LATVIA – THE NEW HOME FOR GLOBAL FINTECH

5 November

Riga, Latvia

To attend in person, please register

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Latvia Fintech Forum

The annual Latvia Fintech Forum is coming to Riga for the third time to bring together the foremost figures in the global financial technology industry to lead dynamic discussions on the most relevant industry developments, challenges, and solutions faced by businesses at the moment.

This year, organised by Latvijas Banka and Riga Investment and Tourism Agency, the event will take place in the historic Small Guild located in the heart of Riga.

The Fintech Forum aims to foster the growth of the Latvian fintech sector, provide a platform for the effective exchange of ideas, and drive innovation, as well as mark Latvia as an excellent location to start and develop innovative fintech businesses.

This year, the forum will also feature the startup challenge “Fintech Factor 2024”, led by one of the largest European accelerators, Tenity, which offers a unique opportunity for innovative fintech companies, especially early-stage ventures, to pitch ideas, receive immediate feedback from experts and investors, and compete for valuable prizes.

Program

9:30
Registration
10:00
Opening speech
Mārtiņš Kazāks
10:10 | By Mārtiņš Kazāks
Opening remarks
10:20 | By Fredis Bikovs
Opening remarks
10:30 | Panel discussion
Transforming tomorrow: Latvia's fintech strategy in action
This session will provide an overview of key developments, challenges, and highlights in the Latvian fintech sector over the past year, and will offer future outlooks and expectations for the growth of the Latvian fintech sector.
11:30 | Panel discussion
The next decade in fintech: emerging industry trends and innovations
Global leading figures in fintech innovation will provide insights into the key industry trends of the moment and those likely to persist in the next decade, from the perspectives of international investors, representatives of multinational corporations, and European Union policymakers.
12:30
Lunch
13:30 | By Tenity
Startup Challenge "Fintech Factor 2024"
14:30 | Panel discussion
Navigating challenges and driving growth: leveraging AI for business success
AI and digital innovation experts at the forefront of global industry development will share their expertise on leveraging AI to generate disruptive growth strategies, address the most pressing business challenges and solutions in AI implementation, and assess cutting-edge ideas in tech alongside the most disruptive founders and investors shaping the fintech landscape of tomorrow.
15:30 | By Tenity
Startup Challenge "Fintech Factor 2024" award ceremony
15:45 | By Marine Krasovska
Concluding address
16:00
Networking
After an intensive day full of great ideas about the future of fintech, the networking session provides a great opportunity to connect with industry leaders, innovators, and peers to share insights and build valuable professional relationships.

Meet Industry Leaders

Mārtiņš Kazāks

Mārtiņš Kazāks

Governor of Latvijas Banka

Kristīne Černaja-Mežmale

Member of the Council of Latvijas Banka

Fredis Bikovs

Director of Riga Investment and Tourism Agency

Rūta Merkevičiūtė

Head of Digital Finance unit at the European Banking Authority
Juan Alonso-Villalobos

Juan Alonso-Villalobos

Board member of Startup Wise Guys

Marine Krasovska

Head of Financial Technology Supervision Department at Latvijas Banka

Tīna Lūse

Managing Director of Fintech Latvia Association

More speakers will be announced soon...

To attend in person, please register

Register

Fintech Forum location

Small Guild / Mazā Ģilde
Riga, Amatu iela 3/5

Organizers

Latvijas Banka

FintechLatvia.eu

fintech@bank.lv

riga-logo

Riga Investment and Tourism Agency

LiveRiga.com

invest@riga.lv

Startup Challenge Organized by

Tenity-White-logo

Partners

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Mārtiņš Kazāks

Mārtiņš Kazāks

Governor of Latvijas Banka

Mārtiņš Kazāks has lectured at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga (1996–2008), the University of London, Riga Stradiņš University and Riga Business School.

He has been a member of the following bodies: the Strategic Analysis Committee of the President of Latvia (2006–2011), Counselor Convention of BA School of Business and Finance, Counselor Convention of Liepāja University and Fiscal Discipline Council of the Republic of Latvia (2014–2018). He is a member of the Economists Association 2010 and National Association for Business Economics (USA).

Mārtiņš Kazāks has authored and co-authored numerous publications in the fields of financial markets and their integration, the economic development cycle and financial crises, fiscal policy and competitiveness of the economy.

In his capacity as Governor of Latvijas Banka, Mārtiņš Kazāks is a Member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank and the General Council of the European Central Bank. Mārtiņš Kazāks is the Governor of the International Monetary Fund for the Republic of Latvia.

kristine-cernaja-mezmale

Kristīne Černaja-Mežmale​

Member of the Council of Latvijas Banka​

Kristīne Černaja-Mežmale professional experience is closely related to the financial sector and to the supervision of financial market participants. She has been working in financial and capital market supervision since 18 August 2017.

From 2019 to 2022, Kristīne Černaja-Mežmale was Member of the Board of the Financial and Capital Market Commission.

On 26 July 2023, Kristīne Černaja-Mežmale, a member of the Council of Latvijas Banka, was elected by the Council of the Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities as a member of the Management Board of the European Banking Authority (EBA) for two and a half years.

fredis-bikovs

Fredis Bikovs

Director of Riga Investment and Tourism Agency​

Fredis Bikovs is the Director of the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency. He holds dual master’s degrees in Business Management and Finance from the BA School of Business and Finance and the Swiss Business School. Bikovs has extensive experience in international project and financial management, having worked with companies such as Transcom Worldwide Latvia, Runway BPO, and Nordea Bank AB in Latvia. He was the director of Evry Latvia from 2017 to 2021 and led ABSL Latvia from 2019 to 2021. Before his current role, he managed operations for Wolt in Latvia. 

As the agency’s director, Bikovs is dedicated to attracting investors, a key focus that promises growth and development. He also concentrates on enhancing sales capabilities and promoting Riga internationally. Leveraging his private sector experience, he aims to improve the investment environment and strengthen collaboration between investors and the public sector. 

ruta-merkeviciute

Rūta Merkevičiūtė

Head of Digital Finance unit at the European Banking Authority

Rūta Merkevičiūtė is the Head of Digital Finance unit at the European Banking Authority (EBA), responsible for the EBA’s work on monitoring financial innovation, identifying areas where a regulatory and supervisory response might be needed. She also leads the EBA’s work on digital operational resilience and crypto-assets, focusing on the Markets in Crypto-assets regulation and Digital operational resilience for the financial sector.

Previously, she was the Director of Financial Services and Markets Supervision Department at the Bank of Lithuania.

Rūta Merkevičiūtė has a professional legal qualification as an attorney-at-law and, for the past 15 years, has been working in both the private sector and financial sector supervision.

Juan Alonso-Villalobos

Juan Alonso-Villalobos

Board member of Startup Wise Guys, Senior Advisor at Blackfin, Independent Director at Grupo Concentra

Juan Alonso-Villalobos has over 15 years of corporate experience, more than 13 years of entrepreneurial expertise, and over 7 years of experience in private equity investment. 

Juan’s corporate roles include serving as a Senior Consultant at Accenture, managing Treasury & Risk at BBVA, and holding the positions of Co-CEO and CFO at ING Direct France. He also served as CMO at ING Nationale Nederlanden and is currently the CEO of his own consulting company, PMLG Advisory, specializing in M&A and strategy. 

In the investment arena, Juan has invested through SWG Fintech 1 OÜ and SWG Fintech II OÜ. He is a Senior Advisor to several private equity funds, including Blackfin Capital Partners and Cerea Partners, with acquisitions exceeding 50 million euros in Spain. He has directly invested in more than 10 startups and managed several fintech-focused acceleration programs with Startup Wise Guys.  

Juan is the founder and partner of over 5 startups, including Adsoc.com. He also holds positions as an independent board member for various corporations, including Startup Wise Guys. 

marine-krasovska

Marine Krasovska​

Head of Financial Technology Supervision Department at Latvijas Banka​

Marine Krasovska holds a Master’s Degree in Finance from the University of Latvia, professional diploma in management from the Open University Business School (United Kingdom), as well as an IBM Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate and a RegTech certificate from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

She built her professional experience while working at AS SEB banka, AS DNB banka and Luminor Bank AS Latvian branch in several positions related to lending and product and business strategy development. She was the co-founder of a FinTech startup. From 2020, Marine Krasovska worked as Director of Financial Innovation Department.

Following the integration of the Financial and Capital Market Commission and Latvijas Banka on 1 January 2023, she became Head of Financial Technology Supervision Department.

tina-luse

Tīna Lūse​

Managing Director of Fintech Latvia Association​

Managing Director of the Fintech Latvia Association, sworn attorney, board member of the European Digital Finance Association 

Since January 2021, Tīna Lūse has been the Managing Director of the Fintech Latvia Association. During this time, the association has experienced significant growth and has become an active partner in dialogue with regulators and policymakers.