MONEY IN TRANSITION: DIGITALISATION AND INNOVATION IN PAYMENTS

On Monday, June 15, 2026, Frankfurt am Main, will host a hybrid event focused on the evolving landscape of digital payments and innovations within the financial sector.

The event will commence with registration followed by an opening keynote delivered by Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank. Her address is anticipated to set the stage for engaging discussions around the future of digital finance in Europe.

SESSION 1: FOSTERING DIGITAL FINANCE IN EUROPE

This session will explore how both public and private sectors can adopt digital finance innovations to unlock opportunities across Europe. Critical questions will include the efficiency benefits digital finance can offer and how these improvements might positively impact the real economy. Furthermore, discussions will revolve around how the European Union can use digital finance to further its Savings and Investment Union agenda, alongside necessary policy frameworks that will foster further advancements in this arena.

Panelists for this session include distinguished figures such as Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity from the European Commission; Kyriakos Pierrakakis, President of the Eurogroup and Greek Minister of Economy and Finance; Verena Ross, Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA); and Silvia Maria Rovere, Chairwoman of Poste Italiane. The session will be chaired by Piero Cipollone, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB.

After a brief coffee break, the event will feature a keynote speech from Markus Brunnermeier, Professor of Economics at Princeton University.

SESSION 2: WHOLESALE DIGITAL MONEY AND THE EVOLUTION OF TOKENISED MARKETS

This session aims to investigate the transformation in financial markets as they shift towards increased digitalisation and tokenisation. The focus will be on how wholesale digital settlement assets—including central bank money, tokenised deposits, and stablecoins—are expected to play a pivotal role in enhancing integration and innovation within financial markets.

Panelists will discuss the Eurosystem’s initiatives in promoting innovation and the implications this holds for TARGET Services and capital market integration. Insights will also be shared on how tokenised settlement can aid in the realization of the EU’s Savings and Investments Union, all while adhering to robust governance frameworks.

Among the esteemed panelists are Marianne Demarchi, Chief Executive Europe at Swift; Mark Gem, Chairperson of the Risk Committee at Clearstream Banking SA; Isabelle Mateos y Lago, Group Chief Economist at BNP Paribas; and Thomas Vlassopoulos, Director General of Market Infrastructure and Payments at the ECB. Alexandra Hachmeister, Director General of Digital Euro at Deutsche Bundesbank, will chair this session.

A networking lunch will follow before the next keynote address by María Abascal, Chairwoman of the Executive Committee of the European Banking Federation and Director General of the Spanish Banking Association (AEB).

SESSION 3: BORDERLESS PAYMENTS: BUSINESS NEEDS AND PERSPECTIVES

Recognizing the significance of business-to-business (B2B) payments, this session will address the operational challenges that hinder efficiency within this domain. Focus will be placed on standardization and automation as essential processes to mitigate friction while highlighting the necessity for innovative offerings from payment service providers (PSPs) that enhance transparency and traceability.

Panelists will evaluate how extended operating hours across various jurisdictions can improve working capital efficiency, as well as interlinking domestic and regional payment systems to facilitate truly borderless payments. They will also explore the implications of emerging new payment systems such as tokenised deposits and stablecoins for cross-border B2B transactions.

Leading this discussion are Ana Maria Balan, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Treasury at SAP; Rita Camporeale, Senior Advisor for International Affairs & Payments at the Italian Banking Association; Sam Hinton-Smith, Head of Public Policy & Government Relations at Stripe; and Eva Maybud, Managing Director at Accenture, with Inge van Dijk from De Nederlandsche Bank serving as the session chair.

A coffee break will provide a brief respite before the final session.

SESSION 4: RETAIL PAYMENTS IN EUROPE: TOWARDS A RESILIENT EURO ECOSYSTEM

This session will delve into the rapidly changing landscape of citizens’ payment habits and the accompanying expectations for seamless, secure, and widely accepted payment solutions. It will emphasize the challenges posed by fragmentation across various instruments and payment solutions, which could undermine resilience, competition, and European autonomy in the payment ecosystem.

Panelists will assess consumer and merchant needs, charting priorities for both the digital euro and private sector initiatives over the next five years to bolster innovation, integration, and resilience in euro retail payments.

This panel features Agustín Reyna, Director General at the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC); Davide Rossi, Director General of Aires; Joachim Schmalzl, Chairman of the European Payments Initiative (EPI); and Evelien Witlox, Director of the Digital Euro at the ECB, chaired by Carola Westermeier, Professor of Economic Sociology at Philipps University Marburg.

Thomas Vlassopoulos will deliver the closing remarks, concluding a day rich in insight and forward-thinking discussion.

Please note that the programme is subject to potential changes without prior notice. The entire event will be live-streamed and recorded for later access, ensuring wider audience engagement and transparency.

ORGANISATIONAL DETAILS

The venue for the event is set at the European Central Bank, Main Building, Press Room, located at Sonnemannstrasse 20, 60314 Frankfurt am Main. The primary language of the event will be English, and interested parties can direct inquiries to mip.events@ecb.europa.eu.