The Finticipate Forum was a real breath of fresh air for part of the core team at Crypto Plunid d.o.o. (and no, we’re not referring to the winds that blew, or the downpour that happened that day). Since Plunid itself is a fintech solution, we decided to step out of our comfort zone and attend a conference where the attendees and participants weren’t just developers and blockchain enthusiasts.

At the Finticipate Forum, we learned a lot about regional banking trends (the pros and challenges of implementing Open Banking, the influence of innovation on the payments and card sectors, access to the SEPA system, etc.) as well as changes in regulatory frameworks. Every panel offered something interesting. Some of the panelists even made bold predictions about the future of the financial sector, and now we’re waiting to see which of those will come true.

One particularly interesting topic was the mention of the new buzzword Co-opetition (a blend of cooperation and competition, describing the relationship between the banking and fintech sectors).

Participants included representatives from regional central banks, fintech companies, members of the fintech community, as well as firms providing services to the banking and fintech sectors (law firms, IT solutions providers).

The only thing that stood out to us as a negative was the absence of representatives from the Central Bank of Serbia. We believe they should definitely attend this forum next year. They’re certainly well-informed about what’s happening in the banking sector, but perhaps they’re not fully aware of how close, how fast, and to what extent the fintech sector is approaching—and taking a slice of the pie.

All in all, we heard some new things, made valuable contacts, and we’ll definitelly finticipate again next year.