will emerging payment systems learn to comply with the evolving regulatory landscape? What changes are expected in response to innovations in the payment sector and how will government and business work together to facilitate competitiveness?
- Supercharging payments: changing business models – How legacy payment platforms are using fintech to scale up and drive financial inclusion
- The role of fintech in digital banking transformation
- The payment challenge in SEE – what are the legal, compliance and technical hurdles facing the industry?
- How is technology changing payments? Automation, credit scoring, security and AI?
- From payments to lending, servicing, identity and KYC – can any company just become a bank?
Moderator:
- Robert Eirfjell, Founder & CTO, Powrs, Sweden
Speakers:
- Hajdi Ćenan, Co founder & CEO, Airt, Croatia
- Hrvoje Ćosić, Founder & Director, Aircash, Croatia
- Nikola Mehandžić, Director, Payoneer, Serbia
- Miodrag Mirčetić, Founding Partner, iPay, Serbia
- Ivan Rebrović, Business Development Manager, Monri Payments, Croatia
14:30 – 14:50
(0.20 Hour)
Workshop: On a first-name basis with the investment fund
Find out how you can become an investor!
Provided by Omorika Ventures
What is the fund’s investment strategy? What are the potential gains and risks? What makes this type of investment more attractive then the alternative? What did you always want to know, but did not dare to ask an investment fund?
As inflation rises above 7% as officially recorded, individuals and institutions need to invest if they want to maintain or enlarge their assets value. Real estate was just one of the few investment options at investors disposal in this region. Handful actually decided to invest at the stock market or participate in some form of an equity investment.
However, as legal framework changed in 2019 and as the Western Balkans region became one of the most prominent IT regions, local investors face new asset class to invest in – Venture Capital.
In this panel we will talk about the emerging VC world of the CEE region. About basics of this asset class, possible gains, risk that follows this type of equity investments and first possibility to invest in one domestic VC fund.
Vladimir Pavlović, Kosta Andrić, and Miloš Matić, founding partners of Omorika Ventures, will spice up the discussion by introducing exclusive investment opportunities for all potential investors.
Omorika Ventures is seed and early series A venture capital fund, in the process of fundraising, focused on investing and supporting visionary founders and strong technology companies from the SEE region.
Let’s start investing together!
Speakers:
- Vladimir Pavlović, CEO, WM Equity Partners, Serbia
- Miloš Matić, Partner, ICT Hub Venture, Serbia
14:50 – 15:10
(0.20 Hour)
Networking break / Coffee & Tea
15:10 – 16:00
(0.50 Hour)
Panel IV: The newcomers
Financing decentralized
Decentralized finance (DeFi) is the key to financial inclusion and financial freedom for all. Providing an open, low-cost, and autonomous ecosystem for everyone to enjoy the benefits of innovation and access to finance is a primary motivator for fintech financing platforms. How beneficial can it be for micro, small, and medium-size enterprises (MSMEs) to access credit? What are the default risks and regulatory impediments? How are fintech lenders and banks converging? If banks are offering new lending products and fintechs are providing banking services and digital banks are rewriting the rules, what is the new norm?
- Cryptocurrencies and other occurrences
- Can digital banks become profitable? Compete or cooperate strategy?
- In which area is fintech financing really making a difference? Is the focus on SMEs, consumers, corporates or the general population?
- What can we learn from digital challenger banks and other new types of financers – crowdfunding, P2P lending, etc?
- New approaches to consumer lending – are innovations still happening with products, credit and marketing?
- Can open banking work in SEE?
- Stable digital money (stablecoins) has become the lifeblood of decentralized finance while merging users, service providers and cryptocurrency issuers into a new technology-based financial ecosystem. What the future of stablecoin has to offer?
Moderator:
- Bojana Tomić-Brkušanin, Chief of Staff, Polygon, Serbia
Speakers:
- Linardo Martinčević, CNB Fintech Coordinator Advisor at Office of the Governor, Croatian National Bank, Croatia
- Aleksandar Matanović, CEO & Founder, ECD, Serbia
- Nikola Škorić, Founder & Director, Electrocoin d.o.o., Croatia
- Miša Živić, Founder & CEO, LeanPay, Slovenia
16:00 – 16:20
(0.20 Hour)
Networking break / Coffee & Tea
16:20 – 17:10
(0.50 Hour)
Panel V: Spotlight on regional fintech & the pressing global challenges - all ladies panel
Sponsored by Monri Payments
Moderator:
- Zoja Kukić, CEO, Haptic Synaptic, Serbia
Speakers:
- Linda Shomo, Founder & CEO, EasyPay, Albania
- Merima Mahmutović, Country Ambassador, EWPN & Business Development Manager – Finance Sector, Comtrade System Integration, B&H
- Dušica Lukač, Partner, DL Capital Partners, United Kingdom
- Maja Fočić, Project Manager, Monri Payments, Croatia
Note: The organizer reserves the right to make changes to the event program