This summer, Oradea Fortress will host the 5th edition of UNCHAIN Festival (on 17–18 June 2026), a high-level finance summit bringing together over 900 senior leaders and decision-makers from more than 40 countries, including financial institutions, regulators, technology providers, and industry leaders.

Marking its anniversary edition as the premier summit of CEE, UNCHAIN Festival 2026 is honoured to welcome as Keynote Speaker Prof. Marek Belka, former Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Poland—a leading voice at the intersection of economics and public policy, and an economist with a distinguished career spanning academia, government, and international institutions. Over the course of his career, he has held a series of influential international roles, including Head of Economic Policy in Iraq’s Coalition Provisional Authority, Executive Secretary of the UNECE, and Director of the European Department at the IMF, before going on to serve as President of the National Bank of Poland and later as a Member of the European Parliament.

He will be joined by prominent officials and central bank governors from across Central and Eastern Europe, as well as key decision-makers from private and international financial institutions, including the European Commission, the European Banking Authority, and regulatory bodies from Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Moldova, and the Czech Republic.

By fostering high-level dialogue and cross-border collaboration on the most pressing issues shaping the future of finance in the region, the UNCHAIN Festival reinforces its position as the premier summit for decision-makers in banking, fintech, insurance, and technology across Central and Eastern Europe.

The agenda will address key topics including the digital euro (Europe’s upcoming CBDC aimed at modernising payments and preserving monetary sovereignty), the European Unique Identifier (EUID) for streamlined cross-border KYC and verification, cybersecurity and operational resilience under DORA, AI governance and its responsible applications in banking, instant payments (SEPA SCT Inst), asset tokenisation using DLT to enhance capital market efficiency, and the evolving open finance framework under PSD3 to drive innovation and competition.

A dedicated section of the UNCHAIN Festival will spotlight the region’s most dynamic ecosystems, showcasing top disruptors and innovative companies driving transformation across financial services. This initiative is designed to give early-stage and stage disruptors a prominent platform to present regional business opportunities, innovation frameworks, and cutting-edge solutions poised to redefine the financial landscape.

Applications are open until May 15th via https://unchainfestival.com/startups/ inviting the most ambitious innovators to step forward and take part in shaping the future of finance on a regional stage.

Under this initiative, a carefully selected group of companies representing countries from across Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltics will take the stage to share their national perspectives on the future of finance and the disruptive technologies shaping the industry.

“UNCHAIN Festival was created as a platform for meaningful dialogue among financial industry leaders, and the 2026 edition marks a significant step in shaping the future of finance in the region. With our new initiative spotlighting top disruptors from across CEE and the Baltics, we aim to elevate national perspectives and connect ecosystems that can collaborate to accelerate innovation,” said Alexandra Pollack, Founder and CEO at UNCHAIN.

Continuing its annual tradition, UNCHAIN Festival 2026 will recognize excellence in financial services and technology, presenting awards to the most outstanding disruptors and innovators from Central and Eastern Europe.

All of this is made possible thanks to the essential support of key players in the fintech ecosystem, such as Visa—the event’s Main Partner—along with Raiffeisen Bank Romania, BRD Groupe Société Générale, and Banca Transilvania as Banking Partners, Payten Romania as Gold Partner. The event’s sponsors, who support innovation in the CEE region, are Garanti BBVA, fme Romania, SurePay, Worldline, Profile Software, Axe Finance, TSYS, Finshape, Namirial, CMS Cameron McKenna, and VeritaHR.

CEE finance leaders return to the UNCHAIN Festival each year. Early Bird tickets offering a 30% discount are available at https://unchainfestival.com/tickets/ for a limited period of time until April 22nd. Prices will increase after this date.

###

Prof. Marek Belka – Biography

Prof. Marek Belka (1952) is an economist with a distinguished career in academia, government, and international institutions. He has been affiliated with the Faculty of Economics and Sociology at the University of Łódź for most of his career and has held research fellowships at Columbia University, the University of Chicago, and the London School of Economics.

He twice served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance (1997; 2001–2002) and was Prime Minister of Poland from 2004 to 2005. His international roles include leading economic policy in Iraq’s Coalition Provisional Authority (2003–2004), serving as Executive Secretary of UNECE (2006–2008), and heading the European Department at the IMF (2008–2010). He was President of the National Bank of Poland (2010–2016) and a Member of the European Parliament (2019–2024).

In 2024, he was appointed Chair of the Audit Board of the Ukraine Facility, overseeing financial support for Ukraine’s recovery.

About UNCHAIN Festival

UNCHAIN Festival is the leading finance and technology summit in Central and Eastern Europe. Since 2022, it has connected banks, fintechs, regulators, and industry leaders in Oradea, Romania, fostering cross-industry collaboration and turning emerging trends into actionable strategies for regional growth and resilience.

The company is not a generic e-signature tool. As a Qualified Trust Service Provider under eIDAS, Evrotrust delivers remote identity verification (KYC/KYB), qualified electronic signatures (QES), electronic timestamps and electronic delivery services. It is an EU-notified eID scheme, audited and supervised at European level, and listed on the EU Trusted Lists with the highest assurance for qualified electronic signing in regulated and cross-border workflows. Today, the company supports over 2 million users from 61 nationalities and more than 200 enterprises, including 15 of Europe’s leading banking institutions.

“Trust is the new user interface. Evrotrust gives Romanian organizations a single, compliant platform to verify and sign digitally, while reducing fraud and unlocking cross-border growth.”, said Konstantin Bezuhanov, CEO at Evrotrust.

EU industry estimates point to e-signature spending growth from €2.33B in 2025 to €23.05B by 2032. Digital identity verification is also expected to expand at a robust, double-digit pace over the same period. In Romania, digital rails are already mainstream, 662,713 electronic ID cards were issued as of Oct 2, 2025, and ADR’s Government Private Cloud is budgeting RON 867.5M to migrate over 30 systems online. Meanwhile, the EU Digital Identity Wallets move from policy to implementation, making public-sector acceptance mandatory by the end of 2026, a clear runway for remote onboarding and QES at national scale.

“The new investment enables Evrotrust to scale EU-grade digital identity in Romania faster – localizing audited, cross-border trust services for banks, businesses, and the public sector. With a free mobile app and an EU-recognized qualified certificate at no cost, we make trusted digital transactions simple and accessible. Financial institutions benefit immediately from identity reuse across services, delivering faster onboarding and a smoother user experience. Proven in Bulgaria with fully online passport issuance, our secure and compliant approach now comes to Romania to put digital trust in everyone’s hands and accelerate national digitalization.” shared Valentina Dragomir, Country Manager for Romania at Evrotrust.

For Romanian businesses, Evrotrust’s expansion means faster, fully compliant onboarding and signing flows that cut abandonment and cost while meeting KYC, AML and eIDAS 2.0 obligations. Banks, insurers, fintechs, e-commerce, telecoms and utilities can consolidate identity verification, qualified e-signatures, timestamps and electronic delivery into a single, audit-ready platform with Romanian language support, EU data-residency options and sector-specific controls. Citizens benefit from simpler remote access to financial services and public administration, with cross-border recognition and stronger protection against fraud.

About Evrotrust

Evrotrust is a leading identity verification and qualified trust service provider with a mission to help businesses and governments digitally transform their processes and build sustainable digital channels. The Evrotrust platform is an end-to-end solution for remote electronic identification and digital signing with qualified signatures that enables users to register and authenticate for services using only their smartphone. www.evrotrust.com

About 3TS Capital Partners

3TS Capital Partners is a leading European growth capital investor supporting technology and innovation-driven companies. 3TS partners with exceptional teams to build category leaders across Europe, providing capital, expertise and access to an extensive network. www.3tscapital.com

Building on three years of success, UNCHAIN enters a new growth phase with strengthened international partnerships. The strategic partnerships with LOT Airlines, Oradea Municipality, and Visa will boost the festival’s direct flight connections across the CEE, enhancing its accessibility and impact, and making it a significant milestone for both UNCHAIN and the region.

“Strategic partnerships drive growth and are the cornerstone of innovation in fintech. Through trusted collaborations, we aim to cultivate an industry revolution over time. Our alliance with LOT Airlines, for example, simplifies travel for participants, offering direct flights connecting all CEE capitals via Warsaw, along with exclusive perks like business lounge access. Similarly, Visa’s continuous partnership with UNCHAIN underscores their trust in the event, providing their international experts with a premier platform for learning, discovery, and innovation and turning them into genuine fintech ambassadors. Such initiatives embody our commitment to growing UNCHAIN into a truly transformative event, a vision made possible by a reinforced team focused on achieving even greater impact in the years ahead,” said Alexandra Pollack, Founder & CEO of UNCHAIN.

A Thriving Network at the Core

The strength of UNCHAIN lies in the network it creates and fosters. To enhance this, the UNCHAIN team consolidates by welcoming David Pollack, an expert in international projects development & financial markets, as a permanent member and growth driver. This renewed team will focus on expanding the community of business and industry advisors, ensuring a comprehensive representation of the region’s diverse fintech landscape. Their mission remains steadfast: to unite the CEE fintech ecosystem, amplify its collective voice, and encourage business growth.

David Pollack, Head of Growth & International Development at UNCHAIN, remarked: “Next year marks a strategic leap for UNCHAIN. We’re cementing the event’s foundation with robust partnerships but also with an elite advisory network that spans all major CEE markets. I am excited about the influx of financial institutions, regulators, innovators, and startups who will enrich the event through their knowledge, ideas, and collaboration.”

UNCHAIN’s Role in Regional Fintech

As the benchmark for fintech and financial services events in the CEE, UNCHAIN is dedicated to driving regional innovation through cooperation, resource access, and elite networking.

Alexandru Chira, Director General at Visit Oradea, stated: “The success of the UNCHAIN Fintech Festival highlights not only the remarkable potential of Central and Eastern Europe’s fintech ecosystem but also the importance of public sector involvement in driving innovation and collaboration. Events like this provide the economy with access to essential networking opportunities and relevant industry insights, fostering growth and development. Oradea is proud to play a pivotal role in creating the infrastructure necessary to support and nurture initiatives like UNCHAIN. Visit Oradea will continue working alongside the festival’s extraordinary project team to bring together regional leaders from fintech, regulators, banks, startups, and academia. We remain committed to contribute to their vision of fostering a collaborative spirit that will resonate across Europe.”

2025 Agenda Highlights

The upcoming edition boasts an expanded agenda, with more enhanced targeting of content. The main stage will transform into a general assembly focused on policy and public sector topics, while the sub-stages will further deliver exceptional quality content.

• Digital Banking, with focus on the rise of neobanking and how AI implementations shape the financial ecosystem;
• Payments, with focus on Cross-Border and P2P (Peer-to-Peer) models;
• Regulation & Compliance,  Security being the main topic of discussion in nowadays’s changing digital landscape.

All this will be matched by a lively expo & networking area, enhancing visibility and improving connectivity for the partners

The organizers expect over 120 global speakers from 40 countries, with insights on emerging trends, plus participation from 700+ delegates and 350+ companies. With 70% representation from the financial sector, UNCHAIN is the definitive platform for impactful fintech dialogue.

Bankers, fintech creators and enthusiasts that want to meet global leaders, discover innovative solutions, and expand their network should seize the opportunity to join the most dynamic fintech event in the CEE. Immediate registrations will benefit from the Super Early Bird Offer — 750 EUR, meaning an exclusive 40% discount until January 31st.

See you all at this summer’s UNCHAIN Fintech Festival on June 19-20, 2025, for unforgettable moments.

• Super Early Birdregistration here
• Check out the 2024 after event video here

***

About UNCHAIN Fintech Festival

UNCHAIN Festival is a premier event that unites the financial and tech sectors in the CEE region to foster collaboration and innovation. Set in the historic Oradea Fortress, the festival offers a platform for discussing emerging trends and challenges with the industry’s biggest names.

All of this could not be possible without the foundational involvement of regional fintech innovators such as VISA, the event’s Main Partner, together with Google Cloud and InfoCert as Technology Partners, Banca Comerciala Romana, Raiffeisen Bank and Banca Transilvania as Banking Partners. Event sponsors that support innovation throughout the CEE region are Citi Bank, Garanti Bank BBVA, SIBS Romania, Amazon Web Services, Evam, Finshape, Transfond, and CMS Cameron McKenna.

Media contact: Irina Ștefaniu, PR Consultant – irina@unchain.media / +40 753010096

Today’s milestone represents the impact that tokenization has had on the entire payments ecosystem since we introduced the technology 10 years ago. Tokens have changed the game – securing online payments and paving the way for more innovations – from tapping to pay on the phone to enabling a future where we have more control over our data in the age of AI.

Jack Forestell, Chief Product Officer at Visa

Visa’s tokenization replaces sensitive card information with a unique digital identifier, enhancing payment security. As of now, 29% of all Visa transactions use tokens, leading to a 28% reduction in fraud and a six-basis point increase in global payment approval rates. Over 8,000 issuers and 1.5 million merchants are enabled for tokenization, with daily transactions continuing to grow.

Over the last 10 years, Visa has invested in scaling its token infrastructure to power safer and more convenient digital commerce for consumers and merchants here in Europe, and in nearly every market across the world. As AI begins to create more personalized experiences online, we’re using our token expertise to give people more control over their payments data.

Mehret Habteab, Senior Vice President of Product and Solutions at Visa Europe

Visa is set to introduce data tokens to provide consumers with greater control over their data. These tokens will enable users to view, consent to, and revoke data sharing directly from their banking apps, powered by AI for seamless personalization and security.

Key Requirements

• ATMs and Payment Terminals: Must be usable by people with disabilities.
• Online Banking: Websites and mobile apps must comply with accessibility standards.
• Customer Service: Support services must cater to the needs of individuals with impairments.

Banks will need to adapt their physical and digital infrastructures to meet these requirements. This includes training staff, updating software, and potentially redesigning ATMs and terminals. The act is expected to significantly improve the banking experience for millions of EU citizens, ensuring they can perform transactions independently and securely.

Bank employees must be trained on the needs of individuals with disabilities and how to provide appropriate assistance. This includes understanding available accessibility features and how to use them. Banks must review and adapt internal procedures to ensure all services and products are accessible, updating existing infrastructure and implementing new technologies. It is crucial for banks to implement monitoring mechanisms to ensure accessibility measures are effective and comply with legislation.

Nicu Enache, digital transformation consultant at OceanoBe Technology.

While the transition may pose challenges, it also presents opportunities for banks to innovate and enhance their service offerings. Investing in accessible technology can improve customer satisfaction and broaden the customer base.

The European Accessibility Act represents a major step towards inclusivity in the banking sector. By June 2025, all banks operating in the EU must ensure their services are accessible to all individuals, regardless of their physical abilities.

Pilot Details

• Enhanced Payment Controls: The first pilot enhances SWIFT’s existing Payment Controls service using AI models to detect fraud more accurately by analyzing historical transaction patterns. This will be tested with live customer data.
• Data Collaboration and Federated Learning: The second pilot involves 10 leading financial institutions, including BNY Mellon, Deutsche Bank, DNB, HSBC, Intesa Sanpaolo, and Standard Bank. This experiment focuses on using AI to analyze anonymized data from various sources securely, improving global fraud detection capabilities.

Impact on the Industry

Fraud cost the financial industry USD 485 billion in 2023. The pilots aim to reduce these costs significantly and support the G20’s goal of speeding up cross-border payments.

AI has great potential to significantly reduce fraud in the financial industry. That’s an incredibly exciting prospect but one that will require strong collaboration. Swift has a unique ability to bring financial organizations together to harness the benefits of AI in the interests of the industry, and we’re excited by the potential of both of these pilots to help further strengthen the cross-border payments ecosystem.

Tom Zschach, Chief Innovation Officer at Swift

SWIFT has developed an AI governance framework ensuring accuracy, explainability, fairness, auditability, security, and privacy, aligning with global standards such as ISO 42001, the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, and the EU AI Act.

Insights from Key Figures Involved

Combatting fraud successfully will require industry collaboration, collective action, and strong leadership from operators like Swift. We’re excited to help lead the first wave of innovation in this space and look forward to seeing even more banks join the initiative.

Isabel Schmidt, Executive Platform Owner, Payments Enablement at BNY Mellon Treasury Services

Our passion for holistic payment solutions is founded on expertise, technology, and innovation; not only in terms of our own strategic product development, but importantly through our strong dedication to drive partnership and collaboration across the market. Through these industry initiatives, we have the potential to enhance our ability to detect fraud and reduce operational costs, whilst delivering a premium customer experience and contributing towards a more secure market environment.

Ole Matthiessen, Global Head of Cash Management & Head of Corporate Bank APAC, Middle East & Africa at Deutsche Bank

Building financial resiliency and strengthening risk management is a key priority for our clients and they are looking to us to help them better manage uncertainty and threat through our solutions while supporting their businesses to grow and transform. By utilising new technology and collaborating across the industry to fight fraud, we are helping protect our customers, our data and the bank.

Manish Kohli, Head of Global Payments Solutions at HSBC

Extending and strengthening the collaboration of anti-fraud experts and the exchange of data also at an international level will improve the prevention of and fight against fraud.

Enrico Canna, Head of Anti-Fraud & Customer Protection Center at Intesa Sanpaolo

Details of the Agreement

• Instant Payments: The agreement enables Banque Raiffeisen to send and receive instant payments as required by the EU’s Instant Payments Regulation.
• Services: Worldline will provide TIPS connectivity, transaction sanctions screening, and stand-in account verifications.
• Enhanced Capabilities: Worldline offers end-to-end solutions for instant payments, improving API connectivity and minimizing integration complexities, ensuring banks can serve clients 24/7/365.

We have signed this agreement with Worldline, a valued partner for the clearing and settlement of Sepa payments for over 15 years, because we are confident that this allows us to smoothly implement instant payments in line with the regulatory requirements and deadlines. With instant payments we intend to complete the range of payment services we offer to our clients and be prepared for the future developments in peer-to-peer and point-of-sale payments.

 Eric Peyer, exco member at Banque Raiffeisen

This initiative aligns with the European Council’s regulatory requirements, which aim to ensure credit transfers are processed within 10 seconds, thereby promoting instant credit transfers and reducing the risk of fraud. This regulatory push underscores the importance of adopting advanced payment technologies to meet evolving customer expectations and regulatory standards.

This announcement represents our first cloud-based instant payments client in Luxembourg. Through our offering, Banque Raiffeisen will benefit from a comprehensive instant payments solution and a fast time to market that provides added value.

Sheri Brandon, CMO of financial services at Worldline

Key Provisions

• Risk-Based Classification: AI systems are categorized by risk levels, with stricter rules for higher-risk applications. Systems posing unacceptable risks, such as cognitive behavioral manipulation and social scoring, are banned.
• Prohibitions: Bans predictive policing based on profiling and biometric categorization by race, religion, or sexual orientation.
• General-Purpose AI Models: Those with no systemic risks face limited requirements focused on transparency. High-risk models must adhere to stricter regulations.

An AI Office within the European Commission will oversee rule implementation, supported by a scientific panel of independent experts and an AI Board composed of member state representatives. Non-compliance fines are based on a percentage of the offending company’s global turnover or a set amount, whichever is higher. Public service entities must assess the impact of high-risk AI systems on fundamental rights before deployment.

The AI Act encourages innovation through regulatory sandboxes, allowing controlled testing of AI systems. The regulation mandates increased transparency in developing and using high-risk AI systems, requiring registration in the EU database and disclosure when using emotion recognition technology.

Key Features of the Partnership

• Digital Transformation: The agreement will help select merchants and CPG companies leverage SKUx’s payment-based offer solutions for various use cases such as customer acquisition, loyalty programs, and consumer care and recovery.
• Seamless Payments: SKUx’s Digital Payments Platform enables real-time, branded Visa digital payments delivered directly to mobile devices, ensuring a seamless consumer experience.
• Fraud Reduction and Efficiency: The platform transitions from physical to digital processes, significantly reducing costs, effort, and fraud. It supports real-time transparency through enterprise distributed ledger technology (DLT).

The SKUx platform is already utilized by leading CPG brands, achieving up to 85% reductions in paper checks with near real-time digital delivery of customer payments. This partnership will drive value creation in B2B and B2C payment flows, enhancing customer interactions from acquisition to purchase.

This collaboration between Visa and SKUx represents a significant advancement in digital payment solutions, promising enhanced efficiency, reduced fraud, and a seamless experience for both merchants and consumers.

Service Details

• Purchase Window: Insurance can be bought between 180 to 7 days before the flight.
• Cost: HUF 1,999 per ticket.
• Compensation: Offers HUF 16,000 for delays of one hour.
• Automation: Claims are processed and credited automatically.

László Harmati, Deputy CEO of Erste Bank Hungary, highlighted the bank’s focus on personalized and innovative solutions

Erste is making its services increasingly personalized and tailored. We believe that by implementing the latest digital solutions, such as Flight Delay Insurance, we can contribute to our customers’ efforts to retain their financial health. In addition to making daily finances easier, our offering is expanded by auxiliary services that create real value for customers. Consequently, Erste combines the novelty of fintech and insurtech solutions with the reliability of traditional banking.

The service is designed to offer hassle-free compensation, ensuring that customers receive timely financial support in the event of flight delays. This aligns with Erste Bank’s commitment to providing user-friendly and efficient financial products.

Matthias Naumann, CEO of Companjon, emphasized the partnership’s role in enhancing digital services for customers:

The launch of Erste Flight Delay Insurance comes at a most exciting time with summer travel season approaching. It has been a privilege to partner with Erste Bank Hungary on this service, supporting them in their endeavor to expand and improve their offering of personalized, tailored digital services to their customers. We look forward to the opportunity to design and implement more modern insurance solutions with Erste Bank that will continue to boost their digital ecosystem, delight their customers, and differentiate themselves from their competition.