What trends are driving fintech innovation in the UK and Europe as 2026 begins?
With FinovateEurope 2026 kicking off in just two weeks, we are showcasing some of the major themes in banking and financial services that will be addressed—on the demo stage as well as through our keynote addresses, fireside chats, and panel discussions—when the conference begins on Tuesday, 10 February.
From agentic AI to post-quantum cryptography, the enabling technologies of today are transforming banking and financial services. Making the most of these innovations to better serve customers, create new revenue streams, and successfully compete in an ever-more complex marketplace is the goal of every banker and financial services professional. Come see the solutions for yourself this year at FinovateEurope 2026.
Innovations in Verification, Fraud Prevention, and Workflow Automation
From the demo stage, expect to see a range of innovations in identity verification and fraud prevention. With the proliferation of technologies ranging from faster payments to agentic AI to digital assets, ensuring that consumers and businesses are able to engage in these services safely has become increasingly important. Additionally, with technologies like AI empowering a new generation of fraudsters and financial criminals, a wide range of innovators are developing solutions that target specific vulnerabilities and attack vectors with continuous surveillance and defense.
Also among the top trends reflected in the demoing companies at this year’s FinovateEurope are innovations in embedded finance and open finance. As paths toward unlocking new revenue streams and deepening customer engagement, both embedded finance and open finance offer financial institutions unique opportunities and are increasingly supported by regulatory guidance in both the UK and across Europe.
Another area where we will see a great deal of innovation this year at FinovateEurope is in workflow automation and system modernization. A number of companies will be demoing solutions that do everything from enhancing developer productivity to accelerating compliance readiness to managing complex models and calculations for banks and other financial institutions. The sheer variety of startups in this space—many of them hailing from Eastern and Central European nations—is a testament to the range of challenges that fintech is capable of solving. It also speaks well of the number of technologists from outside of fintech that are turning their talents toward problems in banking and financial services.
Modernization and Transformation in the Age of AI
Many of the same themes from the live demos will also be manifest on the plenary stage. With regard to modernization, for example, FinovateEurope will examine the ways that fintech, AI, and the cloud could help transform legacy banking. The conference will also look at the challenge of modernizing legacy authentication, specifically by moving to technologies like post-quantum cryptography (PQC) that are designed to secure systems against threats from quantum computers. To the problem of fraud and financial crime, speakers will discuss the use of network APIs to fight scams and how banks and fintechs can work together to meet the unique cybersecurity challenges of the AI age. Accomplishing all of this while avoiding additional friction for the user is a top theme and chief concern for banks and financial services companies alike.
Other key themes such as personalization, open banking, and open finance will also be topics of discussion at this year’s conference. Both in the context of wealth management and retail banking, open data promises not only more engaging, personalized experiences for customers, but also provides financial institutions with better, more data-driven decision-making; more efficient operations; and better risk management.
Unsurprisingly, AI continues to be a main theme in any conversation on technology, banking, and financial services. FinovateEurope’s keynotes and special addresses will investigate issues such as how generative AI is shaping the future of mobile banking as well as the rise of agentic AI and the challenge of “nonhuman customers” such as AI-powered bots and agents. Other presentations will discuss the EU’s AI Act and its implications for banks and financial services providers, as well as “lessons learned” from tech giants like Google, Meta, and Microsoft and their AI innovation journeys.
It is fair to say that innovations in AI continue to drive what’s possible in fintech, and the number of mainstage special addresses at FinovateEurope covering different use cases and applications of AI reflect this fact. Indeed, for another year, FinovateEurope is featuring an industry stage dedicated specifically to applications of AI for banking and financial services. But while AI is a clearly major force in technological innovation, it is just one of a number of technologies—along with open finance/banking/data, embedded finance, and DeFi—that continues to transform fintech.
FinovateEurope 2026 comes to London’s Intercontinental O2, 10 February through 11 February. Tickets to the conference are on sale now. Register today to save your spot at the first big fintech event of the year!
Photo by Samuel Sweet
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