In just seven days, Valencia will once again become the epicenter of financial innovation with the celebration of the 3rd edition of the European Fintech Week – Fintech Immersion Program, organized by Inneürope in collaboration with ATEFI (the Latin American Association of Electronic Payment Networks).
This new edition will bring together over 20 innovation leaders from payment network operators in Brazil, Argentina, Panama, Guatemala, Venezuela, Paraguay, and Peru, representing more than 100 banks across Latin America. Over the course of three intensive days, participants will explore the European fintech ecosystem, connect with industry leaders, and engage in sessions focused on artificial intelligence, personalized finance, alternative scoring models, and cybersecurity.
But before unveiling what’s coming, it’s worth revisiting what happened last year — an edition that laid the foundation for a collaboration that continues to grow.
A Bridge Between Two Continents
In late May 2024, Inneürope and ATEFI held the 2nd edition of the Fintech Immersion Program across Spain’s strategic fintech hubs: Valencia, Barcelona, and Madrid. The goal: to strengthen collaboration between both continents and foster new alliances among fintechs, banks, and institutions.
The delegation was composed of representatives from: Telered (Panama), Unibanca (Peru), Tecban (Brazil), 5B (Guatemala), and ATEFI’s executive leadership team. Together, they represented a network working with more than 100 financial institutions across the region.
Key Insights on the European Fintech Ecosystem and the Power of Open Innovation
During the program, Francisco Estevan, founder of Inneürope, delivered a strategic overview of the European fintech landscape:
Over 10,500 startups and scaleups and $9.5 billion in investment in 2023, focused on payments, blockchain, lending, and insurtech.
He also led a hands-on workshop on open innovation, highlighting it as a key strategy to accelerate the development of disruptive solutions by connecting startups, corporations, and universities through collaborative models focused on PoCs and MVPs.
These sessions offered practical tools and sparked new partnership opportunities with the fintechs participating in the program.
Connecting with Europe’s Leading Fintech Hubs
One of the most highly rated sessions of the program was “Learning from the EU Fintech Ecosystem”, which featured leaders from four of Europe’s most dynamic hubs: Fintech Scotland, Portugal Fintech, RDI Hub – Ireland, Helsinki Fintech Farm – Finland
Each presented deep insights into their ecosystems, emphasizing public-private collaboration, talent attraction, and internationalization as keys to fintech scalability.
Local Innovation Ecosystems: Valencia, Barcelona and Madrid
In addition to the international focus, the delegation explored Spain’s three most prominent fintech hubs:
- In Valencia, Las Naves – València Innovation Capital inaugurated the program and presented the city’s public innovation strategy.
- In Barcelona, the session with BCN Fintech addressed fintech trends and opportunities for LATAM collaboration.
- In Madrid, a session at Madrid Investment Attraction, in partnership with Madrid Capital Fintech (MadFinTech), offered a complete overview of the city’s investment and innovation environment, including fintech success stories.
High-Level Institutional Meetings
The edition also featured strategic meetings with key financial and public sector institutions:
- Banco de España, where participants explored Spain’s regulatory sandbox and innovation initiatives.
- European Commission, with a session on the Digital Finance Platform and EU priorities in digital financial services.
- Instituto Valenciano de Finanzas (IVF), where Enrique Montes and his team shared their experience supporting regional fintech growth.
Women in Fintech
One of the most inspiring moments of the program was the roundtable on female leadership in fintech, moderated by journalist Rosa del Blanco, featuring:
- Gabriela Orille (Ubicuity, Onyze, Nomade Nation)
- Gabriela Roberto Baró (Agrotoken, Nash21, BeLocal)
- Pilar Troncoso (QCentroid, OARO, Aidea)
- Marta de Zavala (Cysuite Group)
The discussion addressed innovation, ethics, sustainability, and the future of finance—leaving a lasting impact on all attendees.
12 Spanish Fintechs with Global Reach
During the sessions in Valencia and Madrid, participants engaged with 12 standout Spanish fintech companies making an international mark:
Aura Pay, CoinScrap Finance, Crowmie, Devengo, Gamco, Inespay, Native Teams, Pibisi, Renaiss AI, Sharpei, Uelz, and ViewApp.
These companies showcased advanced solutions in payments, open banking, automation, AI, blockchain, and B2B financial services.
Banco Santander
The program also included a session at the Santander Work Café in Valencia, where Jesús Ferrer and Rosa Sánchez presented Banco Santander’s entrepreneurship initiatives and support for startups within its innovation ecosystem.
A Renewed Push for Transatlantic Collaboration
The second edition of the European Fintech Week reaffirmed a powerful truth: Collaboration between Europe and Latin America is not only possible — it is essential. From international hubs to institutions, fintech companies, and sector leaders, a shared message emerged: Only through real knowledge exchange can innovation become impact. In just a few days, we begin a new chapter — with new participants, new challenges, and new opportunities to connect, collaborate, and co-create.
Thank you to all who were part of this journey. We look forward to seeing you at the next edition.
