From pilot to enterprise value
The opening thread of the programme is the move out of proof-of-concept: what has to change in data, talent, architecture and decision rights before AI produces measurable value.
Digital banking excellence · Amsterdam, Netherlands
Digital finance leadership, live in Amsterdam
Excellence in Digital Banking 7.0 — 25–27 November 2026, in person and online.
Digital finance leadership, live in Amsterdam and streamed for delegates who cannot travel.
- Amsterdam, 2026
- In-person & online
- Three summit days
Leading themes of the programme
- 01The Intelligent Bank: Scaling AI from Experimentation to Enterprise Value
- 02Agentic AI, Generative AI and Responsible AI Governance
- 03Digital Identity, Authentication and the Future of Customer Access
- 04Hyper-Personalised Banking and Next-Generation Customer Experience
10 programme themes
Ten themes shaping the seventh edition
These ten themes are the spine of the programme. Every session on the three-day agenda sits under one of them, and most of them recur on more than one day.
- 01The Intelligent Bank: Scaling AI from Experimentation to Enterprise Value
- 02Agentic AI, Generative AI and Responsible AI Governance
- 03Digital Identity, Authentication and the Future of Customer Access
- 04Hyper-Personalised Banking and Next-Generation Customer Experience
- 05AI-Ready Architecture, Cloud and Composable Banking Platforms
- 06Open Finance, Digital Wallets and Embedded Banking
- 07Real-Time Payments, Liquidity and Transaction Banking
- 08Deepfakes, Synthetic Identity and AI-Driven Financial Crime
- 09Operational Resilience and Risk in Digital Transformation
- 10Sustainable Finance in the Digital Banking Ecosystem
Excellence in Digital Banking 7.0
The summit
Edition 7.0 is built around a single question: what separates a bank that has deployed artificial intelligence from a bank that has actually changed because of it.
Excellence in Digital Banking 7.0 – International Summit will take place in Amsterdam from 25–27 November 2026. The three-day summit will bring together senior banking leaders, regulators, technology experts and innovators to explore how artificial intelligence, digital identity, next-generation architecture, open finance, payments and platform banking are reshaping the financial industry. Participants can join the summit in person in Amsterdam or remotely through the online participation option.
Amsterdam is not incidental to this programme. Several of the speakers work inside Dutch institutions and supervisory bodies, and the Netherlands has spent longer than most markets on the practical governance of banking technology. That gives the in-person edition a local depth the stream cannot fully reproduce — although the stream carries every session.
At PulseCore, we are dedicated to achieving new standards of excellence by providing conference formats that encourage interaction, networking, and high-class knowledge sharing. With a team of experts and a motivated staff committed to delivering quality, our vision is to be recognized as the global leader in providing high-quality business conferences. We strive to create events that inspire innovation, foster collaboration, and empower individuals to make a positive impact in their respective industries.
The essentials
- EventExcellence in Digital Banking 7.0 — International Summit
- Dates25–27 November 2026
- LocationAmsterdam, Netherlands
- FormatIn-person in Amsterdam and online participation
- Edition7.0 — seventh international summit
- OrganiserPulseCore Events s.r.o., Prague, Czech Republic
- 31Speakers
- 33Sessions
- 10Themes
The organiser's core values
- Leadership
- Innovation
- Responsibility
- Respect
Excellence in Digital Banking 7.0 is organized by PulseCore Events s.r.o.
Digital banking excellence
What defines edition 7.0
Seven editions in, the content has shifted from demonstrating that digital banking works to governing it, scaling it and defending it.
Governance that scales with the model
Agentic and generative systems are treated as a control problem as much as a capability, with model risk, oversight and supervisory expectation on the same agenda.
Identity as infrastructure
Authentication, verification and digital identity run through a full day of the programme, framed as banking infrastructure rather than as a login screen.
Experience that is actually personal
Hyper-personalisation, product design for the digital generation and the behavioural side of customer trust are presented by the people who own those products.
Composable, AI-ready platforms
Architecture sessions cover the resilient, composable platform layer that everything above it depends on, including cloud and core modernisation.
Financial crime in a synthetic era
Deepfakes, synthetic identity and AI-driven fraud are handled directly, including a dedicated panel discussion on the third of the summit's themes.
31 confirmed speakers
Practitioners presenting
The programme is delivered by people doing the work — architecture, model risk, AI governance, product design, payments, financial crime and supervision.
Sara Ehab Azmi
Head of Change & Project Management, Emirates NBD, Egypt
Who will own Digital Identity?
Day 2 (November 26)
David Bonavia
Lead Operational Risk Framework Manager, Metro Bank, UK
Designing the Bank of the Digital Generation
Day 3 (November 27)
Gaurab Arka Chaudhuri
Director of Group Strategy, Barclays, UK
Open Finance, Digital Wallets and Embedded Banking: The Next Growth Model for Banks
Day 3 (November 27)
Lucy Cafferkey
Head of Media Relations, Starling Bank, UK
Building Trust and Customer Confidence in Digital Banking
Day 2 (November 26)
Romano Ramanti
Vice Director, Zürcher Kantonalbank, Switzerland
Hyper-Personalized Banking Experiences
Day 2 (November 26)
Ashtha Bajaj
Data, Analytics & AI Leader, Bank of Ireland, UK
Ambition to Architecture, what vision really demands
Day 1 (November 25)
The full speaker list
- Anish ShahDirector - Model Risk, Internal Audit, NatWest, UK
- Cindy LoManaging Director, Global Head of Liquidity Solutions, HSBC, UK
- Claudio BalboSenior Director - Head of IT Architecture, Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy
- Dominique TremblayHead of Enterprise Sustainability, BNY
- Ed VinicombeDirector of Product Design, JP Morgan Chase, UK
- Edgars SedovsHead of Risk, Rietumu Banka, Latvia
- Ekaterina KozhevatovaDirector, Commerzbank AG, Germany
- Ellen Van AckerCOO Wholesale Banking Client & Digital Services, ING, Netherlands
- Frans Van BruggenIndependent Expert (Ex Senior Policy Officer Fintech and AI at DNB)
- Haitham Aboulfotoh RashwanHead of Digital Banking & Alternative Channels, Emirates NBD, Egypt
- Igoris RyklysLead of Digital Channels, Swedbank Baltics, Lithuania
- Jan SedlaříkHybrid AI Product Owner for Realization squad, AI upskilling and Internal delivery teams, Česká Sporitelna, Czechia
- Joris KrijgerAI Governance Officer, ASN Bank, Netherlands
- Jules Ferdinand Pagna DissoHead of Cyber Risk Intelligence, Insider Technology Risk and Digital Asset Risk, BNP Paribas, UK
- Kartik TanejaExecutive Vice President, Head of Payments & Consumer Lending, Mashreq Bank, Dubai
- Melvin PellicanoHead of Digital Transformation and Product Development Department, BNF Bank, Malta
- Mitul VadgamaAdvanced Analytics and AI Lead - Artificial Intelligence CoE, Lloyds Banking Group, UK
- Nina SchweighoferJST Coordinator / Head of Section, European Central Bank, Germany
- Ohad KotlerCEO & Co-Founder, Tweezr
- Okan AcarEVP, Digital Banking and Payment Systems, Kuveyt Türk Katılım Bankasi, Turkey
- Olli AnteroinenHead of SME Digital - Business Banking, Nordea, Finland
- Ronelle ArbibChief Operating Officer, Recognise Bank, UK
- Sadık BaşExecutive Vice President, Marketing Portfolio Management & Digital Products, Garanti BBVA Payment Systems, Turkey
- Shamsh HodaAI & Digital Innovation Strategist, Commerzbank, Germany
- Swagatam SenExecutive Director FCC Tech Advisory, Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, UK
25–27 November 2026 · Amsterdam, Netherlands
Session by session
The full running order, with the discussion points each speaker will take. Times are as published by the organiser.
Day 1
25 November 2026 10 sessions09:00
Re-architecting the Bank Around AI
Frans Van Bruggen — Independent Expert (Ex Senior Policy Officer Fintech and AI at DNB)
- Moving from AI pilots to enterprise-wide transformation
- Embedding AI into strategic decision-making at board level
- Aligning data, talent and technology for AI-driven banking
- Redefining leadership in an AI-native financial institution
09:30
Building the Hybrid Banking Model: Merging Digital and Physical Touchpoints
Ronelle Arbib — Chief Operating Officer, Recognise Bank, UK
- Transitioning from workflow automation to AI-driven operations
- Rethinking operational structures and digital workforces
- Integrating AI agents across banking services
- Measuring productivity gains and operational transformation
10:00
How banks can scale AI safely and govern agentic AI
Mitul Vadgama — Advanced Analytics and AI Lead - Artificial Intelligence CoE, Lloyds Banking Group, UK
- Scaling AI beyond pilots
- Agentic AI use cases in banking
- Governance, controls, and oversight
- Trust, compliance, and resilience
11:00
The Future Operating Model of a Digital Bank
Joris Krijger — AI Governance Officer, ASN Bank, Netherlands
- Moving from product-centric to customer-centric structures
- Aligning technology, business and operations leadership
- Creating faster decision cycles in complex organizations
11:30
Ambition to Architecture, what vision really demands
Ashtha Bajaj — Data, Analytics & AI Leader, Bank of Ireland, UK
- Ambition creates direction, but architecture determines whether transformation can scale securely, sustainably, and at speed.
- Vision in banking demands more than innovation, it requires resilient data, technology, governance, and operating models working as one ecosystem.
- The institutions that win will be those that simplify complexity, build adaptable platforms, and turn strategy into repeatable execution.
12:00
Unlocking the Business Potential of Generative AI in Banking
Jules Ferdinand Pagna Disso — Head of Cyber Risk Intelligence, Insider Technology Risk and Digital Asset Risk, BNP Paribas, UK
- Advancing beyond basic AI tools toward high-impact business applications
- Enhancing financial advisory services and operational decision-making with generative AI
- Ensuring secure and responsible AI adoption across the organization
- Evaluating performance, efficiency, and long-term return on AI investments
13:30
Generative AI in Banking: From Experiments to Core Business Value
Jan Sedlařík — Hybrid AI Product Owner for Realization squad, AI upskilling and Internal delivery teams, Česká Sporitelna, Czechia
- Moving beyond chatbots toward strategic applications
- Integrating generative AI in a supportive role for business operations
- Scaling AI capabilities safely across business lines
- Strategic directions for AI implementation aimed at business value generation
14:30
From AI Hype to Real Control: Safe Legacy Evolution
Ohad Kotler — CEO & Co-Founder, Tweezr
- Combining deterministic system intelligence with AI
- Grounding insights in source code to maintain control
- Modernizing legacy systems without a disruptive big bang
15:30
Digitizing Wholesale Banking: Smarter Client and Service Models
Ellen Van Acker — COO Wholesale Banking Client & Digital Services, ING, Netherlands
- Transforming wholesale banking through digital client journeys
- Improving efficiency with data-driven service models
- Balancing automation, personalization and relationship banking
16:00
AI Model Risk in Banking: Governing GenAI and Agentic AI at Scale
Anish Shah — Director - Model Risk, Internal Audit, NatWest, UK
- Managing AI risk across credit, fraud, pricing and customer decisions
- Governing GenAI and AI agents through validation and human oversight
- Balancing regulatory expectations with faster, responsible AI adoption
Day 2
26 November 2026 12 sessions09:00
Hyper-Personalized Banking Experiences
Romano Ramanti — Vice Director, Zürcher Kantonalbank, Switzerland
- Leveraging AI to anticipate customer needs
- Delivering contextual financial guidance in real time
- Moving from reactive service to proactive engagement
10:00
Designing Banking Experiences for the Digital Generation
Ed Vinicombe — Director of Product Design, JP Morgan Chase, UK
- Designing simple, intuitive, and trusted digital banking experiences
- Understanding the expectations of mobile-first and digital-native customers
- Turning product design into a competitive advantage for banks
11:00
Eliminating Friction: The Future of Authentication
Haitham Aboulfotoh Rashwan — Head of Digital Banking & Alternative Channels, Emirates NBD, Egypt
- Moving beyond passwords toward biometric authentication
- Designing invisible authentication across channels
- Balancing convenience and security in digital access
11:30
New Approach to Design CX: Kuveyt Turk's Neuromarketing Lab
Okan Acar — EVP, Digital Banking and Payment Systems, Kuveyt Türk Katılım Bankasi, Turkey
- Using EEG and eye-tracking to understand customer responses
- Measuring subconscious reactions across digital and physical touchpoints
- Turning emotional engagement into better customer experience
12:00
The Future of Customer Verification
Shamsh Hoda — AI & Digital Innovation Strategist, Commerzbank, Germany
- Moving from one-time verification to continuous identity assurance
- Integrating behavioral and contextual identity signals
- Simplifying verification for repeat interactions
13:30
Who will own Digital Identity?
Sara Ehab Azmi — Head of Change & Project Management, Emirates NBD, Egypt
- Positioning banks alongside governments and technology platforms
- Exploring digital identity wallets and interoperable frameworks
- Using identity to reshape customer relationships and services
14:00
Digital Identity as the New Banking Infrastructure
Melvin Pellicano — Head of Digital Transformation and Product Development Department, BNF Bank, Malta
- Positioning banks as trusted identity providers
- Integrating national digital identity frameworks
- Building cross-border digital identity capabilities
14:30
Building Trust and Customer Confidence in Digital Banking
Lucy Cafferkey — Head of Media Relations, Starling Bank, UK
- Communicating innovation clearly in a fast-changing banking environment
- Building customer trust through transparency, security, and simplicity
15:30
Digital Wallets and Payments: Creating Daily Customer Engagement
Sadık Baş — Executive Vice President, Marketing Portfolio Management & Digital Products, Garanti BBVA Payment Systems, Turkey
- Turning digital wallets into everyday customer touchpoints
- Driving loyalty through payments, rewards, and personalized digital services
- Competing in a fast-growing payments and wallet ecosystem
16:00
Digital Banking for SMEs: From Online Services to Intelligent Business Partners
Olli Anteroinen — Head of SME Digital - Business Banking, Nordea, Finland
- Redesigning digital banking around SME needs
- Using data and AI for proactive financial guidance
- Helping SMEs save time and grow faster
16:30
Embedded Banking, Payments and Consumer Lending: The New Growth Engine
Kartik Taneja — Executive Vice President, Head of Payments & Consumer Lending, Mashreq Bank, Dubai
- Embedding banking services into customer journeys and partner platforms
- Connecting payments and lending to create seamless experiences
- Scaling growth models through ecosystems and partnerships
17:00
Panel Discussion: What is the future of Banking in 2030?
Swagatam Sen — Executive Director FCC Tech Advisory, Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, UK
- Exploring how banks will compete, collaborate and innovate in the next era of financial services.
Day 3
27 November 2026 11 sessions09:00
AI-Ready Banking Architecture: Building the Resilient, Composable Bank of the Future
Claudio Balbo — Senior Director - Head of IT Architecture, Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy
- Designing AI-ready banking architecture
- Modernizing legacy cores without disruption
- Cloud, APIs, and composable platforms
- Resilience, security, and DORA compliance
09:30
Managing Change Risk in an Age of Uncertainty
Edgars Sedovs — Head of Risk, Rietumu Banka, Latvia
- Risk in digital transformation
- Managing AI, cloud, and platform change
- Operational resilience in fast-moving banking
- Balancing innovation, control, and trust
10:00
Supervising the Intelligent Bank: Trust, Resilience and AI in Next-Generation Banking
Nina Schweighofer — JST Coordinator / Head of Section, European Central Bank, Germany
- Understanding how European supervisors assess AI-driven business models, governance and digital transformation
- Translating regulatory expectations — SSM priorities, DORA and the AI Act — into practical design choices for the intelligent bank
- Building board-level accountability and meaningful human oversight as AI enters core decision chains
- Managing the resilience challenge: cloud concentration, third-party AI models and legacy evolution
11:00
Open Finance, Digital Wallets and Embedded Banking: The Next Growth Model for Banks
Gaurab Arka Chaudhuri — Director of Group Strategy, Barclays, UK
- Open finance beyond open banking
- Digital wallets as new customer gateways
- Embedded banking and platform growth
- Competing in the future financial ecosystem
11:30
The Reinvention of Mobile Banking Platforms
Igoris Ryklys — Lead of Digital Channels, Swedbank Baltics, Lithuania
- Moving from transactional apps to financial life platforms
- Integrating payments, investments and lifestyle services
- Designing apps that become daily financial companions
- Building engagement beyond transactions
12:00
The Strategic Role of the Bank in a Platform Economy
Swagatam Sen — Executive Director FCC Tech Advisory, Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, UK
- Competing with technology platforms for customer attention
- Leveraging trust and financial expertise as differentiators
- Building partnerships without losing strategic control
- Defining the future role of banks in digital ecosystems
13:30
Designing the Bank of the Digital Generation
David Bonavia — Lead Operational Risk Framework Manager, Metro Bank, UK
- Understanding evolving expectations of digital-native customers
- Building intuitive banking experiences for mobile-first users
- Simplifying financial services through better design
- Creating long-term relationships with younger customers
14:00
Sustainable Finance in the Digital Banking Ecosystem
Dominique Tremblay — Head of Enterprise Sustainability, BNY
- Embedding sustainability into digital banking strategy and product design
- Using data and technology to support ESG transparency and reporting
- Connecting sustainability, innovation, and long-term business value
14:30
Liquidity in the Digital Era: Real-Time Treasury and Smarter Client Solutions
Cindy Lo — Managing Director, Global Head of Liquidity Solutions, HSBC, UK
- How real-time payments are changing liquidity expectations
- Building smarter treasury solutions for corporate and institutional clients
- Using data and digital platforms to improve cash visibility and control
15:30
The Future of Transaction Banking in a Platform-Based Economy
Ekaterina Kozhevatova — Director, Commerzbank AG, Germany
- How transaction banking is evolving through platforms and ecosystems
- Strengthening client relationships through integrated digital services
- Combining payments, trade finance, and data-driven solutions
16:10
Panel Discussion: Deepfakes, Synthetic Identity and AI-Driven Fraud: The Next Frontier of Financial Crime
Lucy Cafferkey — Head of Media Relations, Starling Bank, UK
- Exploring how deepfakes, synthetic identity and AI-driven fraud are reshaping financial crime, and how banks can defend against the next frontier of threats.
Summit photography
The summit in pictures
Photography from earlier editions.
From a previous edition
Delegate feedback
Comments from participants at a previous edition.
It was an absolute honour to attend, present, and chair the first two days of PulseCore Events, Excellence in Digital Banking 2024 International Summit in Amsterdam. I enjoyed sharing insights on Oxford Risk and behavioural finance and moderating a panel on the future of digital onboarding. A special thanks to the event organisers and the other speakers I had the pleasure of introducing.
Had a fantastic time at the Excellence in Digital Banking event held from May 13-16 in Amsterdam, where I had the opportunity to share and exchange ideas with incredible professionals from around the world. In my keynote, I emphasized the importance of maintaining the "human" element in our digital transformations to avoid commoditization. Ultimately, it's the human connection through the customer's transformative journey that provides the most competitive advantage and is hardest to replicate. The diverse perspectives and innovative practices shared were truly eye-opening. Highlights included discussions on the increasing importance of cybersecurity amidst rapid technological advancements and its impact on customers, innovative AI solutions in unsecured lending, excellence in digital onboarding, the significance of building impactful partnerships and the strategic decisions around what a bank should develop internally versus through partnerships. A heartfelt thanks to PulseCore Events for bringing together such a diverse and knowledgeable set of speakers and to all participants for sharing their own journeys. Looking forward to applying these insights in my work!
Participation packages
Passes
Five packages, published with their inclusions and prices by PulseCore Events.
ULTIMATE PASS
€2990
- Attend InPerson 3 days conference
- Documentation Pack
- 44 Recorded Sessions
- Participants List
- Networking Coffee Breaks & Lunchs
VIRTUAL PASS
€2490
- Live stream
- Virtual Conference Online Networking
- 44 Recorded sessions
- Videos Interactions
- Documentation Pack
SPEAKER PACK
€4990
- Speaking Slot (40 Min)
- Attend InPerson 3 days conference
- Documentation Pack
- Participants List
- Networking Coffee Breaks & Lunchs
EXHIBITOR PACK
€6990
- 40 Min Speaking slot
- Attend InPerson 3 days conference
- EXHIBITOR Space
- 44 Recorded Sessions
- Networking Coffee Breaks & Lunchs
GROUP DISCOUNT 3 TICKETS
€5980
- Attend InPerson 3 days conference (3 PAX)
- Documentation Pack
- 44 Recorded Sessions
- Participants List
- Networking Coffee Breaks & Lunchs
Prices and inclusions are published by PulseCore Events s.r.o. No payment is taken on this page — every package link opens the organiser's own checkout at https://www.pulsecore-digital.com/tickets.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Attending
In Amsterdam in person, or online from anywhere. Both routes carry the same three-day programme.
In person in Amsterdam
The summit takes place in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 25–27 November 2026. In-person packages include the three-day conference, the documentation pack, networking coffee breaks and lunches, and the participants list.
The confirmed venue address, travel guidance and accommodation information are published and kept current by PulseCore Events s.r.o. on the official summit website. This page does not restate them, so that there is only one authoritative source.
Online participation
The virtual package carries the live stream, the online networking environment, video interactions, the recorded sessions and the documentation pack — the same three-day programme, joined remotely.
In-person & online passes available Both routes are booked through the same official registration page.
25–27 November 2026 · Amsterdam, Netherlands
Follow the themes to Amsterdam
Places for the seventh edition are booked through PulseCore Events on the official summit website, in person or online.
Excellence in Digital Banking 7.0 is organized by PulseCore Events s.r.o.
- SummitExcellence in Digital Banking 7.0
- Dates25–27 November 2026
- LocationAmsterdam, Netherlands
- FormatsIn-person and online
digitalfinanceamsterdam.com
Programme enquiries
Questions about the themes, the sessions or a specific speaker can go to the address below.
Write to us
sabrina.necidova@digitalfinanceamsterdam.com
Enquiries about attending in Amsterdam or joining online can go to the address above.
There is no registration form and no payment on this page. Everything official happens at https://www.pulsecore-digital.com/.