Fintech Inn, the largest Fintech conference in the region, has been postponed to 28-29 April 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the organisers have come up with an online alternative this summer. Fintech Week Lithuania, taking place on June 15-18, will be providing a virtual conference experience with scheduled, keynote speeches, panel discussions, awards and B2B meetings. The four-day virtual event is going to be free of charge for all participants.
“With our conference, we want to fill the gap of not only the postponed Fintech Inn, but also of the delayed Money 20/20 Europe that would have happened the same week. We believe that the chosen format will provide opportunities to network and stay in touch with the latest developments in our ever-changing field,” says Vaiva Amulė, Fintech LT Project Manager at the Agency for Science, Innovation and Technology.
The conference will span four days, and will have a strong focus on the future of Finance after 2020. The first day, focusing on the US, will feature a panel discussion on how the Covid crisis will change the Fintech landscape, an in-depth discussion on AML and Compliance, as well as several talks on customer-centricity in post-crisis times. The second day will focus on the Asian market, E-commerce, micro-loans and reaching the unbanked. The third day will be dedicated to the European market and focus on Sustainable Finance and scaling businesses in difficult times. The final day of the conference will be dedicated to the startup scene and will touch upon topics of fundraising after the crisis, expansion to new markets, and more.
Fintech Week Lithuania will be conducted on the Onvent platform, used by the Global Mobility Forum, among others. Just like during a traditional event, participants will be able to virtually visit booths, tune into presentations, participate in panel discussions, and network. Panel discussions will be broadcast live from a virtual studio.
“When all the conferences are cancelled, there is a need for a platform where businesses can exchange ideas. We hope that participants will get a similar experience to the one of attending a global live conference: listening to the insights of Fintech experts from around the world, developing new business connections via B2B meetings, and having a chance to pitch their startups,” says Gintarė Bačiulienė, Technology sector expert at Invest Lithuania.
The majority of the talks and discussions will focus on answering the “What’s the new normal going to look like?” question. Investment industry professionals from all around the world will give their insights about the economic situation that fintechs face today, and will also cover compliance, sustainable finance and digital assets, among other topics. Co-founder of Shyft Network and Special Advisor to OECD Joseph Weinberg and Kadeem Clarke of MarketX Ventures are among the 70+ speakers to present their views at the conference.
During pitching battles, startups will compete in four different categories: Fantastic Pivot, Growth During Crisis, Winning Partnership and New Markets. Two pitching sessions, each with slots for 7 startups, are scheduled on June 17-18. Contestants will be presenting pitches and given additional time to defend their idea to the jury.
An awards ceremony will finalise the four-day event. Award categories include Best Initiative to Fight Covid-19, Female Fintech Leader of the Year, Rising Star of the Year, among others. The awards will focus on the success stories that have emerged in the Lithuanian Fintech ecosystem. Companies and individuals are welcome to nominate themselves or other candidates. The diverse panel of judges includes representatives of SEB and Bank of Lithuania, among others.
The Fintech Week Lithuania is organised by the Agency for Science, Innovation and Technology, Invest Lithuania, ROCKIT Vilnius, Fintech Lithuania and Fintech Hub LT.
