After a series of very successful events in Amsterdam 2022, Zagreb and Vienna 2023, the next regional EWPN SEE event will be held in Sarajevo City Hall on 13th May 2024.
The region of Southeast Europe is particularly specific because of 6 countries, called the Western Balkans (WB6), which are non-EU countries and bring numeros of differences in both – Payment and Financial Systems. With 17.6 million residents and a strategic location in the heart of Europe, investment in Western Balkans development is vital to the European Union’s focus on fostering stability and prosperity. Although multiple stakeholders, including governments, DFIs, and Donors, have been supporting digital and financial initiatives over many years, a unified roadmap for payments has not yet been developed, leading to visible maturity variances between countries and consequently a lack of passporting and standardisation of regulatory framework.
This event brings to the stage the biggest experts in the field from Regulators, Banks, FinTech companies and Payment Systems. It will be a great opportunity to exchange experience and knowledge and to compare different practices in more than 15 markets from which our speakers come. It is particularly interesting to look at business practices, regulations and consumer behavior in EU and non-EU countries.
New technologies, digital assets, virtual worlds, digital marketplaces and the increased awareness of community values like sustainability and inclusion, offer great opportunities to build a more sustainable and inclusive world. A world in which boundaries are fading and silos are broken down because we are changing the way we interact, using our multiple identities and innovating the way we create, store and exchange value.
EVENT THEME: Regulators, Banks and FinTechs push boundaries together
About the Venue
Nestled within the heart of Sarajevo, the City Hall – known as Vijećnica, is a symbol of Sarajevo and one of the most beautiful monuments from the Austro-Hungarian period. Constructed in the late 19th century, City Hall has borne witness to the city’s triumphs and tribulations, serving as a symbol of resilience through times of both prosperity and adversity. Despite facing destruction during the conflicts of the 20th century, its renovation symbolizes Sarajevo’s strong dedication to honoring its history and embracing its future.
Today, City Hall stands not only as a seat of governance but also as a vibrant cultural hub, hosting exhibitions, events, and ceremonies that celebrate Sarajevo’s diverse heritage and artistic vitality. Its grand halls echo with the voices of both past and present, nurturing a feeling of togetherness and inclusion for all who visit, whether locals or tourists.
Dragana Stanojevic – USAID CATALYZE Western Balkan Engines of Growth (EoG), Regional Team Leader
09:45 – 10:00 (Note from Vicegovernor) – Payment System & Innovations
Mr. Ernadina Bajrovic, Vice Governor of Central Bank of B&H
10:00 – 11:00 (Strategic dialogue) – Do we have time, knowledge, courage to INNOVATE?
Instant payments EU vs non-EU markets/what are preconditions of successful implementation?
Cross-border payments within SEE region – “to SEPA or not to SEPA”?
Electronic money – can we catch up with the developed EU markets?
Digitization of the public sector – interoperability of a services as a prerequisite for end-to-end digital financial services and CX improvement
In the dawn of the Digital EURO what do we in SEE think about CBDCs?
Speakers:
Mr. Ernadina Bajrovic, Vice Governor of Central Bank of B&H
Ivana Jakir-Bajo, Vice Governor of Croatian National Bank
Prof. Dr. Sanela Pasic, Member of Banking Supervisory Boards, SSST University Porfessor
Edin Forto, Minister of Communications and Transport of B&H
Hrvoje Cosic, CEO at Aircash
Vedran Persic, CEO at Persic Komunikacije, moderator
11:00 – 11:45 (Fireside chat) – Women leaders in payments
New European regulations – from PSD to PSD3 – what it really means for the industry (Processors, Banks, FinTech’s), what’s in it for the end user of the affected EU market and what the users in SEE region can hope for in the light of the expected changes
New technologies – what are the hottest trends in the payments for the season 2024?
Women leaders in payment services – motivation and challenges of professional development in the countries of the SEE region.
Lessons learned (fuck-ups included) on the road to meaningful innovation – embracing the culture of accepting failure as an inevitable station on the way to success
Speakers:
Svetlana Hoffman, CO-Founder Epta-x, UK
Filomena Pljakovska Asprovska, CEO at CaSyS, North Macedonia
Alma Kratovac, CEO at Payten, B&H, moderator
11:45 – 12:15 Coffee Break powered by Franck Coffee
12:15 – 12:35 (Warm up – keynote) – Digital Transformation in Banks
Cruising through the landscape of global vs regional technology trends
Strategic challenge: How to reach and foster the state of permanent change?
Shifting mindset from “Do we need change at all?” to “Let’s see how we can improve.
Speaker:
Tanja Imamovic, Strategic Partnerships&Ecosystems Manager at Raiffeisen Bank International AG
12:35 – 13:20 (Panel 1) – Innovations goals in Banking/FinTech practice in SEE vs EU markets
(How) are goals and goal setting processes different in Banks and FinTech companies?
Objective: efficiency of company resources vs improved customer experience
What are the regional differences that influence innovation application and adoption?
Converting tech innovation into better customer experience – mature technologies vs hot trendy ones – which ones are creating most of the value to the CX?
Speakers:
Selma Ridjanovic Kenovic, Director of Marketing, Communication and CX at UniCredit Bank d.d. Mostar
Panagiotis Kriaris, Business Development Director at Unzer, Austria
Nina Nedanoska, Deputy President of Management Board at Sparkasse Bank AD Skopje
Gordana Breyer, Management Board member at Nexi, Croatia
Jelena Djurovic, Partnership Manager at Payoneer / EWPN Country Ambassador Serbia, moderator
13:20 – 14:10 (Debate club) – Powering the (A)Innovation
The debate club is a real treat and brings us a new format of discussion. Our speakers argumentatively defend or cautiously limit the proposed hypotheses.
For AI, only the sky is the limit. Maybe, but what to do with the risks and how to migrate them.
The evergreen question in any financial company or institution, big or small, private, or public: “Should we develop the AI software in-house or outsource?”. Outsourcing sounds more comfortable, but how to overcome data protection risks and restrictions.
And yet when all the question seem answered, new ones are opening up: “Do we have reason to worry about the future of jobs? We all agree that AI software will be able to replace repetitive tasks, but the human factor is still an inexhaustible source of ideas and creativity.
Speakers:
Amina Karic, Vice President for Operations at Authority Partners, B&H
Gjergji Guri, Founder and CEO of Facilization, Albania
Ana Brajkovic Ladjarevic, CTO and Partner at Vestigo Croatia
Nermina Agovic-Kaliman, Principal Software Engineer at Finshark
Maja Focic, Project Manager at Monri, Croatia
Dino Selimbasic, Senior Director of Engineering & Delivery at HTEC
Jovana Markovic Vidakovic, Senior Sales Lead – CEE & CIS Public Sector, moderator
Tech and business model innovations giving impulse to creation and scaling SMEs
Is there such thing as “financial products for women” and what is really behind it?
Building a company culture that celebrates diversity and inclusion
Speakers:
Enio Jaco, Founder and CEO at CBS Albania
Jovan Milovanovic, Co-Founder & CEO Between, Co-Founder SWE Finspot
Ana Vicic, Partner at Peterhof Faktoring, Serbia
Sanja Babic-Halilovic, Market Manager at Mikrofin, B&H
Aleksandar Zaric, International Development Organizations and IFIs Consultant SOG in cooperation with Kinstellar moderator
16:15 – 17:00 (Panel 3) – Compliance challenges in the age of permanent innovation/transformation
Shifting the paradigm of compliance function – becoming the leader of transformation?
Data management – protecting the boundaries and powering the customer experience
Balancing between the risks and rewards of incorporating disruptive and often unregulated technologies into company operations
Importance of ethics and value – safeguarding the border that no FinTech should cross
Speakers:
Tea Curkovic-Fabijanic, Compliance Director at Aircash Croatia
Jose M. de Barreda, PhD, Principal Digital Finance & Fintech Advisor at IFC
Naida Custovic, Attorney at Law in cooperation with Wolf Theiss
Morana Vukic Perak, Head of Legal and AML at Electrocoin Croatia
Elmir Ganic, Manager at PwC Tax and Advisory B&H, moderator
17:00 – 17:20 (Fireside chat) – Beyond innovation
What is the news in the Web3 universe – are we going to see Web3 becoming a mainstream disruptor in our lifetime or will it settle as being only a niche alternative
Commoditisation of data, end of capitalism and rise of so called “techno feudalism”
Do we need a revolution or what?
Speakers:
Magda Milas, Fintech Expert A1 Hrvatska & President at Alice in Blockchains
Ana Nives Radovic, Founding Director at FinTech Online Center, Montenegro
17:20 – 17:30 (Closing remarks) – Thank you note from organizers and group photo
Rukayyat Kolawole, CFA, Founder and CEO of PaceUP Invest GmbH
The conference is made possible with the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through USAID CATALYZE Engines of Growth (EoG) Activity. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID. To learn more, visit https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/private-sector-engagement/PSE-at-USAID/PSE-Hub/catalyze/enginesofgrowth
