EDFA’s monthly Fintech Visits to DG FISMA continued this week with a session dedicated to the Dutch fintech ecosystem, bringing Holland Fintech Association and two of its members, Buckaroo and Akkuro, into direct dialogue with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union.

Peter Strikwerda of Holland Fintech Association opened with a picture of a Dutch fintech market that has grown rapidly in scale and maturity, now home to more than 860 active fintech companies. He highlighted the Netherlands’ standing as a global leader in digital payments adoption, with the vast majority of Dutch residents now paying digitally, and pointed to sustained investment and a deep talent base as the foundations of that growth. Strikwerda also discussed the rising compliance demands facing Dutch fintechs as PSD3, MiCA, DORA, the AI Act and the BNPL Directive land in close succession, and stressed the importance of continued dialogue with European institutions to keep that environment proportionate as the market grows.

Buckaroo, represented by Paul Scholten, shared the company’s journey from a Dutch payment specialist to a licensed acquirer now operating across several European markets. Scholten talked through what that cross-border growth looks like in practice, from entering new countries to rolling out instant payment schemes such as Wero, and the operational work involved in applying PSD2 and KYC/AML requirements consistently as the company scales. He framed this as a useful illustration of the gap that can open between EU-level rules and their national implementation, and why closing that gap matters for fast-growing payment firms.

Akkuro, the composable banking platform by Topicus, was represented by Eric Euwes. He introduced Akkuro’s modular, API-first approach to banking infrastructure, which allows banks and fintechs to add new capabilities, from lending to wealth management, without replacing the systems already in place. Euwes discussed how this composability supports financial institutions in preparing for regulatory and data sovereignty expectations, including those anticipated under the proposed FiDA Regulation, while keeping pace with a fast-changing market.

EDFA thanks DG FISMA for its continued engagement with the Fintech Visits format, and Holland Fintech Association, Buckaroo and Akkuro for their contributions to an insightful and constructive exchange. Further detail on the Dutch fintech landscape is available through Holland Fintech Association’s market publications.