We’re celebrating the conclusion of the "Fintech Athens 3.0" international conference

With 500 participants, 50 speakers, and 12 panels, “Fintech Athens 3.0”, the third two-day international Greek Fintech Hub came to a successful conclusion.

The opening ceremony took place on Thursday 21 November at the Great Hall of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUoA) and the closing event was held on Friday 22 November at the Karatzas Building, one of the most emblematic NBG buildings. The conference aimed at bringing together European and international bodies with initiatives from the field of Fintech, facilitating and encouraging dialogue, interaction and networking. Emphasis was placed on initiatives from SE Europe and the Middle East, as well as in the fields of ESG, tourism, research, arts and creative industries.

On the first day, the event was opened by Mr Gerasimos Siasos, Chancellor of NKUoA, followed by Mr Dimitrios Papastergiou, Minister of Digital Governance, who gave a welcome speech. Representing NBG, Mr. Gikas Hardouvelis, Chair of the NBG Board, also gave a welcome speech and highlighted the essential role of Fintech in the Bank’s strategic planning and its significance for the Greek economy.

On the second day, the conference was opened by Mr. Ernestos Panayiotou, General Manager of NBG Transformation, Strategy and International Activities. Mr Panayiotou noted that Fintech is at the core of the Bank’s operations, products and strategic planning, since the sectors of innovation, digital transformation and sustainable development are key elements of the Bank’s ongoing transformation process. Next, Mr Nikolaos Thomaidis, Vice President of the Administration Council at NKUoA, Mr Emmanuel Givanakis, Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority UAE of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), Mr Ioannis Tsakiris, Deputy Minister for Development and Investments, and Mr Haris Lambropoulos, President of the Hellenic Development Bank for Investments SA (HDBI) and Member of the Board of Directors of EIB & EIF, addressed the meeting.  

The annual Fintech Athens conference is an initiative of Smart Attica ΕDIH and was held with co-funding by the EU. It was organized by NBG and the Greek Fintech Hub. 

The Greek Fintech Hub is a Fintech initiative in Greece and other developed economies.
With the aim of strengthening Fintech entrepreneurship, funding innovative businesses in the sector, linking Fintech with research conducted in universities and other research centers, as well as enhancing awareness and networking with similar initiatives abroad, NBG has designed a series of actions:

• Organization of fundraising events; 
• Collaboration with Italian and Spanish banks participating in relevant startup funding schemes;
• Participation in the European Crowd Dialog initiative;
• Organization of monthly Fintech Talks;
• Organization of annual Fintech conferences in the sub-sectors of creative industries and tourism.