Nice conferences are outlined largely by what does occur: what themes are mentioned, what traits generate essentially the most passionate conversations. However nice conferences are additionally outlined by what doesn’t occur: by these matters and traits which have turn into exhausted, didn’t reside as much as the hype within the first place, or just aren’t prepared for prime time.
Having simply checked out a few of the primary matters of dialogue at FinovateEurope, immediately we’re taking a fast tour by the pound to study extra concerning the canines that didn’t bark at FinovateEurope 2026 final week.
Sustaining Sustainability within the Age of AI
Sustainability has been a stronger theme amongst fintech innovators within the UK and the EU in comparison with the US—and arguably all of the extra so given the fusillade of disincentives from the Trump Administration. Previous Finovate conferences have showcased fintechs akin to Join Earth (UK), ecolytiq (Germany), and Little Blocks (India) which can be serving to establishments and people calculate their environmental impression; scale back carbon emissions through on-line marketplaces, and align their investing and banking preferences with their attitudes towards the surroundings.
Whereas by no means a big fraction of the demoing firms at any given present, it was notable that no firms targeted on sustainability on the demo stage. This doubtless displays a minimum of partly the shift in emphasis towards AI and blockchain-related improvements, particularly as these improvements are more and more transferring from the experimental to real-world use instances. At the same time as these enabling applied sciences seem like of their earliest phases, the truth that they already are responding to actual issues in monetary companies makes them an particularly enticing area for innovation in comparison with sustainability.
It is very important observe that this doesn’t essentially imply that there was a decline in curiosity in sustainability and climate-related fintech innovation. Actually, funding in climate-related fintech—and climatetech on the whole—elevated from 2024 to 2025. Europe represented a big quantity of the $103 billion raised globally at 56%, with US-based funds contributing 16% towards the worldwide whole. However sustainability is more and more being seen much less as a standalone resolution, and extra as a cost-cutting function to be built-in as in embedded finance or as a part of a broader danger and information analytics bundle. These searching for sustainability to return to the middle stage will doubtless must see the rise of stronger regulatory mandates akin to these for stricter environmental monetary disclosure or different incentives. Technological innovation alone could not do it.
Quantum Computing: Ready for the Nice Leap Ahead?
Whereas there was a sole presentation on quantum computing at FinovateEurope, the dialogue of this expertise nonetheless stays restricted in most fintech boards. That is regardless of the conviction by analysts that quantum computing will make a big impression on all expertise—together with monetary expertise—within the years to return. It’s also fascinating insofar as we’re seeing rising, enabling applied sciences in AI and the blockchain that proceed to shock detractors and outperform expectations in the case of sensible use instances. Why not quantum computing?
First, credit score the place credit score is due: Day Considered one of FinovateEurope featured Amal Nazar, Head of GTM at Wultra, a agency that gives post-quantum authentication options to monetary establishments all over the world. Nazar’s Particular Tackle emphasised that it was essential for banks and different monetary establishments to transition to post-quantum cryptography with a purpose to safe long-term digital operations. With regulators urging companies to finish this shift by 2030, it’s clear that no matter conversations we aren’t but having with regard to quantum computing will doubtless start ahead of we predict.
However not fairly but. In contrast to AI and blockchain-based applied sciences like stablecoins, quantum computing remains to be considerably “pre-commercial,” that means that whereas there’s appreciable funding curiosity, sensible industrial functions in monetary companies have but to materialize. There are a variety of causes for this, however primarily the problem is developmental (learn: {hardware}) fairly than software program or regulation-related within the instances of AI and stablecoins, respectively. Arguably, in the case of quantum computing, this expertise because it applies to monetary companies is about the place AI and stablecoins had been seven to 10 years in the past: lengthy on hype and promise, however quick on use instances. These use instances are growing; as Nazar’s presentation suggests, cryptography is among the major areas the place we must always anticipate quantum computing use instances rising. However in comparison with AI and stablecoins, quantum computing could expertise the “all the time a bridesmaid, by no means a bride” syndrome for a couple of extra seasons, a minimum of.
“No person Right here However Us Cloud Firms …”
In the event you suspected that the inclusion of “cloud” as a theme that was underrepresented at FinovateEurope was little greater than a ruse to speak about AI, then I confess to being responsible as charged. However the comparability between the “cloud revolution” and the “AI revolution” was one I heard from Finovate delegates and on-stage consultants alike, and an fascinating notion so as to add to this dialog on fintech traits.
No firm demoing declared themselves a cloud firm this 12 months. That’s as a result of, in a way, they’re all “cloud firms.” The ubiquity of cloud expertise in fintech has rendered the descriptor nearly out of date. And more and more one thing related is going on with AI. Whereas we did undergo the compulsory interval when firms felt the necessity to append “ai” to their names, we’re however seeing a powerful urgency with which firms are searching for to leverage AI to enhance effectivity for each their very own employees in addition to for his or her prospects. Maybe not for the reason that early days of digital banking has as a lot consideration been paid and innovation dedicated to each side of the client expertise on the identical time.
What this implies, as Senior Finovate analyst Julie Muhn remarked to me within the run-up to FinovateEurope this 12 months, is that there’s much less and fewer a dialog about “AI,” and an increasing number of a dialog about generative AI, or explainable AI, or agentic AI, or moral AI … You get the purpose. The evolution in our approach of speaking about AI displays nothing greater than our rising understanding of the varied methods AI expertise might be deployed, in addition to the myriad obligations concerned in deploying it. So whereas we received’t cease listening to about “AI” anytime quickly, we ought to be ready for a brand new approach of speaking concerning the expertise as our relationship to it evolves.
Photograph by Anoir Chafik on Unsplash
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