What Was Your First Money20/20?

At Money20/20 Europe 2025, FF News hit the show floor to ask attendees one question: “What was your first Money20/20?” and we captured the essence of nostalgia, growth, and a journey of transition that Money20/20 represents for the global fintech calendar.

From first-time attendees in 2024, to repeat visitors arriving for the first time from 2019 in Copenhagen, attendee responses echoed how the Money20/20 event had evolved over the years, and similarly, so had they. Some recounted how they entered the industry just after the COVID-19 pandemic when in-person networking felt new and refreshing again. Others recalled a very different experience, attending on behalf of an international delegation or startup showcase and affirmed how their businesses continued to grow and scale up alongside the scaling up of the Money20/20 event.

The RAI venue often invoked feelings of the heartbeat of the European fintech ecosystem for attendees, and many went out of their way to mention how “blown away” they were at the energy, scale, and opportunity that Money20/20 presented. It was a promising reminder that the fintech opportunities started here from the early days of startups, as companies like Wallester and Temenos led through the industry with incremental and sustainable gains while pushing the boundaries of what fintech could be year after year.