FIBE announces the first lineup of speakers for its fintech festival scheduled to take place in Berlin from April 24 to 25, 2024. FIBE targets the fintech ecosystem around Europe – including fintech startups, investors, traditional banks, and policymakers. The fintech festival is co-organised by the Berlin Finance Initiative (BFI), Handelsblatt and Messe Berlin. Berlin Partner is the non-commercial sponsor.
The lineup of speakers includes representatives from a broad range of sectors. Included in the initial lineup are:
Ali Niknam, Founder & CEO at bunq
Niknams professional background was initially not related to financial services. His motivation to build bunq rooted in the financial crisis. With bunq, Niknam founded the first neobank in Amsterdam that received a European banking permit in over 35 years. For a long time, Niknam financed his start-up itself. In 2021, the investor Pollen Street invested 193 million euros in the company, making it a unicorn.
Valentin Stalf, CO-Founder & CEO at N26
Stalf is a strong advocate of digitalization and recognizes the role that education plays in shaping our future. With extensive experience in strategy consulting and investment banking, he founded N26. Stalf maintains robust connections within the startup sphere, having previously worked in a startup before establishing his own venture. He actively supports startups globally, both as an investor and advisor.
Dr. Thomas H. Zurbuchen, Director at ETH Zürich I Space
Zurbuchen will contribute the scientific point of view. He was the longest serving Head of Science at NASA from October 2016 until 2022. He built multiple space instruments, launched 37 missions, started another 54 and oversaw two Mars landings.
Olga Shikhantsova, Partner at Speedinvest
Shikhantsova focuses on seed fintech. Before commencing her role at Speedinvest, she acquired substantial experience in investing across early and growth stages within Europe and Israel, boasting an impressive track record of 15 new investments over a span of three and a half years. Her keen interest in investment analysis and effective communication propelled her into the venture capital sphere.
Carsten Höltkemeyer, CEO at Solaris
Höltkemeyer took over the role of CEO at Solaris on April, 30 2023. He knows the fintech industry very well, served many years in banks where he gained strong experience in investment banking, consumer finance, consumer lending and credit card operations.
Jessica Holzbach, Founder & CEO at Pile Capital
Holzbach co-founded and built up one of Germany’s most renowned financial platforms: Penta. She then founded Pile Capital, a treasury solution for startups and VCs. She is an active angel invester in early-stage companies and funds.
Dr. Feiyu Xu, Co-Founder & CIO at nyonic
Xu was honoured as top 10 persons of the year of Chinese Artificial Intelligence. She has more than 20 years of experience in AI, won the Google Focused Award for her contribution in the field of natural language processing, and published more than 100 research papers.
Eric Demuth, CEO at Bitpanda
Co-Founder and CEO from Austrians first unicorn began his entrepreneurial journey upon realizing the challenges of buying and selling Bitcoin prior to 2014. Bitpanda, the result of his efforts, has since evolved into a prominent investment provider. Demuth is also active as an angel investor.
Brett Scott, Author, Campaigner, and former Banker
Scott is a thought leader deeply immersed in the intersections of money systems, finance and digital technology. Besides his literary and speaking pursuits, Scott has a career history in financial derivatives during the crisis and subsequent involvement in financial reform campaigns. He advocates for ethical practices in finance and contributes to alternative finance projects. His topics range from financial inclusion, alternative banking, blockchain and cryptocurrency, amongst other things.
About Messe Berlin
Berlin has been a trade fair destination for 200 years, and has been one of the most important such hubs for many decades. Messe Berlin – the state’s own trade fair company – conceives, markets and organises hundreds of live events every year. It strives to be an outstanding host for visitors at all events, generate optimal business stimuli, and provide fair conditions for everyone. This concept is reflected in the company slogan: Messe Berlin – Hosting the World. www.messe-berlin.de
About Handelsblatt
The Handelsblatt is the largest business and financial newspaper in German. Around 200 editors, correspondents, and permanent staff around the globe ensure up-to-date, comprehensive, and well-founded reporting. Compared to other daily newspapers, the daily business and financial newspaper is indispensable reading for decision-makers at the first and second management levels. According to the "Reader Analysis Decision-Makers in Business and Administration (LAE) 2022, the Handelsblatt reaches 1,025,000 top decision-makers every trading day. The Handelsblatt can be reached online at www.handelsblatt.com
About Berlin Finance Initiative
The Berlin Finance Initiative (BFI) sees itself as the umbrella of Berlin's fintech ecosystem, uniting traditional banks and fintech companies. As the voice of Berlin's finance and technology industry, the BFI actively advocates for its diverse interests and strengthens ties to global markets. The BFI is a proud partner of de:hub FinTech Berlin and Germany Finance and was founded in 2020 by Achim Oelgarth and Caroline Wahl : www.berlin-finance-Initiative.de
