'Europe, Seize the Moment': Frankfurt Digital Finance 2026 sees record attendance and sets the course for the future

PRESS RELEASE

"Europe, Seize the Moment": Frankfurt Digital Finance 2026 sees record attendance and sets the course for the future

Frankfurt am Main, February 26, 2026 – With a clear commitment to European collaboration of all relevant institutions and to technological leadership, Frankfurt Digital Finance (FDF) 2026 has successfully concluded. Around 1,500 decision-makers from banks, fintechs, regulatory bodies, technology providers, and politics turned the sold-out Gesellschaftshaus Palmengarten into a global melting pot on February 11 and 12. What was particularly noteworthy this year was the international appeal of the conference: more than 125 speakers from 22 countries took the stage, with 45 percent of the speakers attending from an international background.

Technological change requires a global perspective

While the motto "Europe, Seize the Moment" focused on strengthening the European home market, the panel discussions made it clear that European digital sovereignty can only succeed through close exchange with global markets. Experts from all over the world – including Takeshi Kito (GFTN Forum, Japan), Indiana Wong (Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office, Berlin), Daniel Nestrovsky (Banco Bradesco, Brazil), and via video message Dante A. Disparte (Circle, USA) – delivered important impulses for cross-border innovations together with European leaders such as Dr. Thomas Book (Deutsche Börse Group), Piero Cipollone (ECB), Martina Weimert (European Payments Initiative), Jörg Kukies (Financing Innovative Ventures in Europe & former German Federal Minister of Finance), and Stephane Boujnah (Euronext).

"The challenges of digital transformation cannot be viewed in isolation," summarizes Corinna Egerer, Co-Founder of Frankfurt Digital Finance. "The fact that almost half of our speakers this year came from an international environment and that representatives from banks, startups, and scale-ups were on board in equal measure clearly shows: Frankfurt is a global innovation hub for the financial sector. To remain competitive and drive transformation and innovation, we must stand together as Europe and then jointly conduct the dialogue across continents – from Tokyo to Hong Kong, São Paulo, and New York".

Key takeaways from the conference:

• Global market infrastructure through digital assets: The tokenization of assets and the introduction of digital currencies (CBDCs and stablecoins) are shaping the future of the global payment infrastructure. The debates surrounding the European MiCAR framework and the US GENIUS Act highlighted the need for globally coherent regulatory approaches to process cross-border transactions in real time.
• The "Agentic Shift" in AI: The use of artificial intelligence is evolving rapidly from simple chatbots to autonomous, acting agents. International tech giants and banks agreed: the focus is now on measurable ROI, massive efficiency gains, and seamless integration into global legacy systems.
• International scaling as a growth lever: A thriving fintech ecosystem requires more access to growth capital and international customers. The European market must dismantle regulatory hurdles and strengthen global partnerships to enable startups to make the leap from the "digital finance bubble" into world markets.

Awards and a look ahead

The international orientation was also reflected in the interactive formats. In the StartUp Bowls, highly innovative young companies from all over Europe and the US competed to present their solutions to the audience in areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber security, and tokenized finance.

Following Switzerland last year, the Netherlands was this year's official partner country and was represented by 12 speakers from the central bank, banks, and startups. Next year, Lithuania, as the official partner country of Frankfurt Digital Finance 2027, will further strengthen the pan-European synergies of the conference.

Current image material from the conference as well as impressions of the speakers can be found in our official event gallery at: https://frankfurt-digital-finance.de/gallery-2026

About Frankfurt Digital Finance

Founded in 2020, Frankfurt Digital Finance has established itself as one of Europe’s leading platforms for the financial industry. The conference connects tradition with innovation and brings together a broad range of stakeholders – from startups and established banks to investors. Its mission is to actively support the digital transformation of the industry while developing a sustainable vision for the future of Europe’s financial sector. Through inspiring keynotes, practice-oriented workshops and diverse networking opportunities, the conference fosters dialogue across industries and borders.

Press Contact:

Viktor Wang

NewMark Communications

E-Mail: frankfurt-digital-finance@newmark.de