Fintech PulseFinance of the Future Forum 2026

1. 09:00

   Registration and coffee

   Foyer
2. 09:30
   OpeningWelcome and opening addresses

   • Santa PurgaileMember of the Council of Latvijas Banka
   • Tīna LūseManaging Director of Fintech Latvia Association
   • Fredis BikovsDirector of Riga Investment and Tourism Agency
   Main stage
3. 09:50
   Fintech Pulse: The Year in DataFintech Observatory: From Data to Decisions. Where Latvian Fintech Stands and What Comes Next

   • Tīna LūseModeratorManaging Director of Fintech Latvia Association
   • Santa PurgaileMember of the Council of Latvijas Banka

   The fifth Fintech Pulse dataset, opened with the key figures and then put to the people who shape the sector. Where has Latvian fintech grown most over five years, where is it falling behind, how do we compare with our neighbours, and which decisions should these numbers inform in the year ahead?

   Main stage
4. 10:35
   PanelPublic Partners, Private Investors: How Crowdfunding Can Close the SME Financing Gap

   • Ronald KleverlaanPresenterManaging Director of the European Centre for Alternative Finance at Utrecht University

   The session opens with European crowdfunding data: how big the market is, where it is growing and the best examples of collaboration between platforms and public institutions. The panel then asks how Latvia compares, which public instruments actually mobilise private investors, and what should change so that more SMEs are funded through platforms.

   Main stage
5. 11:20

   Coffee break

   Foyer
6. 11:40
   PanelWake Up Your Money: Turning Europe’s Savers into Investors

   Europeans are some of the world’s biggest savers, but too much of that money sits idle in bank accounts instead of working for people and financing the economy. The EU wants to change that through the Savings and Investments Union, and Latvia is already part of the answer: one in four euros ever invested through European alternative investment platforms has gone through Latvia, and Latvian platforms serve investors in 28 of 30 EU/EEA countries. Yet at home, Latvians still invest far less than many of their European neighbours. This panel looks at how to turn savers into investors, from trust and financial habits to the role of finfluencers, the products on offer and the way investment income is taxed, and asks what Latvia and Europe need to do next.

   Main stage
7. 12:25
   PanelHow to Make Russia’s Sanctions List (and Keep Your Fintech Off the Wrong Ones)

   • Alexander BrowderInterviewFounder of the Global Cryptocurrency Laundering Database
   • Paulis IļjenkovsDeputy Head of the Financial Intelligence Unit of Latvia
   • Līga VinķeleCEO of Fintelligence

   At 17, Alexander Browder became the youngest known person on Russia’s sanctions list, after his Global Cryptocurrency Laundering Database exposed how sanctions are evaded and money is laundered through the financial system. The session opens with an exclusive interview with Alexander about what his research uncovered and what it means for the industry. It then continues with a fireside chat between Paulis Iļjenkovs of the Financial Intelligence Unit and Līga Vinķele of Fintelligence on the newest sanctions typologies, the red flags fintechs need to watch, and how technology can help them stay ahead.

   Main stage
8. 13:00

   Lunch

   Foyer
9. 13:50
   PanelBetter Discussed Than Discovered: Getting a Fintech Licence in Latvia

   • Agneta RumpaModeratorSenior Associate at Sorainen
   • Jelena JuranePresenterMember of the Board of Magnetiq Bank
   • Max SchertelCo-founder and CEO of finmid
   • Thomas KöckCEO & Co-Founder of pinyya
   • Agnese AlaineHead of the Licensing and Sanctions Department at Latvijas Banka

   Getting a fintech licence goes smoother when the hard questions are discussed early. Founders and advisers who have been through the process share what it really involves, where applications get stuck, and how to build a working relationship with the supervisor that lasts beyond the licence.

   Main stage
10. 14:35
    PanelBorn in Latvia, Servicing the World

    • Anda AsereModeratorFintech Pulse editor and journalist
    • Toms NipartsCo-founder and CEO of Jeff
    • Iveta BrūveleFounder and CEO of Wandoo Finance
    • Oskars LakšēvicsChief Commercial Officer at Handwave
    • Mārtiņš ViļumsCo-founder of Abillio

    Latvia is a small market, but many of the fintechs born here were built for the world from day one. They’re lending across continents, processing payments for global merchants, and bringing new technology to markets far from Riga. This panel brings together founders and leaders of Latvian fintechs from different verticals who have taken their business beyond our borders. They’ll share what made them go global, how they chose their markets, and what it really takes to scale internationally from a small hub. It’s a story of Small Hub, Endless Opportunities, told by the people living it.

    Main stage
11. 15:20

    Coffee break

    Foyer
12. 15:40
    PanelHow Not to Break It? Non-Bank Lending Under the New Supervisor

    • Toms JurjevsFounder & CEO of Sun Finance Group
    • Kristaps SomsDirector of the Capital Markets Supervision Department at Latvijas Banka
    • Uldis CērpsCEO of Finance Latvia Association
    • Artis MēnessChairman of the Board of LMT Finance

    Non-bank lenders are moving under the supervision of Latvijas Banka. What is the aim of the change, and what should the industry expect? The banking sector is calling for stricter rules and a level playing field, while lenders warn against overregulating a sector that serves the consumers and businesses banks often don’t reach, from households without access to bank credit to small companies that need fast and flexible financing. This panel brings the supervisor, banks and lenders of different sizes and business models to one table to discuss how to strengthen trust and consumer protection without cutting off access to finance for those who need it. The starting point is that the sector works. The question is not what to fix, but how to make sure the change of supervisor doesn’t break what already serves people and businesses well.

    Main stage
13. 16:30
    PanelTalent Wanted: Future-Proof Education

    • Inese MuzikanteModeratorDean of the University of Latvia FinTech Business School
    • Dana KocaneTalent Partner and CEO of Teamence
    • Nauris BloksChief Executive Officer of TWINO
    • Ieva NarbuteCEO of Goodeve

    The future of Latvian fintech depends on two things: the talent to build it, and people who understand finance well enough to use it wisely. This panel looks at how we build the talent base our sector needs, and what universities, companies and the ecosystem should do together to get there. It also takes on financial literacy: we believe every higher-education graduate should understand the basics of personal finance and investing. Not everyone agrees on how to get there, for example whether it should be a compulsory course, so the panel puts that on the table as an open question and discusses it openly.

    Main stage
14. 17:10
    Closing panelTo Bank or Not to Bank? Maturing Fintechs and the Specialised Banking Licence

    • Jakub WieclawChairman of the Board of Magnetiq Bank
    • Raman KorneuCEO and Co-founder of myTU
    • Mārtiņš ŠulteCEO and Co-Founder of Mintos
    • Matīss AnsviesulisFintech entrepreneur

    As Latvian fintechs mature, many face the same question: should we become a bank? Some are already on the way, some are seriously weighing it, and some argue that a banking licence is the last thing a fintech needs. This panel brings together four paths: building a bank, building an agentic-first bank, using banking-as-a-service instead, and growing a lending business that ended up owned by a bank. What does the specialised banking licence really change, what does it cost, and what does the future of banking look like when fintechs grow up?

    Main stage
15. 18:30

    Fintech Pulse Awards and reception

    Main stage

Timings are indicative. More speakers to be announced.