Banking 4.0 announces 10th international conference

The 10th anniversary edition of Banking 4.0 will be held in Sinaia, from November 26-28. The organizers have officially opened the waiting list for speakers and partners.

At a time when the relationship between people and technology is increasingly complex, the need for technology to serve rather than dominate is more apparent than ever. This is especially true in the banking sector, where technology often seems to impose rather than empower. Addressing this critical juncture, Banking 4.0 is set to host its 10th international conference dedicated to the evolving impact of emerging technologies on the banking and financial services industry. The event will take place at the historic Sinaia Casino from November 26-28.

This year’s theme, „From Tech-Centric to Human-Centric: Conversational Banking in the Digital Era,” aims to explore how we can shift the focus from technology alone to technology that enhances human interactions. As the digital landscape reshapes sectors with advancements in AI, robotics, and quantum computing, the enduring power of human connection remains central to business success.

Nearly every bank now has a highly effective mobile app: it handles the majority of customer interactions, typically receives customer ratings of over 4 out of 5, and, in conjunction with other digital enhancements within the organization, continues to offer significant efficiency improvements and convenience.

Yet there have been unwelcome side effects. By shifting customer engagement out of the branch and onto digital channels, banks’ experiences have become functionally correct but emotionally void. At the same time, their personal connection with customers has weakened, as has their ability to differentiate themselves: Accenture’s Life Trends 2024 survey found that 42% of consumers find it hard to distinguish between financial services brands. In the process, customer loyalty has weakened.

Digitalization has improved banks’ ability to solve customers’ most basic needs, but it can also increase the distance bank-customer exactly where efforts are needed – to help customers achieve their financial aspirations, staying closer to them, educating. How do you keep “close” in digital?

The good news is that customers still trust banks and are sending them clear signals of what they want. To capture the full potential of digital, banks need to improve their ability to respond to these signals. This includes shifting their thinking about digital from “servicing” to “conversations”.

„The pandemic has forced all banks to migrate to digital platforms, rendering merely being online no longer a competitive advantage. How then do we stand out? How can we become more attractive than our competitors? What should the future offerings of a bank look like? It’s time for a new paradigm that prioritizes conversations over services in digital banking,” explained Sergiu CONE, Organizer of Banking 4.0. This theme will be thoroughly explored at the upcoming conference.

„Our proposal has been very well received by the market. With exactly 7 months until the conference begins, 16 companies (Austria Card, BCR, Druid, Finshape, FintechOS, Garantibank, IDEMIA, Microsoft, SIBS, tbi bank, THALES, Transaction Systems, TxD IT Solutions, TRANSFOND, VISA, Worldline) have already confirmed their partnerships at Banking 4.0. This level of early commitment is unprecedented and signifies our move to the next level,” added Sergiu CONE.

Also, the event is supported by an amazing Advisory Board with a very well balanced and priceless professional experience: Gabriela Simion (Revolut), Catalin Cretu (Visa), Alex Panican (The LHoFT), Panagiotis Kriaris (Unzer), Eliad Saporta, Nic Marius Balaceanu (Rofin.Tech and Lendrise), Robert Anghel (Salt Bank), Florian Teleabă (Kearney).

Banking 4.0 invites industry leaders, innovators, and stakeholders to join this crucial conversation at Sinaia Casino in November. Together, we will explore strategies to not only adapt but thrive in the evolving landscape of digital banking.

More details here

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About NOCASH

There are almost 25 years since we’ve been organizing events in the banking industry. It all started with Expo-Invest in 2002, the First Financial Fair focused on selling banking products. It was the first time in Romania when people could interact directly with bank employees outside of branches. The event anticipated the explosion of bank retail a year later.

Starting with 2017, with the European Commission’s decision to democratize banking through PSD2, we opted to expand to a new business line: international events that promote the impact of emerging technologies on banking. It was an inspired decision. Since then, thousands of experts from 35 countries have physically attended our event and over 20,000 online. Banking 4.0 is now an internationally recognized brand as one of the most appreciated fintech events in CEE.