Guaranteed seniority
PulseCore Events builds the room around confirmed senior attendance on both sides of the stage, which is the whole basis of the format.
Banking leadership
Executive perspectives on the AI-native bank
Board-level strategy, governance and operating models for digital banking.
Board-level strategy, governance and operating models for banks that have moved past experimentation.
- Governance and oversight
- Operating model
- Supervisory view
- 3Summit days
- 31Confirmed speakers
- 33Published sessions
- 10Programme themes
Banking leadership
Who is in the room
Seniority is the point. The organiser guarantees the level of both speakers and delegates, which is what makes the discussion in the room worth the three days.
Named institutions
Speakers present from inside identified banks, supervisors and technology organisations, so the case studies are attributable rather than anonymised.
Regulator and supervisor voices
Supervisory and policy perspectives sit on the same programme as the banks, in the same sessions, rather than in a separate compliance track.
Roundtable discussion
Roundtables give delegates direct access to the speakers, to put the challenge they actually came with in front of people who have handled it.
Cross-market perspective
The line-up spans the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, the Nordics, the Baltics, Turkey, Switzerland and the Gulf, so comparison across markets is possible in one room.
Benchmarking, not vendor pitching
The programme is built as a benchmarking forum for executive clients: current practice, what worked, and what the next set of challenges look like.
31 confirmed speakers
The leadership line-up
Directors, heads of function and executive vice presidents from retail, wholesale, private and central banking, presenting their own institution's work.
Shamsh Hoda
AI & Digital Innovation Strategist, Commerzbank, Germany
The Future of Customer Verification
Day 2 (November 26)
Dominique Tremblay
Head of Enterprise Sustainability, BNY
Sustainable Finance in the Digital Banking Ecosystem
Day 3 (November 27)
Haitham Aboulfotoh Rashwan
Head of Digital Banking & Alternative Channels, Emirates NBD, Egypt
Eliminating Friction: The Future of Authentication
Day 2 (November 26)
Melvin Pellicano
Head of Digital Transformation and Product Development Department, BNF Bank, Malta
Digital Identity as the New Banking Infrastructure
Day 2 (November 26)
Ronelle Arbib
Chief Operating Officer, Recognise Bank, UK
Building the Hybrid Banking Model: Merging Digital and Physical Touchpoints
Day 1 (November 25)
Cindy Lo
Managing Director, Global Head of Liquidity Solutions, HSBC, UK
Liquidity in the Digital Era: Real-Time Treasury and Smarter Client Solutions
Day 3 (November 27)
The full speaker list
- Anish ShahDirector - Model Risk, Internal Audit, NatWest, UK
- Ashtha BajajData, Analytics & AI Leader, Bank of Ireland, UK
- Claudio BalboSenior Director - Head of IT Architecture, Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy
- David BonaviaLead Operational Risk Framework Manager, Metro Bank, UK
- 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)
- Gaurab Arka ChaudhuriDirector of Group Strategy, Barclays, UK
- 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
- Lucy CafferkeyHead of Media Relations, Starling Bank, UK
- 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
- Romano RamantiVice Director, Zürcher Kantonalbank, Switzerland
- Sadık BaşExecutive Vice President, Marketing Portfolio Management & Digital Products, Garanti BBVA Payment Systems, Turkey
- Sara Ehab AzmiHead of Change & Project Management, Emirates NBD, Egypt
- Swagatam SenExecutive Director FCC Tech Advisory, Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, UK
Excellence in Digital Banking 7.0
Why senior teams attend
Excellence in Digital Banking exists because the hard questions in banking are no longer technical. They are questions of governance, operating model and accountability, and they are decided at executive level.
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.
The executive agenda in banking has narrowed to a small set of hard questions: who owns the model, what happens when it is wrong, how fast can the organisation actually decide, and what does the supervisor expect to see. Those questions carry the programme, and they are put to a room senior enough to answer them honestly.
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.
10 programme themes
The leadership agenda
Ten themes frame the three days. They are the items that currently reach board and executive committee agendas across European banking.
- 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
From a previous edition
In their words
Comments from speakers and delegates at a previous edition of the summit.
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!
I had a great time in Amsterdam last week attending the Excellence in Digital Banking event hosted by Pulsecore. Over 350 delegates from Financial Institutions participated at the event. Here are my three key takeaways: 1. Digitalization of financial services is now the norm, how you deploy differs, based on demography, culture, and other factors. 2. Customers will use digital channels as long as they are convenient and reliable. 3. Security and trust are required in building successful digital products. It was inspiring to see what other organizations like Stirling Bank, Salt Bank, and Alpian are doing in their Markets. This was an event worth attending! hashtag#digitalbanking hashtag#finance hashtag#excellence hashtag#Pulsecore hashtag#PulseCore Events
25–27 November 2026 · Amsterdam, Netherlands
Three days of leadership sessions
Each day is chaired end to end. Sessions are deliberately short so that the discussion around them has room, and panels close each of the first two days.
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.
Participation packages
Participation options
Packages published by PulseCore Events, from online attendance through to speaking and exhibiting. Everything is booked on the organiser's own site.
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.
Summit photography
Inside the summit
The format in practice: chaired sessions, small-group discussion and time to talk between them.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, and online
Amsterdam hosts the in-person summit. An online pass carries the same programme for leaders whose calendars will not release three consecutive travel days.
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
Put your leadership team in the room
Delegate places, group attendance and online participation are all arranged through PulseCore Events on the official summit site.
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
digitalfinanceleadership.com
Speak to the delegate team
For delegation planning, seniority questions or group attendance, contact the delegate team below.
Write to us
sabrina.necidova@digitalfinanceleadership.com
Executive committee and group attendance enquiries are welcome at the address above.
There is no registration form and no payment on this page. Everything official happens at https://www.pulsecore-digital.com/.