On 1 September, EDFA hosted the third edition of the Fintech Café, continuing our tradition of bringing fintech associations, networks, and experts together for an open exchange of ideas.

Spotlight on Ecosystem Building

This month’s focus was on Fintech Ecosystem Building – how associations, clusters, and networks drive collaboration and impact across Europe and beyond. Guest speakers Sarah Corley and George Ssenkande presented global research on how fintech associations measure their effectiveness and build sustainable impact models. Their insights, drawn from international case studies, provided practical tools for participants looking to strengthen their own ecosystems.

Report from Brussels

As in every session, members received a timely Report from Brussels, delivered by Jiri Hauptmann, covering ongoing EU-level discussions and regulatory priorities relevant to digital finance.

Member Highlights

The open-floor format once again gave participants the chance to present their latest activities and initiatives:

• Digital Invest Germany shared details of their upcoming legal deep-dive workshop in Frankfurt on 10 September, focused on crowdfunding and crypto intermediaries.
• Fintech Bulgaria announced the visit of Commissioner Maria Luisa Albuquerque on 5 September for a high-level dialogue with the local ecosystem.
• Latvia Fintech Association highlighted preparations for the Latvia Fintech Forum 2025, returning to Riga on 30 September.
• Additional contributions came from Italia Fintech, UK Crowdfunding Association, Fintech Moldova, Fintech Hamburg, the European Crypto Initiative, Fintech Armenia, Finance Malta, Blockchain Bundesverband, and others.

A Growing Community of Associations

Since its launch in July, the Fintech Café has already brought together an exceptional network of more than 50 associations and global platforms. National associations from across Europe – including Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, and more – have been joined by peers from Armenia, Georgia, Malta, Moldova, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. The Café has also welcomed European and international networks such as the European Fintech Association, European Crypto Initiative, Digital Euro Association, Blockchain4Europe, the Global Fintech Alliance, Global Digital Finance, the Global Financial Technology Network, the Ibero-American Fintech Network, the African Fintech Network, and Fintech Uganda. Together, these organisations represent thousands of fintechs, investors, innovators, and policymakers, making the Café a unique platform for dialogue and collaboration across continents.

Looking Ahead

The Café is becoming a space where Europe’s fintech community can exchange, align, and amplify its voice. We look forward to welcoming even more associations at the next session on 1 October

📅 Register once to join all sessions via Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/HUPayZ_YSuCBzeo0LbqiKQ