What Makes Finovate Special?

At Finovate Europe, we asked attendees to finish a simple sentence:

“My favourite thing about Finovate Europe is…”

The answers were refreshingly honest — and revealing.

For some, it was the learning. The chance to discover what others in the ecosystem are building, testing, and launching. In a fast-moving fintech landscape, staying close to innovation matters. Finovate’s demo-first format means ideas are not theoretical — they’re shown live, in real time, with clarity and focus.

Others pointed to something more human: the people. Several attendees highlighted how genuinely interested participants are in one another’s work. Unlike some conferences where conversations can feel transactional or sales-driven, Finovate was described as an environment where curiosity feels authentic. People are there not just to pitch, but to listen.

Networking came up repeatedly. Not the forced kind, but the organic catch-ups that happen year after year. Familiar faces reappear. Conversations resume where they left off. Industry relationships deepen over time. Events like this become more than a calendar fixture — they become a reunion point for a community that is constantly evolving.

And then, of course, there were the lighter answers.

Free beer. Chocolate cake.

Small details perhaps, but they matter. They signal atmosphere. They make events feel less like corporate obligations and more like shared experiences. Finovate’s ability to balance sharp, structured demos with moments of informality is part of what keeps people returning.

What stands out most across all the answers is that Finovate isn’t defined by a single feature. It’s the combination: innovation on stage, openness off stage, and a community that keeps coming back.

So what makes Finovate special?

According to the people in the room — it’s the energy, the interest, the catch-ups, and yes, sometimes the cake.