Fintech leaders convene at Web Summit to tackle industry challenges and unlock opportunities

Visa, Deutsche Bank and Revolut are among the leading fintech companies that will be participating in Web Summit 2024 from November 11-14 in Lisbon
Visa, Deutsche Bank and Revolut are among the leading fintech companies that will be participating in Web Summit 2024 from November 11-14 in Lisbon

Lisbon, November 6th - Visa, Deutsche Bank and Revolut are among the leading fintech companies that will be participating in Web Summit 2024 from November 11-14 in Lisbon. Fintech industry leaders and innovators from across the globe will join the 70,000+ attendees and 3,000+ startups taking part in the event, to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the sector.

The fintech sector is currently experiencing a significant funding downturn, with 2023 marking the lowest funding levels in six years, as reported by Crunchbase. At Web Summit, industry leaders will explore the reasons behind fintech's more severe funding challenges in comparison with other sectors, and discuss the potential for recovery in the near future. 

Major financial institutions and promising young startups alike will delve into discussions on the role of artificial intelligence in fintech, the rise of embedded financial services, as well as insights into fintech mergers and acquisitions - specifically, how to evaluate potential deals and determine the right timing to accept or reject them. 

The event will bring together some of the largest and most promising fintech companies from across the world, including Singapore-based unicorn Airwallex and leading European neobank from the Netherlands bunq. Also joining will be UK digital banking unicorn Starling Bank, Portuguese global payments processor Grupo SIBS, and UK banking and crypto platform Banxe, which primarily caters to entrepreneurs and startups. 

Top Fintech speakers 

  • Frank Cooper, Chief Marketing Officer at Visa
  • Alexandre Prot, CEO and Co-founder of Quoto
  • Bianca Zwart, Chief of Staff at bunq
  • Lucy Liu, Co-founder and President of Airwallex
  • Mark Nelsen, Chief Consumer Product Officer at Visa
  • Antoine Le Nel, Chief Growth and Marketing Officer at Revolut
  • Shashvat Nakrani, Founder and Chief Operating Officer at BharatPe
  • Koen Köppen, CEO of Mollie
  • Joanne Hannaford, Chief Information Officer and Chief Product Officer for the Corporate Bank at Deutsche Bank AG  

Top Fintech talks 

  • Fintech unleashed: What’s next? - Visa’s Chief Consumer Product Officer Mark Nelsen and embedded finance provider Weavr CEO and co-founder Alex Mifsud will explore the future of fintech, focusing on emerging trends, innovations, and challenges, and their prediction for the industry over the next year and beyond.   
  • AI: Buzzword bingo or fintech game-changer? - Aline Oliveira Pezante, co-founder of agricultural credit platform Traive, will join Meeri Savolainen, CEO of AI-powered insurance platform INZMO, where they will examine the practical applications of generative AI in fintech, and its potential to drive long-term change within the industry.  
  • Revolut: Shaping Europe’s tech powerhouse - Antoine Le Nel, Revolut’s Chief Growth and Marketing Officer will chart Revolut’s journey to become the most valued tech company in Europe, examining how their approach has evolved through the years, with Cointelegraph ambassador Kristina Lucrezia Cornèr.  
  • Next level neo - Ali Niknam, founder and CEO of Dutch neobank bunq, will discuss the innovative offerings of neobanks with Nick Huber from The Financial Times. The conversation will focus on how legacy banks can adapt to bridge the gap in an industry poised for disruption.  
  • Brands in your wallet: The future of EmFi - Carsten Höltkemeyer, CEO of Solaris, a German Banking as a Service provider, will join Koen Köppen, CEO of payment service provider Mollie in a discussion about embedded finance and the evolving role of brands in selling products.  

Top Fintech-focused VCs 

  • 500 Global: A prominent venture capital firm that invests in early-stage technology companies worldwide, with a strong interest in fintech innovations and solutions that enhance financial accessibility and efficiency.
  • Flourish Ventures: A global venture capital firm investing in mission-driven entrepreneurs focused on a fair financial system.
  • Indico Capital Partners: An independent venture capital firm based in Portugal, dedicated to early-stage investments in technology startups, particularly in fintech, artificial intelligence, and Web3.
  • Sigal Ventures: Founded by fintech expert and advisor Mike Sigal, this venture firm specialises in fintech and related technology companies.

Top Fintech startups

Top fintech startups at Web Summit 2024 include Homebox, a UK-based bill splitting platform; Lupiya, an AI-driven, pan-African neobank; Paydock Payment Orchestration, a one-for-all payment solution from the UK; Toco, a currency that captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and is stored as tonnes of carbon in a digital wallet from Switzerland; and Mashroom, a UK-based wealth management and compliance platform for property owners. More startups than ever before (over 3,000) will take part in this year’s Web Summit, including over 1,000 women founded, and over 400 through Web Summit’s Impact programme, which promotes tech for good. 

About Web Summit:

Web Summit is a technology events company, bringing together a global community of founders, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to connect and exchange ideas about the technology and trends shaping the world. Web Summit events – including Web Summit in Lisbon, Web Summit Rio in South America, Web Summit Qatar in the Middle East, and RISE in Asia – have gathered nearly one million people since Web Summit’s beginnings as a 150-person conference in Dublin in 2009. Its newest event, Web Summit Vancouver, will launch in May 2025.

Useful Links:

Web Summit website: https://websummit.com/

Web Summit Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/websummit/albums/

Web Summit YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJtkHqH4Qof97TSx7BzE5IQ