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Money20/20 Europe’s Policy 20 Summit Brings Central Banks and Tech Titans Together

By Dominic Sow · 5 June 2026

Money20/20 Europe’s Policy 20 Summit Brings Central Banks and Tech Titans Together
Money20/20, the world’s leading fintech show, and the place where money does business, today convened senior policymakers, regulators, central banks, supervisors, and industry leaders for Policy 20 at Money20/20 Europe. The session held at the RAI in Amsterdam was a high-level forum focused on one of the defining challenges facing financial services: the cross-border implications of diverging policies, implementation, and technological momentum.  Held under the Chatham House Rule, Policy 20’s invitation-only programme brought together more than 40 leaders from public authorities, payment networks, financial institutions, technology companies and infrastructure providers to explore how greater cooperation can support innovation, resilience and trust across an increasingly interconnected financial ecosystem.  Opened by Tracey Davies, President of Money20/20, an intimate fireside chat was hosted with His Royal Highness Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, Special Envoy for Techleap, who discussed some of the policies he saw developed in the European Commission, alongside current support for entrepreneurs and startups in technology. This was followed by Michael Harris, Vice Chairman and Global Head of Capital Markets, New York Stock Exchange, in conversation with Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Co-Founder and CEO of Klarna, who revealed the thinking behind its AI strategy and downsized workforce.  Across discussions spanning cross-border payments, digital identity, stablecoins, AI and emerging financial infrastructure, participants recognised that technology alone will not determine the future of finance. The greater challenge lies in aligning regulation, implementation and market adoption across jurisdictions.  Key Takeaways 
  • Technology is no longer the primary barrier. Faster, cheaper and more efficient solutions already exist. The challenge now is ensuring innovation can scale through interoperable frameworks, supportive regulation and practical implementation.
  • Trust remains the foundation of cross-border finance. Whether discussing payments, digital identity, AI or digital assets, participants agreed that trust between institutions, jurisdictions and consumers is essential to enabling adoption and growth. 
  • Reducing fragmentation will be critical to future progress. While complete global harmonisation may be unrealistic, greater coordination between regulators, policymakers and industry will be needed to support resilient and interoperable financial systems. 
Oliver Smith, Head of Content, Money20/20 Europe, said: “Policy20 was designed to bridge the gap between policy and implementation. Bringing regulators, policymakers and industry leaders together in one setting creates a unique opportunity for open dialogue, helping ensure that conversations about the future of financial services remain grounded in both policy objectives and operational realities.  One of the most valuable aspects of the forum is the ability to convene policymakers from different jurisdictions while keeping them connected to the wider industry conversations taking place across Money20/20. Understanding both the regulatory perspective and the realities of implementation creates richer discussions about the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of finance.”  Ruth Wandhöfer, CEO of Leximar Advisory and Chair of the Policy Roundtable that convened regulators from over ten central banks, said: “It is rare to have so many regulators and policymakers from different jurisdictions around one table discussing the future of digital finance. Despite different mandates and markets, there was broad agreement that issues such as stablecoins, digital identity and AI cannot be addressed in isolation. In an increasingly global financial system, regulatory cooperation and practical alignment will become just as important as technological innovation.”  Nilixa Devlukia, CEO of Payments Solved and Chair of the Technology Roundtable, said, “The Technology Roundtable focused on the infrastructure behind cross-border payments rather than the services consumers see every day. The consensus was clear: technology is not the problem. The real challenge is how we overcome fragmentation, align regulatory approaches and create the conditions for innovation to scale across borders.”  As Policy20 concluded, the discussions reinforced the value of bringing policymakers, regulators and industry leaders together in a candid setting, creating space for practical conversations that move beyond theory and help shape the future of global finance. 

Companies in this story: Money20/20

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